Non hub-cetric mags

[LL - NY]

Considering that most of the hub centric rings I've seen seem to
be made of nylon. Don't think they're carrying any (in this case)
compressive loads of significance. Now, what REALLY is keeping
the shear loads from the lugs is the compression of the wheel hub
against the axle hub, which supplies an impressive amount of frictional
force with properly torqued lugs. Hence, very little lateral (okay, shear)
loads on the lugs. And the pre-load due to to the provided torque should
handily deal with any unanticipated loads.

Don't think there is much danger here. And BTW, to support Greg,
I've occasionally misplaced the centering rings on my former GTi's
non-hubcentric American Racing AR24s changing wheels at track/autoX
events. The cone seats did just fine for me to get home, with a fully
loaded car. Did fine until I got the new centering rings, too. Didn't
usually bother reinstalling until the next event.

LL - NY

On 9/10/06, Brett Dikeman <quattro at frank.mercea.net> wrote:
>
>
> On Sep 10, 2006, at 1:19 PM, McCohens at aol.com wrote:
>
> > Got a cheap set of wheels today, once home and on the car I noticed
> > they
> > don't have hub-centering rings.    If I pull them tight real
> > carefully will it
> > be OK or am I looking at a never ending wheel vibration  issue?
>
> Not having a centering ring subjects the lug bolts to constant
> shearing forces (think potholes, bumps, etc.)  So, no, it's not
> really safe- and you will increase the dangers of bolt failure by
> over-tightening them, particularly if they're old and original.
> Torques exist for a reason, and it's not just "so it's easy to remove
> next time or doesn't fall out"; it's also to prevent the fastener
> from being stretched or deformed (and weakened as a result.)
>
> Call the previous owner and ask him/her to go looking for them. Worst
> case- I lost one of the centering rings for my Ronals, and the local
> Direct Tire shop had 'em in stock for pretty cheap ($5-ish?  Maybe
> $10?)  HOWEVER, you do need to know which kind you need; in my case,
> they inquired about the color of the plastic and any stampings on the
> other 3 rings.
>
> Oh, also make sure that the lugs have the proper seat.  Most audis
> are ball, many aftermarket wheels are conical.  The two are NOT
> compatible except for emergencies, really.
>
> Brett
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