Question about after market rims and how they fit...

[Mavrik]

Yes I ask a lot of questions but the Vibe is the first vehicle I have ever modified so NEWBIE here. lolAnyway I have 17" Ikon gunmetal rims, the lugs match perfectly and all that but here is my question. The center hole in the stock rim fits around the axle/bearing on the Vibe right? but my aftermarket rims do not. The rim is secure against the drum around the lugs but there is a 1/4 inch gap between the hole in the center of the rim and the drum. I don't know how to describe it but hopefully you know what I am talking about. Are the wheel studs strong enough to support the weight of the vehicle without that center fitting snug? I am a cautious person lol and don't want to put on my rims, start off down the road and hear a series of snaps and there I am flat out on the road.

[frostyGT]

The lugs and studs are what hold the wheel on Make sure you have the right lugs, though. Although my old lugs would've fit on my new wheels, they have a different seating area than the lugs I needed. Not obvious to the casual observer. Just make sure you get professional advice on the proper lugs.Please post pics when your wheels are installed...Good luck!

[NovaResource2]

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »Anyway I have 17" Ikon gunmetal rims, the lugs match perfectly and all that but here is my question. The center hole in the stock rim fits around the axle/bearing on the Vibe right? but my aftermarket rims do not. The rim is secure against the drum around the lugs but there is a 1/4 inch gap between the hole in the center of the rim and the drum. I don't know how to describe it but hopefully you know what I am talking about. Are the wheel studs strong enough to support the weight of the vehicle without that center fitting snug? I am a cautious person lol and don't want to put on my rims, start off down the road and hear a series of snaps and there I am flat out on the road.You need a set of hub centering rings. That are metal or plastic rings that fit inside the wheel hub and make it the same as the factory wheel.

[Mavrik]

You guys know the thread pattern/size I need? I will talk to the place I got the rims for lugs that will fit otherwise. And Nova, the ring will not work, see the prob with my rims is that the were you have the ring, it would need to come forward 1/4 of an inch almost to touch the center of my rims lol.But otherwise your all saying that there will be no probs? Makes me feel a lot better. And I will get pics up when I keep the rims on once the weather is better.

[frostyGT]

Quote, originally posted by NovaResource2 »You need a set of hub centering rings. I'm glad that you brought this issue up. It sounds to me like his wheels are lugcentric. Hard to say without looking at them, and this is something that still confuses me a bit.I would take them to an installer and see what they say so you can be sure you are mounting them properly. My wheels are lugcentric, which I think is why my lugs seating surface has a much greater angle than stock.Still, I'm no expert...You should really have someone look at them. Check out this link for some quick info:http://www.mtdealer.com/ph_hubvslug_2003.cfm

[Mavrik]

Yeah my rims would be supported by the lugs only... Only way a centering ring would work would be if it extended the bearing cover? I don't know the technical term for that... but I think you know what I mean?

[MadBill]

Nova is right; ideally, the wheel should be centered and supported on the hub. Many aftermarket wheels have the pictured rings available for this purpose and they do provide extra assurance. However, the clamping force of the wheel nuts is way higher than the force created by the weight of the car plus impacts, etc. Also, the tapered seat on each nut acts as 5 separate locating devices. Many thousands of aftermarket wheels are safely supported only on the studs and to name just one of several OEM examples, over twenty million VW beetles were built with such an arrangement. (They have about an 8" bolt circle, and the mounting flange comes nowhere near the hub.) Bottom line: Do your best to come up with a ring that will work but don't wake up in a sweat worrying about it if you can't, just make sure your wheel nuts are torqued correctly to 76 ft-lb.(For the record, I have had a least half a dozen cars, everything from Morris Minors to Big Block Camaros, with non hub-supported wheels and haven't had a single a problem.)

[Mavrik]

Thank you very much MadBill, you have answered my questions perfectly and have silenced my worry. Looks like my rims are going non-hub mounted cause I don't know where I could get a ring anyway.