Anyone Have Experience With Using Hub Ring Adapter For Wheels???

[mact3333]

So I am looking at buying 20 inch after market wheel and the looks and price is right. But it uses a hub ring adapter as the bub opening for model 3 is 64.1 mm's.

Has anyone done this before?. Safe?. Dont want wheel vibration obviously. Seller/vendor says all wheels from this manufacturer uses this adapter and they have done a lot of model S and 3's.

Thoughts???...thx.

 

[SammichLover]

So I am looking at buying 20 inch after market wheel and the looks and price is right. But it uses a hub ring adapter as the bub opening for model 3 is 64.1 mm's.

Has anyone done this before?. Safe?. Dont want wheel vibration obviously. Seller/vendor says all wheels from this manufacturer uses this adapter and they have done a lot of model S and 3's.

Thoughts???...thx.

They aren't really necessary. They just help you line up the tire for putting on the lug nuts but methodically putting those on a level of tightness at a time in a star pattern gets you to the same place.

The centering rings can actually cause issues by themselves.

 

[duckm4n]

They are just plastic or metal inserts that help align the wheels to the hub like SammichLover said. As long as you install them correctly, they shouldn't interact mechanically with the car. I used plastic ones for my winter tires and did not have any vibration issues. I got plastic ones because I didn't want to worry about any corrosion issues.

 

[mact3333]

Hmm...guess I am confused...I thought it was used the hub inner hb diameter isn't 64.1 mm's so this adapter was inserted to make the hub core diameter 64.1 mm's???...am I thinking about this totally wrong????

 

[IraB]

Hub rings are very commonly used for aftermarket wheels as many cars have the same bolt pattern, but different hub sizes. The wheel manufacturer makes the wheels with the largest hub opening necessary for the target vehicle(s) and then provides rings for cars with the same bolt pattern but smaller hubs. This makes the wheels cheaper as the manufacturer can build a single version for multiple cars rather than having separate manufacturing for each car with a different size hub.

While you can mount a non-hub-centric wheel, it is generally not a good idea as even a small amount of misalignment can cause serious balance issues. As long as the supplied hub rings are sturdy and fit precisely, there should be no problem using them. You should apply a light coating of anti-seize compound on the hub before installing the rings (particularly if they are metal) to ensure you can easily remove the rings when you swap wheels.

 

[brur]

A hub ring won't make the bore larger which is probably what you are hoping to get. As mentioned above a hub ring isn't really necessary, There is one more option if the hub on the car is bigger than the hub bore on the wheel. Get wheel spacers with a built-in hub the size you need. If you go that route, you might have to get a wheel with a different backspace as the wheel spacer will set the wheel further out. It is a bit confusing, but the guys who sell wheels/spacers speak the language effortlessly.

The post above is correct, but in my experience centering the wheel is not much of a problem when tightening the nuts on the studs is done as required.

 

[SD_Engnr]

So I am looking at buying 20 inch after market wheel and the looks and price is right. But it uses a hub ring adapter as the bub opening for model 3 is 64.1 mm's.

Has anyone done this before?. Safe?. Dont want wheel vibration obviously. Seller/vendor says all wheels from this manufacturer uses this adapter and they have done a lot of model S and 3's.

Thoughts???...thx.

I've used them for years, and they work great. While some folks claim it's not necessary, I think it's worth the $ to ease installation. I also prefer the metal type, as they are more durable if you do frequent wheel changes, or don't want to worry about accidentally crushing a plastic one.

 

[brur]

Since it's an aftermarket wheel it most likely does not have a conical seat for the lugs, which means you will want the hub ring. You will need a new set of lugs that are meant for the wheel you are buying if, in fact, the seat is not conical.

 

[TORQU3]

They aren't really necessary. They just help you line up the tire for putting on the lug nuts but methodically putting those on a level of tightness at a time in a star pattern gets you to the same place.

The centering rings can actually cause issues by themselves.

You are very wrong about not being necessary. On hub centric wheel cars, the hub is what is forcing the wheel to be centered. It is absolutely necessary if your wheel bore doesn't match the hub bore. It's also load bearing, you can actually shear studs in some cases. Without a hub fitting properly to the hub bore on the wheel, the wheel will not be properly centered. You WILL have vibrations. It may seem that tapered lugs would center it, but they won't with enough precision on a hub centric car. It is both a comfort (vibration) and safety issue.

Here is a more in depth explanation:
What’s the Difference Between Lug-centric and Hub-centric Wheels?

With all of that being said, it's always preferable to have wheels with the proper bore size. That way you won't ever forgot to put one on, you won't double stack by mistake either when one sticks in a wheel. I've also personally seen a large variation in machining precision. Make sure the ones you get fit very snugly and always make sure you use them.

 

[Wampa]

^^^Absolutely correct. I installed a set of wheels once without using hub-centric rings and noticed some bad vibrations, and I took care to make sure everything was centered. A set of cheap plastic rings (which matched the exact inner and outer bore required) fixed the issue. Never, ever, mount wheels without these rings, or make sure the wheels you are buying match the hub exactly.

 

[XTOTHEL]

Get the $5 rings, easier to line up, it'll fill up space, makes the wheel easier to remove later on too.

 

[BlueWRXPride]

I bought some aftermarket wheels from tirerack for winter tires. They sent me centering rings for the wheels, but I couldn't get them to fit on the hub. It was close, and I could have gotten them on if I used a hammer, but then I'd never get them off. I went back and forth with them, and they ended up sending me 4 different sets trying to find one that fit but they never fit right: easy on/off but snug. Eventually they said to me that the rings weren't necessary, since the lug seats were tapered and that would center the wheel. So I went ahead and did that and they stayed on the car for 6 months and 8000 miles with no issues of vibration of any sort.

I admit I am a sample size of 1, and I wrestled with all these same questions before I went ahead without rings. But I think that the hub centric wheels just use the hub for centering, and that once attached the weight of the car is held by the friction between the wheel and the hub, not the lugs themselves.

 

[brur]

OK, I was completely wrong. sorry. hub centric is the trick
Difference Between Hub-Centric and Lug-Centric Wheels

 

[SammichLover]

You are very wrong about not being necessary. On hub centric wheel cars, the hub is what is forcing the wheel to be centered. It is absolutely necessary if your wheel bore doesn't match the hub bore. It's also load bearing, you can actually shear studs in some cases.

LOL, this would flex under the load of my avatar's sandwich. You don't want to be relying on that as "bearing" anything.



Even before the hub heat melted it a bit, it stuck to the hub, and then was moulded by the OEM Aeros into the above new shape as an unintended DIY shim.

If the ring is actually metal then in might be important, check with the rim manufacturer. But I've never had any sort of vibration issue with the rims these came off [that wasn't solely a by-product of road surface and/or own dubious steering choices].

 

[TORQU3]

LOL, this would flex under the load of my avatar's sandwich. You don't want to be relying on that as "bearing" anything.

View attachment 405868

Even before the hub heat melted it a bit, it stuck to the hub, and then was moulded by the OEM Aeros into the above new shape as an unintended DIY shim.

If the spacer is actually metal then in might be important, check with the rim manufacturer.

That's kind of shitty hub ring. I agree that the one pictured wouldn't do much more than center the wheel on the hub, which is still a good thing. I've had solid poly carbonate ones that probably could take a good deal of compression load, but I prefer machined aluminum. Something like this style (this is not for a model 3): https://www.amazon.com/ZHTEAP-Wheel...7SDN?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&psc=1