Here's the issue:
- The wheel vibrates starting at about 75-80 mph.
- There are no hub rings on the front wheels.

Here are the facts as I know them:
- I tried installing the wheels and hub rings, and couldn't get them on.
- I did my very best to get all of the rust off of the hubs...but the hub rings didn't even get on far enough for the rust to be a problem.
- I was later able to get a hub ring on, but then couldn't get the wheel on the hub ring. What am I doing wrong? (it shouldn't be this tough)
- I had a VERY reputable tire shop (Belle Tire) install the wheels. They got the rear hub rings on, but couldn't get the front ones on.
- The reputable tire shop installed the front wheels w/o hub rings.
- The reputable shop says to bring the car back if any balancing problems, but I believe the problem is due to the hub rings not being installed.
- I bought the wheels used from a previous 350Z owner, who had the hub rings on.
- I have new metal hub rings (66mm) that I still couldn't get on.
- I drive the car hard, and am concerned not having the hub rings installed.

Here's what I NEED!
- Opinions.....hub ring problem or balancing problem?
- Is it a problem to not have the hub rings installed?
- Do I have the right size hub rings?
- I need DETAILED info on installing these buggers! Do you install the hub ring on the hub first or inside the wheel first? Is the wheel supposed to fit right over it easily? (mine doesn't) Am I supposed to use a grease or silicone lubricant to get the hub ring and wheel on? (seems ridiculous) Do you use a rubber mallet to get the hub ring on/in? After the hub ring is on, should the wheel go right on flush with the rotor, or does in need to be torqued into the rotor?
- HELP! I don't want to do any damage, and I have absolutely zero experience with hub rings!

Thanks for your help in advance!

Grant
Spartan1510

btw: the gunmetal GT-C's do look awesome on my black track...

 

in your front wheel, there is a small ring on it. Take that out and you will be fine.

 

when you say in the front wheel...you mean in the new Volk wheel?

....or on the hub? I'm not sure I understand what the small ring is, or where. Maybe I'm just dense, but I don't remember seeing it. Note: it's also 3am, and I'm not in front of the car right now. Gave up, asking for help, will try again in the morning....

Thanks for the help!

 

on your front stock rotor, there is a ring. Take that out and put in your Volk. That ring is the reason why you can't put your wheel and hub ring into.

 

Thanks. I'll try it first thing in the morning.

Hopefully the ring on the rotor is easy to get off.

 

very easy to take off. Good luck. Don't forget to post the picture after you done put in the new shoe for your car.

 

I'll assume this "ring" will look very much like a hub ring..... And if there's any common sense left in my brain for the night, that would basically mean that there is a stock hub ring....but it's not of adequate size for the Volk wheel....

 

yup

 

Ok.....good news. Hub rings are on.

Bad news.....same problem.

Good news. Process of elimination means it must be the balancing. I think I need to take it to a different place to have the wheels balanced.

Interesting. The hub ring on the right side is tight to the hub, and slightly loose to the wheel. The hub ring on the left side is tight to the wheel, and slightly loose to the hub. Weird.

 

What speed did the tire shop balance the tires at?? Most places don't have balancers that rotate past 60-70mph. There are places with 140mph balancers and can do all 4 tires for $150 or so...let me know how it turns out.

 

I'm not sure what speed the tire shop balanced the wheels at....but I'll bet its the slower speed because the shake doesn't start until about 75 mph. I'm going to call Discount Tire tomorrow when they open to see if they have the capability of high speed balancing. I've been searching this forum for a lot of information, and it looks like I need to find a place that has a Hunter balancing machine. And good news....it's website lists Discount Tire.

BTW: I don't blame the original tire shop, since most people wouldn't be driving over 75 mph or so. I'm just not those people.

 

Absolutely not. That's why there are tire/wheel shops that cater to high performance cars. The one I go to does work on corvettes/m3s/vipers/etc and they know how to baby your car. They have a 140mph 4-wheel balancer in their shop.

 

It could also be a warped brake rotor...

 

It is NEVER a hub centric ring problem, always a BALANCE problem. This is at least the 5th post I have seen trying to blame a balancing issue on not using hub centric rings. There are tons of people out there, especially Hondas, that don't run hub centric rings and are fine.

 

Update....

So I took the car to Discount Tire, who used the Hunter GSP machine...which is what really made all of the difference! The guy at Discount was great...had me in the shop, and WANTED me to watch so that I felt confident in the quality workmanship.

You could say it was a balancing issue, however the problem was actually the "roundness" of the wheel/tire assembly. You see, even if the wheel is slightly out of round, it can still be balanced. So "weight balancing" wasn't the issue. This machine measured the roundness of the rim and tire separately, and then the balancing. And thus, mine were balanced fine, however not prefectly round. The Hunter machine identified how the tire needed to be rotated on the wheel to match the high spot of the rim with the low spot of the tire. ALL four tires needed to be unmounted, rotated, and mounted again to match up! Then they were balanced again.

And.....everything is MUCH better! Simple concept.....kind of like the third door in the truck. Duh! So in summary......look for the Hunter GSP wheel loading balancing machine.

 

BTW: The technician at Discount Tire said the wheel hub rings were the tightest that he had ever worked with, and he was the manager. Made me feel better at least!

 

Congratz man! I'm glad you got your issue worked out...is all of the post 80mph wobble gone?? I haven't heard about that machine, but I will definitely take a look at that when I get my rims soon. Thanks for giving us an update btw

 

I've only had it up to 100 so far, and it was really smooth. I'll have to wait to find out at higher speeds.