snow wheels that aren't hub centric

[Kneale Brownson]

At 08:30 AM 12/09/2002 -0800, Lines Peter wrote:
>I just put a set of Blizzak's on my 4kq.  I had them mounted on some black
>steel wheels (the robocop look).  I'm a bit concerned because the bore in
>the center of the wheel is larger than the hub pilot diameter.  As far as I
>know, most Audis and VWs rely on this wheel bore/hub pilot diameter to
>properly center the wheel.  The wheel bolt holes in the wheel are
>countersunk and I'm using the stock wheel bolts with tapered heads (I
>checked for proper length with the new wheels).  So when I put the wheel on,
>and tighten in a criss-cross pattern, the bolts pull the wheel in to a
>"centered" position.  I've driven the car up to around 80mph and there isn't
>any vibration to speak of.  So it appears that the wheels are truly
>centered.  Should I be worried about the gap in the pilot diameters?  Does
>this fit have a strength feature above and beyond the simple centering?  It
>wouldn't be too hard to turn some spacers out of aluminum and fit them in
>the gap.  Any advice or BTDT?  Thanks.

My understanding of the hubcentric wheel design is that the weight of the
vehicle rests on that little lip and the wheel bolts just keep it
there.  I'm not sure the bolt holes in the wheel have the same strength as
an appropriate wheel hub opening would.  There are spacers available to
fill the gap and properly support the vehicle.