I'm getting a little bit of vibration at highway speed on my new wheels. The effect is very mild, but it just seems like something is slightly out of balance. The lugs I used are relatively small and light while the wheel locks are closer to "normal" size. I haven't weighed them, but it's entirely possible that the wheel locks are 1/2 an ounce heavier than the lugs.

Would that much of a difference near the center of the wheel be enough to cause vibration at highway speeds? All four wheels have been recently balanced. The balancer could have made a mistake, but maybe not. I just wanted to get a few opinions before I had the tires checked again.

 

The wheel locks are not going to cause a vibration. I would have the balance checked.

 

You may have lost a weight, or possibly have bent a rim (I hope not...)

Have the balance checked.

 

Did the new rims come with hub centering rings? Remember you have 2 different size hubs so the rings should be 2 sizes. Many rim companies mess that up with the S2000. Most common cause of vibration on new wheels is lack of hub rings.

 

There were no hub rings with the wheels.

 

I'd bet that's the issue then. I've got tons of them here in the shop. What size is the hub bore on your wheels? If you don't know that, then just post the type of wheels they are. I'll see if I've got anything in stock that will fit. If not, we can order it for you.

Let me know what we can do to help.

 

They are Work Meister S1 3 Piece wheels. 18x9.5 +62 in back 18x8 +43 in front.

Also, shouldn't the wheels "center" when you tighten the lugs? Is there a lug tightening procedure you can use to help get them centered better?

 

they will center, but if the bore in the wheel is too big for the bore of the hub, you'll still get a vibration without a ring to help fill that gap.

 

They center for the most part, but the lug nut seats and the lug nuts themselves tend to get a little bit misshapen. You should always tighten your lug nuts by hand, never with air tools. Tighten them in a star pattern until they're hand tight with a regular ratchet or breaker bar, then use a torque wrench to set them to the proper torque. Use the star pattern when using the torque wrench too.

 

If the wheels are properly centered, the size of the center bore shouldn't matter. Keep in mind the wheels and tires have been balanced. Of course, the balance could be off, but that's another issue entirely. I just want to rule out any error on my part before I take them back to the tire shop.