kchan

Congrats on solving the vibration problem!
Last thought, aren't the tires directional in which you may not want to rotate them between left and right?
So do you have plastic hub rings in front and metal in back? When I installed my wheels, the ring is already on the wheel with a little green to it, any idea if that's metal or plastic?

monacobmw

Those green colored rings (if not green metal looking) are most definitely plastic, and they may be only 74mm rather than 74.1. The little 0.1mm does make a difference as the rings will slide easily inside the wheel. I agree with you that tire rotation is bad, and I have not and will not rotate them.

Right now, I have plastic on the front and metal on the back. I think that the plastic ones worked only because I hand rotated the tires when tightening the bolts. I will be changing the fronts to metal when I get my car lowered. Personally, I think that the plastic ones would be better if they were the right size.

The metal ones from Tire rack are 74.1 x 72.6. Putting HVAC foil on the inside really created a snug fit (it makes the inside more like 72.56 OEM). In addtion, I put the rings in the wheel rather than on the hub (when putting the wheel on) because the idea is to center the wheel first. When the wheel makes contact with the hub, it should be centering from the first moment.

Don't forget, the rings serve no purpose once the lugs are tightened. You technically do not need rings if you could center the wheel yourself. If you spin the wheels as you tighten them in a star pattern, the problem seems to go away.

No more reducing tire pressure to simulate a balanced wheel by softening the rubber.

Finally, my picture shows the spacer with the ring on the rear tire. You will not see rust because the spacer is not made of the same steel as the hub. Underneath, there is lots of rust.

On the front tires (or rear tires without spacers), expect lots of rust if you use a metal ring and steel wheels. I bought some anti-seize which is recommended to keep the area lubricated and rust-free. Otherwise, the ring will start to absorb into the rust, and the ring will be hard to move.

To all of the replica wheel owners out there, maybe there is new hope for us. At the very least, stop allowing your wheel specialist to use the "impact wrench" on your car.

Impact wrench = :thumbsdown: