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!

[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.