monacobmw

Guys, take a look at this article. Look at the last paragraph in particular about tightening the lugs by hand while rotating the wheel.
The entire article can be found at http://www.tirereview.com/?type=art&id=5158

"A Nightmare Application

Remember the year-long problem I mentioned last month? Here is how a seemingly simple application turned into a nightmare and how we solved it during an on-site training class.

A dealer in a northern state with a good wheel business sold a replica BMW wheel for a mid-1990s BMW 5-series. The OE wheels were fitted with winter tires, and the 18-inch replica wheels were fitted with summer tires. The vehicle just wouldn?t ride well with the summer tires. We knew [/img] the problem concerned the aftermarket wheels because the OE rode fine. After a process of elimination, we found our answer.

Remember that I mentioned that some wheel manufacturers make a common wheel to ?fit? many applications? From 1989-96, BMW 5-Series specs were 5x120mm bolt pattern, medium offset and 72.56mm hub diameter. From 1997-present, the hub diameter was increased to 74.1mm. To accommodate both hub diameters, the wheel was bored out to fit the larger diameter hub just like an OE wheel.

But to fit the older model, a centric ring was supplied. A centric ring is typically used to help center a lug-centric wheel onto a vehicle to make it hub centric. In the BMW case, the centric ring could be a maximum of (74.1-72.56)/2 = 0.75mm thickness. This is about the thickness of an aluminum soda can, and unfortunately, it had about the same amount of rigidity.

The wheel was placed on the hub and secured using the proper lug bolts, but the centric ring was too thin to center the wheel. The one missing step in the installation process was to rotate the wheel while gradually tightening the lugs in a star pattern ? by hand, not with an impact gun! Without rotating the wheel, it was being secured slightly off center and causing a horrible vibration. Keep this in mind; it applies to several other vehicles, as well."

Blah

Didn't the E60 move back to 72.56???

monacobmw

Yes, except the xi models. But most of the replica wheels today are made with 74.1 outer diameter.

I think that the article is great for those that have done everything right in getting the hubcentric rings, but may still not understand why they have vibration, even if just a little.

I wonder if there is another way to deal with the thin rings to ensure a good hubcentric fit? I also wonder if this article explains why some have reported that plastic rings have worked better than metal.

I am very excited that the answer may be as simple as not machine tightening the lugs.

monacobmw

I was just thinking. If the article states that the individuals had to handtighten the bolts to ensure a good fit with the hubcentric rings, maybe the hubcentric rings were too small.

I think that you could center any wheel without the rings if you go through the same process. The wheel, however, could get moved if you hit a large bump.

I am thinking about putting some silicone gasket filler around my rings to ensure a snug fit. Does anyone think that this is a bad idea? Hopefully the excess should squeeze out leaving me a good fit. The stuff is not an adhesive, so I am not worried about removing the wheel.

zen

For those "spinning their wheels". There are two kinds of setups. Lug (or bolt) centric and hub centric. Generally, if your wheels come with holes and lug nuts (or bolts) with square shoulders you have "hub centric" wheels and the wheel has to be centered on the hub. If your wheels and lugs have tappered shoulders you have lug centric wheels. So when you buy after market wheels, you have to make sure you get the right lug nuts (or bolts) with the wheel (the right degree of taper). If you have tappered holes and lugs then it is important to just snug the lugs as the wheel is rotated and then at the end to use the proper torque. Too much torque can distort the rotors.

monacobmw

Can you better explain the difference between square shoulders and tappered shoulders?

When you say tappered, do you mean the cone shape that exists when the threads end and you hit the bolt?

For example, a metal screw has a flat head, whereas a wood screw has a cone shape as it is intended to bore into the wood.

zen

You're correct tapered as in the wood screw. There are different degrees of taper. 30, 45. 60 degree etc. So the bolt has to match the wheel. You cannot necessarily use the lugs from one manufacturers wheel with that of another manufacturer. When there are tapered lugs and (matching) wheels, the wheels are automatically centered on the hub.

With square shouldered lugs and holes, hub rings are necessary because the holes in the wheel are larger than the studs (or bolts) and therefore the wheel will not necessarily be centered on the hub.

Hope this helps.
Just found this article for you.

Hardware

The hardware holding your wheels to your car is an often overlooked step when installing new rims. Most aftermarket wheels require different wheel nuts / bolts than what was used on the original equipment wheels. Wheel nuts and bolts have many different seats (where the nut touches the wheel). The 3 most common are acorn seat (conical), ball seat (radius), and mag shank seat. These differences along with different lengths and diameters makes hardware very confusing. Always check with the people who supplied your wheels for the correct mounting hardware before trying to install them on your vehicle..
http://www.1010tires.com/tech.asp?type=wheels#hardware

C's Bimmer

Nice work Monaco!!! Great work on finding a solution. Thanks for doing the dirty work. This is a good post for all E60 "xi" owners looking for replica wheels.

monacobmw

I think that the Xi comes 74.1mm inside (rather than 72.56 for the 530i), so you may not need hubcentric rings at all with most replica wheels. I am not positive, but I think that you may be fine. Your problem would be if you tried to get OEM BMW wheels. Then you would have a problem because they are made 72.56 mm inside.

That would be awesome for you to be guaranteed a great fit without all of these extra bells and whistles. Make sure that you ask about this one.

Best,

gIzzE

Does anyone know what the M3 hub size is?

I am thinking of putting CSL rims on mine, I know I need a 20 or even 24mm spacer for the front as it has an offset of 44, but it would be great if the hub size is right.