Are Hub Spacers Really Necessary?

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So, on my 1990 K1500, the truck has the "newer" directional 5-star rims that nearly all Chevy trucks had in the mid-90's.

The problem is, the center hole of the rim is larger than the hub....so basically the lugs are keeping the rims centered on the axle.

I know it's not ideal, but how big of a deal is this? This truck never goes off-road and get banged around.

This winter I'll be buying new tires for the truck, and I have no desire to buy new rims for this beater.......But should I invest in some hub spacers? Maybe the tire shop will have the correct size inhouse and simply install them with the new tires?

Thanks.
 
Originally Posted By: Phishin
So, on my 1990 K1500, the truck has the "newer" directional 5-star rims that nearly all Chevy trucks had in the mid-90's.

The problem is, the center hole of the rim is larger than the hub....so basically the lugs are keeping the rims centered on the axle.

I know it's not ideal, but how big of a deal is this? This truck never goes off-road and get banged around.

This winter I'll be buying new tires for the truck, and I have no desire to buy new rims for this beater.......But should I invest in some hub spacers? Maybe the tire shop will have the correct size inhouse and simply install them with the new tires?


It's not a big deal at all. My '84 Oldsmobile's factory wheels had no hub bore flange at all. Like many stylized steel wheels at that time, the hub area in the center of the wheel was completely open.

Drive on without worry.
 
With certain vehicles they may not be necessary but, they are optimal. The Hub Spacers aren't alot of money so, you should invest in them, IMHO!
 
Are you talking about hubcentric rings? If so, they typically include them when you by wheels. They're super cheap, and it doesn't seem like a good thing to pinch pennies on.
 
Centering rings is what you are thinking of. No, you don't really need them, the studs are plenty strong enough and odds are the wheel will run mostly true just centered on the studs. Tighten the nuts up in a star pattern to help them center the wheel.
If you find you are getting a vibration with balanced tires you might want to spring for the rings to see if they help.
 
They came fitted on the aftermarket alloys i fitted to the Clio, just little bits of plastic to make the wheel fit perfect on the hub

I would personally fit them

But if a little bit of vibration is no problem or the truck never travels at high speed you likely wouldn't notice any difference
 
Originally Posted By: dparm
Are you talking about hubcentric rings?


Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. Sorry for the confusion.
 
I have seen them in plastic but, mine are aluminum and I prefer the aluminum. And you'll have to get them for the hub size/wheel specific...If I said that correctly!
smile.gif
 
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Originally Posted By: Char Baby
I have seen them in plastic but, mine are aluminum and I prefer the aluminum. And you'll have to get them for the hub size/wheel specific...If I said that correctly!
smile.gif



I have heard from several aftermarket wheel companies that plastic ones are just fine and actually preferable to metal.
 
Hubcentric rings aren't used to hold the wheel on in any way, they simply center the wheel to the hub so rotationally, the wheel assembly isn't off balance. If you're not getting any vibration at highway speeds like your wheels need balanced, there isn't any need for the rings.
 
Hubcentric, lugcentric... have to match what it came with as far as I know but I've never heard of someone converting lugcentric to hubcentric.
 
what kind of lug nuts do your wheels use? As long as they are self centering and you are careful you should be fine as-is.

I prefer to tighten them in star pattern in air- moderately tight.

then after its on the ground do the final torque with the torque wrench.
 
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Just an FYI:

I don't know of any vehicle manufacturer who doesn't use hub centric wheels - and they do that for vibration prevention.

The holes for the lugs are notoriously hard to get centered - plus the lugs also have to be perpendicular - doubly difficult.

Even tough the lug nut seats are tapered, it's the center bore that centers the wheel onto the hub. HOWEVER, if the wheel is cocked when the first lug nut is tightened down, the wheel can be pulled off-center. So it is important to use a star pattern when tightening lug nuts - AND - the first 2 lug nuts should be lightly snugged down.

So, hub rings? I would get them NOW - even though you might not have problem right now. They may be impossible to get later.
 
CapriRacer,

I know for our truck they have never been "hubcentric", nor were there any rings. Same thing on our Malibu - I've never seen any centering rings. Is this the exception or am I missing something?
 
Most hub-centric rings I've seen don't really fit tight enough to do much good anyway. About all they do is help pilot the wheel on to make it easier to put the lug nuts on. I would never count on one to center a wheel on the balancer. If they do fit tight they end up frozen to the wheel or hub. If you need your spare and don't have a hammer and chisel, you're SOL. I have also seen on some wheels that use a wire retainer for the ring pop out and get trapped between the wheel and hub surface. Not all oem wheels fit all that tight on the hub, and the ones that do fit really tight, good luck getting one of those off on the side of the road. The torque thrust wheels I have been using for 10 yrs. on 2 different trucks are lug-centric and run smooth.
 
Originally Posted By: cchase
CapriRacer,

I know for our truck they have never been "hubcentric", nor were there any rings. Same thing on our Malibu - I've never seen any centering rings. Is this the exception or am I missing something?


Yes, you are missing something.

OE wheels are machined to fit and don't require hub rings. Hub rings are only used on "Fits Everything" type of wheels - in order to fit the hub of the particular vehicle involved. Different vehicles would require different hub rings.

And lastly, I know for a fact your Malibu is hub centered. I talked to GM's tire warranty folks and they bragged about the improvement in balance warranty when they tightened up the fit on their wheels.

And your truck? What truck is it? To my knowledge, EVERY pickup truck uses hub centric wheels. Larger trucks might be different.
 
Originally Posted By: CapriRacer
Originally Posted By: cchase
CapriRacer,

I know for our truck they have never been "hubcentric", nor were there any rings. Same thing on our Malibu - I've never seen any centering rings. Is this the exception or am I missing something?


Yes, you are missing something.

OE wheels are machined to fit and don't require hub rings. Hub rings are only used on "Fits Everything" type of wheels - in order to fit the hub of the particular vehicle involved. Different vehicles would require different hub rings.

And lastly, I know for a fact your Malibu is hub centered. I talked to GM's tire warranty folks and they bragged about the improvement in balance warranty when they tightened up the fit on their wheels.

And your truck? What truck is it? To my knowledge, EVERY pickup truck uses hub centric wheels. Larger trucks might be different.


Okay, now I'm on the same page as you. I was equating comments in this thread about hub centering rings and your comments about wheels being hubcentric to mean that hubcentric wheels all used rings. Your clarification makes more sense to me now.
 
the trick to keep them centered is to tighten everything off the ground. if you tighten them on the ground, the weight of the vehile will push them of center.

Found this out with my subaru. Did it off the ground and all was good
 
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