Hucentric rings

[waltersa]

Long time lurker first time poster: as the proud new owner of Style 5 wheels that are causing my 50-60 MPH shimmy (Indy says suspension is tight) my question is as follows, the hubcentric rings from Tire Rack seem flimsy and prone to warping etc., is there an alternative, a more durable, long lasting ring to fix this problem. My obvious next step is to begin replacing expensive suspension parts with M5, 750 or urethane pieces as I have learned from this forum, however it would make sense that we could figure out how to remedy shimmy problems at the source. I had no shimmy before the 17's as I am sure a lot of folks had no shimmy before E39 rims. Thanks Andrew

[Jay 535i]

Long time lurker first time poster: as the proud new owner of Style 5 wheels that are causing my 50-60 MPH shimmy (Indy says suspension is tight) my question is as follows, the hubcentric rings from Tire Rack seem flimsy and prone to warping etc., is there an alternative, a more durable, long lasting ring to fix this problem. My obvious next step is to begin replacing expensive suspension parts with M5, 750 or urethane pieces as I have learned from this forum, however it would make sense that we could figure out how to remedy shimmy problems at the source. I had no shimmy before the 17's as I am sure a lot of folks had no shimmy before E39 rims. Thanks Andrew

Style 5 rims are at the top of my list for upgrades to my '90 535. I'd also really like to know if they can be mounted reliably.

[waltersa]

Yes I actually meant HUBCENTRIC rings, Damn public school

[Kalevera]

Probably messed up tires and/or wheels. My style 5's came with a partially used set of kuhmo 712s, which I happen to hate because of my experiences with them. First ~ 1000 miles, the car pulled to one side. Once they wore a bit, things started straightening out. I've had a "gyrating whump" sound at speed for a few months now. Some would think it a wheel bearing. Put the car on the lift last saturday and had a look -- all tires have visible flat spots, uneven wear and other such defects. We all had a laugh at it over lunch...but I still need new tires.

Stupid 712s.

So, adding the wheels caused the problem in your case. Check the tires, wheel balance and read the wear. There's a slim chance that jacking up the front of the car to install the wheels did in the thrust arm bushings. It's unlikely, but the only way to confirm is to have a look at the bushing itself.

best, whit

[waltersa]

Thanks for the advice on the Khumos I will purchase the BFG tires instead, interesting insight as my car has been jacked up and had tires rotated, trued and cursed at so many times since this saga has begun. The used tires (Federal piece o'crap) were balanced however they are warn beyond use, my plan is to return to stock 15 baskets, save for new tires, 17's and mount them after winter but the question of quality in hubcentric rings remains. Does Fritz roll true or do you have "The Shimmy"?

[Paul in NZ]

the problem with the hubcentric rings is they are fairly thin(0.75mm),and there aint much you can do about that.

[Kalevera]

Thanks for the advice on the Khumos I will purchase the BFG tires instead, interesting insight as my car has been jacked up and had tires rotated, trued and cursed at so many times since this saga has begun. The used tires (Federal piece o'crap) were balanced however they are warn beyond use, my plan is to return to stock 15 baskets, save for new tires, 17's and mount them after winter but the question of quality in hubcentric rings remains. Does Fritz roll true or do you have "The Shimmy"?
BFG tires? This ain't no musclecar, man :)

Have the current tires actually been inspected? Worn tires are supposed to deliver a bad ride...that's when you know that new set are in order.

Of course the car rolls true. The "gyrating thump" is a different thing entirely from a shimmy, indicative of feathered, flat spotted junk tires.

best, whit

oh yeah, and I can't spell either...it's Kumho, I guess

[632 Regal]

damn egg shaped tires!

[waltersa]

after cleaning wheel hubs, reseating hubcentric rings and torqueing wheels studs my ride is much improved I am sure it will all be cleared up with the addition of new tires. Yes Whit I was thinking BFG Gforce sport, have had good luck in the past (Traction T/A, numerous sets of BFG All Terrains when I owned Jeeps) anyhow if there is a suggestion in the moderate price range let me know

[pmlmotorsports]

Since the hubcentric rings are used to ONLY center the wheel, and are not bearing a load of any sort, they need not be "non-flimsy". Granted since the application requires a very thin ring, it is flawed. the best way would be to either use 18" style 5 wheels, or bore out the centers and use a thicker ring. Most after market wheels are 76mm or 81mm bore, and then "ringed" to the fitment.

HTH

[Jr ///M5]

I've been running style 5's for quite a while now with the hubcentric rings, and no problem with shimmy. When I first got them, I had a new set of Bridgestone RE 730's from the Tire Rack with hubcentrics mounted and blind balanced the combo so there wouldn't be any weights showing on the outside lip.
There is still quite a bit of tread left, but the Bridgestones are getting rather noisy after 13k miles, but no balance problems and the balance weights are minimal. It does make a difference what brand of tire you run. I haven't had a problem balancing out Bridgestone or Michelin, but the Continentals and Dunlops required more lead.
Since you have cleaned the hubs and the problem has improved, you might go one more step and have the wheels re-balanced using the Hunter 9700. It will measure road force upon the tires, and usually solves any balance issue, unless the tires have excessive downforce.

Hope this helps,
Jr