Solution for vibrations after installing alloy wheels Perhaps this information might help someone out there experiencing a vibration issue at speed after installing aftermarket alloy wheels. Day One:
Installed a set of 13" K-speed KS315 alloys on stock tires (175/70R13 Bridgestone S322). All wheels were dynamically balanced before mounting on the car. Evening One:
Wheels & steering vibrate between 100kmph to 120kmph. (My stock rims never did that) Day two:
Researched Internet & other sources. Found out that re-balancing the wheels would not solve the problem. Wheel centering was the problem. Opel Corsa hub diameter (center bore): 56.5 mm
K-speed alloy wheel hub diameter (center bore): 73.1 mm Alloy wheels were centered on lug-nuts/ bolts instead of being centered on the hub!! (Note that a wheel that is only 0.006 in. off-center can cause an imbalance equivalent to 0.5 oz.) Solution:
Install hub-centric rings (also known as hub centering rings, hub rings or simply, centering rings). They are available with international tire installers, available in plastic or metal http://www.1010tires.com/hubrings.asp Your wheel installer should also be able to get you a set that matches your alloy wheel & car. 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. Day seven:
Installed metal hub-centric rings on all four wheels (rings with inner diameter of 56.5mm and outer diameter of 73.1mm... some lathe modification was required for exact fit). Result:
The vibration between 100kmph and 120kmph dissappeared!!!
Hope this post helps you...
sAP
Custom wheel centering rings http://www.autospeed.com/cms/A_2242/article.html
wheel FAQ: http://www.therimsite.com/wheelfaq.html
Last edited by sAP : 14th December 2005 at 14:18.
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