xviper

Recently, the topic of hubcentric rings has arisen and some people don't know what they are or what they're for. I'm not here to tell you that you "must" have them or not have them. I'm not even here to preach to you. This is just here as an informational thread, nothing more. Do with it as you please.

Here are some links that will tell you all about these rings and what they do:

http://www.prestigewheel.com/Catalog/HubRings66_67.pdf
http://www.wheelmax.com/articles.asp?id=13

Now, with the S2000 in mind .................................................. ..

In this picture, you can see that the centerbore of the S2000 FRONT OEM rim is 70mm:


And here, you see that the axle hub on which the front rim mounts is also 70mm:


In this pic, you can see that the centerbore of the REAR OEM rim is 64mm":


And here, you see that the axle hub on which the rear rim mounts is also 64mm:

NOW, do you see why it's kinda tough to "ram" a rear rim onto a front axle? Yet, you can easily mount a front rim onto the rear axle. This is what you're supposed to do in the event of a rear flat. The compact spare goes onto the front ONLY and this set-up is only a temporary measure and speeds are to be greatly reduced for a limited number of miles till the situation can be resolved (repaired or new tire).

Now, to the aftermarket wheels and rings (I use my Volks as an example):
Here is the borehole of a Volk CE28N front rim (the rear rim will be the same borehole). Note that it's just over 73mm:


Here is the measurement of the I.D. (inner diameter) of the centering ring for that FRONT Volk rim. It's 70mm, the very same as the axle hub on the front of the S2000:

It will not surprise you to know then, that the O.D. of this ring just happens to be 73mm, the same as the centerbore hole of the Volk rim.

Here is the I.D. of the ring for the REAR Volk rim. Note that it's 64mm, the same as the axle hub on the rear of the S2000:

Also note that this ring is much thicker than the one for the front rim because it must make up a bigger space. (Remember that the borehole of the rear Volk rim is still 73mm.)

A few people have remarked that when they take off their aftermarket rims, they can't seem to get the OEM rims to mount flush against the mounting surface on the car. Here's the reason why:


The ring may have gotten stuck onto the axle hub and you are trying to put a rim onto a hub that is blocked by a foreign object (the ring).

Here is the ring properly set into the borehole of the front Volk rim:


Here is the ring properly set into the borehole of the rear Volk rim:


So happy together ....................

Depending upon the type of aftermarket rim, you will have a slightly different set of hubcentric rings. Each make of wheel will have a specific hubcentric ring based on the diameter of the axle hub that they go onto. For example, Volk rims for an S2000 may have completely different hubcentric rings from Volk rims for a 350Z or an Accord.

It should also be noted that it seems that the S2000 is somewhat immune to the usual bad effects (vibration at speed) of not having these rings when using aftermarket wheels. I'm not saying that's what you should do or not do. Just an observation made by myself and others.

Harpoon

Do you see any benefit to using aluminum rings instead of the plastic ones? I have some 17" CE28N's on the way and thought it might be worth having some ring made. Any idea who to contact about making them?

xviper

Allow me to quote from one of the links above:

koala

The plastic rings are better... they're durable, lighter, and wont corrode.

Great writeup Dave! That is a ton of info on a very specific topic that I think a lot of people were a bit confused on with this car.

xviper

Thanks, bud.

An owner posted in another thread that during a track event, his hubs got so hot that his plastic rings started to melt. I don't know this to be true. I can only take his word for it. On the street, I've never had any indication that those rings are even getting "baked".

koala

I've gotten my brakes hot enough that they have significant fade, and the rings were fine.. I can't imagine how much abuse you'd have to put on the car to create enough heat to melt em

00S2K01S4

I have aluminum spacers for my Volks. They work fine but are pretty scuffed up from the constant changing of wheels. Where can I buy the plastic ones?

xviper

Check with sellers of Volk rims. Evolution Motorsports perhaps.

SpitfireS

Cool sliding gauge!

How about a small amout of anti seize lubricant to prevent the aluminum rings from corroding ?
Or if possible have your aluminum rings anodized, allthough that layer is very thin you have to make sure they fit afterwards.

What are the exact clearances between the "plasic" rings and the hubs?
About 0.1 mm?

Thinking of making them myself (of alu) in time.
IF the aftermarket wheel thing goes through.

xviper

Can't comment on the anti-seize thing. I guess you could try it.

As for clearance, I have no way of measuring that. I can tell you that the plastic ring is very tight when installed into the borehole of the rim. When just placed onto the hub of the car, they are quite loose. I can easily spin them around. It is corrosion build up over time that causes them to stick on the hub and detach from the rim borehole.

Aftermarket rims should come with the plastic rings and these do the job well. Not sure if paying the extra money for metal rings that you can't always see, is worth it.