Hubcentric rings -- in Kevlar?!?

[BarracksSi]

Ok, this sounds so cool that I'm getting a set on Monday from a local shop for my new Rota rims.

People say that plastic rings can melt under heavy use, and metal rings can rust onto the rotor hat & hub.

Kevlar, supposedly, has great heat resistance and, obviously, won't rust.

Anybody use, or know someone else who uses, hubcentric rings made of Kevlar? Anything I should look out for as I live with them?

I will update with pics as soon as I get 'em.

[mrfixit687]

wehre are u getting them at? are they widely available?

[dchu]

How much more do the kevlar ones cost over metal ones? It's true that plastic ones do melt. My friend has the plastic ones and they've melted and fallen apart. I use aluminum ones with my rotas and they still look new. They do stick to the hub from surface rust but you can easily pull it off. It actually provides a benefit because I don't have to worry about the ring falling off when I take the wheels off and it's one less thing to worry about losing. When you think about it, there really is no reason to take the ring off unless you get new wheels with different center bores or changing rotors.

[BarracksSi]

I don't know if they're widely available -- after all, this is the first time I've heard of them. A run-of-the-mill Mr. Tire shop only carried plastic rings (that guy even tried to tell me that metal wasn't necessary), but this more performance-oriented shop was able to get the Kevlar. They're meant to be used for racing, apparently.

They're not cheap, as far as rings go -- $18 per pair, or $36 for the set of four. But, since I should need to buy them only once, it's only one payment I'd have to make.

I trust that aluminum wouldn't rust directly to the hub itself, considering that they're two different metals (well, the dielectric properties that cause two metals to rust together shouldn't apply since aluminum doesn't seem to rust anyway). I'd definitely want to be able to take them off when I need to use the spare, or when I switch back to stockies for the winter.

I think they're interesting. If nobody else here has used them, then I guess I'll be the guinea pig. ;)

[blackyEP3]

What shop is this??! I need center rings on my Rotas too! What size you getting?


Pics please! :)

[02civicSI]

i need some too. i'll give chuck a ring to see what they got.

[BarracksSi]

It's Image Motorsports, southeast of DC at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and the Beltway. I think they're relatively new since they're not in last year's phone book.

Their warehouse guy sent down a couple different sets in 57/73 and 57/72 mm, but they didn't quite fit on the hub. The 73 mm o.d. fit great inside the C8's, but the inside still had too much play for our tastes. We even measured the hub at 56.01 or so mm, but the supplier's resource books all said that Hondas had 57 mm hubs.

So, he'll have a set of 56.4 (or so) by 73 tomorrow (it's what he'd put on if it were his car), and I'll put 'em on then. I'll post pics after I get home.

They look like black plastic rings, but they have a Kevlar core, and they shouldn't melt at all. I don't exactly feel like spending the cash to cut one in half, but I'm still curious about what they're like on the inside. I'll admit that I was kinda hoping that you could see the fibers through the coating, but I guess that's not the case.

[BarracksSi]

Here we go:

73 mm o.d. and 56.15 mm inside diameter. They're the size needed for a Plymouth Prowler, believe it or not. REMEMBER that this size is for an 02-03 Si.
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wMzcyMzE4NnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg

Next to the wheel:
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wMzcyMzE5NnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg

In its place inside the wheel:
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wMzcyMzIwNnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg

Bare hub:
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wMzcyMzIxNnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg

Ring on hub (zero gap, comfortable fit):
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wMzcyMzIyNnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg

You can see the ring in the gap here:
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wMzcyMzIzNnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg

I also shot a very short 3 MB clip (sorry about the camera movement) showing how the rings make a difference. Without a centering ring, the wheel would move up, down, and side-to-side if I just placed it over the lugs. Now, with the centering ring, it behaves like the OEM wheel on the bare hub -- it merely rotates, and doesn't slide in any other direction. This little AVI is with the ring installed; notice how the wheel can only rotate about the hub, going klunk-klunk against the lug studs.

Right Click Here and Save As (http://home.earthlink.net/~barrackssi/images/EP_pics/MVI_5274.AVI)

Helpful?

[03silverEP]

helpful yes good write up :)

[Speck]

Any chance of someone sending you some cash to get these?

PM me :)

-=speck=-

[02civicSI]

Originally posted by Speck
Any chance of someone sending you some cash to get these?

PM me :)

-=speck=-

same here

[rswbrixton]

My Black Racing Pr N1 shipped with hub rings , aluminum , od67 -id56.15 . Shipped no charge with the wheels . If they call for them , its best to use them .

[yomamaInMySi]

Originally posted by BarracksSi
Here we go:

73 mm o.d. and 56.15 mm inside diameter. They're the size needed for a Plymouth Prowler, believe it or not. REMEMBER that this size is for an 02-03 Si.
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wMzcyMzE4NnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg

Next to the wheel:
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wMzcyMzE5NnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg

In its place inside the wheel:
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wMzcyMzIwNnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg

Bare hub:
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wMzcyMzIxNnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg

Ring on hub (zero gap, comfortable fit):
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wMzcyMzIyNnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg

You can see the ring in the gap here:
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wMzcyMzIzNnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg

I also shot a very short 3 MB clip (sorry about the camera movement) showing how the rings make a difference. Without a centering ring, the wheel would move up, down, and side-to-side if I just placed it over the lugs. Now, with the centering ring, it behaves like the OEM wheel on the bare hub -- it merely rotates, and doesn't slide in any other direction. This little AVI is with the ring installed; notice how the wheel can only rotate about the hub, going klunk-klunk against the lug studs.

Right Click Here and Save As (http://home.earthlink.net/~barrackssi/images/EP_pics/MVI_5274.AVI)

Helpful?

I got the part about 56.15mm for the ID (perfect fit on the hub), but is that 73mm wheel specific or will that work for any wheel?

[BarracksSi]

Originally posted by yomamaInMySi
I got the part about 56.15mm for the ID (perfect fit on the hub), but is that 73mm wheel specific or will that work for any wheel?

73 mm will fit on any wheel that, well, fits on 73 mm. Rota C8's are therefore 73 mm, as are probably most of the rest of Rota's line.

They do make these rings in various sizes, though, so odds are that no matter what you've got, you'll be able to find one that fits. After all, we found two sizes that didn't fit... ;)

[yomamaInMySi]

Originally posted by BarracksSi
73 mm will fit on any wheel that, well, fits on 73 mm. Rota C8's are therefore 73 mm, as are probably most of the rest of Rota's line.

They do make these rings in various sizes, though, so odds are that no matter what you've got, you'll be able to find one that fits. After all, we found two sizes that didn't fit... ;)

Thanks for the follow up. I spoke to the sales rep and he said that the best thing for me to do will be to bring the car by, take the wheel off and measure the hub and the wheel.

[BarracksSi]

Originally posted by yomamaInMySi
Thanks for the follow up. I spoke to the sales rep and he said that the best thing for me to do will be to bring the car by, take the wheel off and measure the hub and the wheel.

Yeah, I highly recommend that approach.

Mr. Tire had no clue what was supposed to go on my car, so the guy handed me rings with a 73mm inside diameter. At the shop I went to, the supplier's info wasn't quite correct, so we basically said to send rings with those measurements even though his database said differently for Hondas.