Hub Centering Rings

[backformore]

Planning to use Enkei RPF1 on a Civic. How important/necessary are hub centering rings?

[Chip42]

really good idea but lots of people run without and have no issues they know of.

use Aluminum, not plastic.

[erlrich]

use Aluminum, not plastic.

BIG +1 on this - I have a set of each; the plastic suck (always getting stuck on the hub).

[Tristan Smith]

I highly recommend them for racing. They shift the shear load from the wheel studs to the hub itself. With the way some of us bang curbs and rumble stips, it can only be a benefit. Use aluminium ones. The plastic ones can melt or deform from the heat transfered through the hubs.

[mossaidis]

Anyone know where I can buy alum ones? I just refuse to use the plastic ones for the reasons mentioned above. Thanks, Mickey

[joeg]

Unless they are available OTC, many times you need to have someone make them in Aluminum.

Don't worry about the plastic ones, they will work better than you think...and they are cheap!

[backformore]

Where does everyone get theirs? I am planning to have some AL ones made in the coming months.

[jimbbski]

Unless they are available OTC, many times you need to have someone make them in Aluminum.

That's what I did for myself and a friend. We both use the Enkei RFP1
wheels.
Just this past weekend I made a a pair of one piece wheel/hubcentric spacers for the front of my car. Now the hub spacer stays on the rotor all the time. I'm thinking of making a pair for the rear to keep the track the same. The spacers were made because I found that the tires rubed on the struts when it they were set to max neg. camber. The spacers are only .250 thick. I made them from 1/2 alum. plate cut into 5.5 inch circles then rough drilled a center hole. The rest of the work was done on my lathe with the holes for the studs done on the drill press.

[Tristan Smith]

This may be a good start:

http://www.motorsport-tech.com/hub_rings.html

But I did a little digging on line and found a set that worked for the ZX.

[downingracing]

I've been running aftermarket rims on my ITA Civic for 12 years and do not use the rings. Never had an issue...

Matt

[mossaidis]

For those looking for Enkei RPF1 specs

http://www.enkei.com/size_chart/RPF1.pdf

[lawtonglenn]

we took out the hub centering rings, but designed our wheel spacers
to be mazda sized female --- kosei sized male

[StephenB]

glen do you make your own? If so can we talk?? :) 1 rotary driver to another ;)

[jfw46545]

Tire Rack has them. Tell them you need this part number.

73/56ALU

[Greg Gauper]

The H & R Wheel spacers are really nice units and might be an option if you want to increase track and need to remain hub-centric.
The 10mm and wider spacers have the integrated hub centering ring
I think Tire Rack carries these. If I recall I ordered mine thru King but that was 7 years ago. Mine still work great.

http://www.trakplus.com/

[Bob Roth]

As a point of data, never used them in 15 years of racing civics, del sol,and Teg R including about 10 6 to 12 hour endurance races. Never had a problem.

please note; your results may vary.

[Matt93SE]

A quick search on amazon.com showed a few, as well as Ebay.

Some of them are made by Enkei, so maybe Enkei has part numbers on their website. haven't bothered to look.

I have a couple sets made of steel, and RTV'd them into my two sets of dry-weather wheels. that way I don't have to worry about loose pieces falling out, and I can still remove them easily with a screwdriver and a whack from the hammer.

That said, I've used them on and off in various track cars for 10+ years and have yet to have a wheel stud failure of any sort. (Using NISMO, H&R, and ARP wheel studs)..

[Sandro]

I highly recommend them for racing. They shift the shear load from the wheel studs to the hub itself. With the way some of us bang curbs and rumble stips, it can only be a benefit. Use aluminium ones. The plastic ones can melt or deform from the heat transfered through the hubs.

They won't do squat for carrying load. The load is carried by the friction between the hub and the wheel faces, that is caused by tightening the lug nuts. Each tightened lug nut causes a clamping force of approximately 9,000 lbs.

In order for the hub centric rings to carry any of the load, they would have to press fit onto the hub, and your wheel press fit onto them. If there is a gap of even 0.002" they aren't going to carry any load.


My wheel centers are about 0.5" bigger than my hubs and have never had a problem. Tighten the lugs evenly and you won't have a problem.

[Chip42]

true in a perfect world but:

1. center rings help get the wheel on straight where the lugs might not, particularly due to the friction between the wheel and hub mating faces, gauges in the lug seats, and other real world factors. so the ring helps the wheel run true, consistently, without a lot of work in getting there.

2. large, sudden ("jerk") loads happen, both linearly and in rotation. wide heat cycles happen. vibration happens, a lot. corrosion happens. etc. wheels can and do shift small amounts on the hub face even when torqued correctly. spacers make that likelihood higher. Shifted wheels don't shift far, and less so when there's a hub center ring to stop them.