GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I ordered my Vibe with just the stock 16" steel wheel/covers and purchased a set of 16" X-wheels from Discount tire and used the stock tires. http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=748I had a rather bad vibration/steering wheel shaking problem and had them re-balance the front wheels/tires. Still had the problem. Took it back in and the manager balanced all 4 on a better balancer and they all balanced fine, but I still had the vibration problem. When we were talking, he said that some wheels come with a "hub centering ring" which these did not. This "hub centering ring" is just a small plastic ring that fits snug around the center lip on the rotor/drum, and the outer part of this ring fits snug inside the center of the wheel. This aligns the wheel up to the hub better before the lugs are tightened. I would have thought the beveled lug nuts would center the wheel, but I thought I'd let them try these rings before I had the steel wheels put back on.Of course they didn't have the size to fit the Vibe/Matrix hub, so he had to order me a set that came in yesterday. I went down this A.M. and had them put on and the problem is solved. Vibration is gone and the steering wheel doesn't shake my Casio to death at 60-70 like it did before. If you've just put on aftermarket wheels, and have a similar vibration, you may want to check into these "hub centering rings" if they weren't put on in the first place. Carl

Yep, my VOXX MGR wheels (also from Discount Tire) came with hub centering rings. Mine were marked "Corolla" which is correct since the Vibe is basically nothing more than a 2003 Corolla with a different body. However, my wheels were balanced from Discount Tire but still vibrated when I installed them. I took them to a local tire place and had them check the balance and 3 of the 4 were off by .25 ounce to .75 ounce.

I purchased my aftermarket wheels from Tirerack and the came with gold plated rings and I have had no vibration problems. When I opened the box I had no idea what they were, called the installer and he told me what they were for. Base Vibe (Salsa) Moon and Tunes, Power

Can someone take a pic of these centering rings and post it here, I'm cu rious as to what they look like??

quote:Can someone take a pic of these centering rings and post it here, I'm cu rious as to what they look like??In the lower right of the picture on this link, it shows a few of them. http://www.customwheelaccessories.com/s ... tmlThere's really not much to them, but they sure made a difference on my wheels. I'm amazed Discount didn't realize these wheels didn't come with them in the first place. Here's a quote off of Discount's web page: "Q. What are hub-centric rings; do I need them? A. Most aftermarket wheels are manufactured with a center hole that will fit a wide range of vehicles. The hub-centric ring is used to fill any gap that may exist between this hole and the vehicle's hub, thus centering the wheel on the axle. If you have vibrations after installing new wheels, chances are hub-centric rings were not used."

Thanks for the info Cohocarl, much appreciated!

Hey Cohocarl.......any chance you could post a better pic of your rims and one of your hitch, as I'm thinking of adding both?? Thanks........Hammer

quote:Hey Cohocarl.......any chance you could post a better pic of your rims and one of your hitch, as I'm thinking of adding both?? Thanks........HammerWheels:http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=748Hitch install: (read replies, may get discount @ etrailer.com)http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=784Stereo install:http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=769Speaker swap:http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=785Later,Carl

Carl..........thanks for all the great info and pictures.

Wanted to revive this post after reading recent new posts...FYI

Yeah, very few cars that i know of, are lug centric, there is just to many varibles in lugcentric applications..

Bought Konig wheels and new tires from Discount Tire.After about my 4th rotation/balance went in for another.Had no vibrations prior, just routine.Long story, after taking the car back 3 times for vibration the manager said car was missing a couple Hub Rings.He wouldn't admit but said it was possible the worker forgot to put them back on.Got all 4 back on and no further problems.

Yeah, the Vibe/Matrix both use the oddest lugs i've ever seen, not a tapered seat lug, but the lug passes through the wheel and the "washer" is the surface that pulls the wheel onto the hub... Very strange (only in stock applications) A tapered seat lug will align things 'better" but it is still not 100% like the hub rings or cars like my Subaru where the hub is just that big, no hub ring needed (and very limited fitments mind you)

I worked for Discount Tire for 6 years. The hub centric rings should be standard when buying an "install" kit with your new wheels. Should also include new lug nuts. I loved when a new car would come out and the person would come right from the dealership to buy new wheels. One of the worst cars I remember that had a fitment problem with almost every aftermarket wheel was the 3000GT VR4. We had one guy with this car and he wanted the wheels so bad but they wouldn't fit. He actually put spacers on so the wheel would clear his calipers.

i have these plastic rings but my steering wheel still shakes haha ive had it balanced numerous times ive just learned to live with it

maybe i should try replacing mine......does anyone no the diameter?

manufacturer wheels centre opening exactly matches the round hub centre on the spindle. Hence the rims are centred as they slip over the hub boss.After market wheels need adapter rings to match the ID of the wheel centre to the OD of the spindle centre/hub.Often the tapered bolts if snugged carefully, with partial torque first, then more torque, and final torque will centre the wheels on the bolts.You may get lucky. Otherwise - and still best practice - get the hub centering rings for your car/wheel combo.