What are Hub Centric Rings? Why do I need them?
What are Hub Centric Rings? Why do I need them?
Hub centric rings are these ring shaped wedges that you snug between the “male” bore of your vehicle’s hub to the “female” center bore of your aftermarket wheel…. Don’t be perverted -_-; .
You can come across hub centric rings that are metal, or polyurethane (plastic composite). We haven’t seen the difference between using a metal hub centric ring vs a plastic one in daily driving – so it’s safe to say it doesn’t matter what material it’s made out of, the fundamental function is the same!
Wait, I might be jumping the gun here. What are hub centric rings for anyways?
Well, it’s not as complicated as the name might imply them to be.
So the reason why you might need HCR’s (Which is the acronym for Hub Centric Rings.. Get with the times gramps.) is because 95% of the replica wheels you buy in the aftermarket realm will come in a bore size of 73.1mm. (custom wheels usually allow you to adjust the center bore of the wheel so you can have that set fit snug without the need of HCR’s)
Now your vehicle might be a 66.56mm or a 56.1mm maybe even a 70.8178490908 mm, etc... lol. The list is vast on what vehicle hub bore size’s can be.
You’ve already noticed that 73.1mm is bigger than 66.56mm, 56.1mm or 70.3f7 or whatever number I put up there..mm etc. they do this so it can fit multiple vehicles. Go big or go home amirite?
Jokes aside, this difference in size might be miniscule, but can cause a hefty amount of vibration!
You might not see the difference with larger cars, but there will always be some type of irregular variance or discomfort at a certain speed.
The size of the wheel, weight of the car, type of tires, speed, weather, road conditions etc. can trigger these spikes of vibration caused by the difference in bore sizes.
You usually feel this vibration from the entire body of the vehicle, as if it’s shaking the vehicle’s frame!
You’ll be scratching your head trying to make that shop rebalance your wheels a million times before realizing these measly little rings will solve all your pain and sorrow…
So whether you’re buying from us or from anyone else, always be sure you have the right hub centric rings for your wheel/vehicle size! Had to go serious at some point or else you’d get on me for not learning anything.
Comment below for any questions or feedback on this blog! Suggest a topic you might want to learn more about for the next Fitment Science Series!