Wheel vibration problem. non stock wheels.

V8Cobrakid · 01-19-2008, 02:53 PM

I installed new wheels onto my car. the size is located in my signature.

one of the wheels was "curbed"... so i figured it's bent and it's causing a wobble.. but i think i found it to be much worse of a problem then that.

when you take the stock wheels off the car, or put them back on, you'll notice that the wheel is snug agains the center bearing "shim". these new wheels i installed free float on the lug pins.. ( 1cm gap between the center outer diameter and the wheel inner diameter) so i have a feeling that the lugs can never perfectly center the wheel causing it to develop a natural wobble.. whichever one happens to be wobeling.

my question. does anyone know of a product or shim that take up that center hub area? if i explained this horribly.. i guess i can take pics.

apriusfan · 01-21-2008, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by V8Cobrakid

I installed new wheels onto my car. the size is located in my signature.

one of the wheels was "curbed"... so i figured it's bent and it's causing a wobble.. but i think i found it to be much worse of a problem then that.

when you take the stock wheels off the car, or put them back on, you'll notice that the wheel is snug agains the center bearing "shim". these new wheels i installed free float on the lug pins.. ( 1cm gap between the center outer diameter and the wheel inner diameter) so i have a feeling that the lugs can never perfectly center the wheel causing it to develop a natural wobble.. whichever one happens to be wobeling.

my question. does anyone know of a product or shim that take up that center hub area? if i explained this horribly.. i guess i can take pics.

You are referring to inserts for the wheel that match to the wheel hub on the car that the wheel is going to be installed on. The company that sold you the wheels should supply you with the inserts.

Responding to your original post about vibrations, if the wheel is bent, you will get vibrations. Sounds like a new wheel is in your immediate future.

V8Cobrakid · 01-21-2008, 03:07 PM

I don't have the money for new wheels.

i purchased these used. any clue where i can find that shim piece?.. er.. whatever it is. (spacer?)

i googled with failed results.

my goodyear comforthreads wore out and i didn't have money to put new ones on. even cheap tires would almost hit 400dollars installed.. so i purchased these rims/tire combo from somoene for 300 bucks. it's wider (i wanted) with a smaller tire wall (i wanted)

V8Cobrakid · 01-21-2008, 03:19 PM

so.. i'm looking again.. i'm finding spacers with the larger hub piece built into it.
the only reason i see for using a spacer is to move the wheel out farther because it might rub. i'm not having rub issues.. but with 215 tires.. i'm wondering if pushing it out several mm with a spacer will be benificaial to the suspensions movement.

the only reason i'm hesitant against this is because the wheels would probably touch the outer fender well if i add in this spacer.

so.. i'm wondering if there is only a hub ring.. no extra space added.. just filling in the gap. i'll take a pic or few later. i'll show wheel clearance and such.

subarutoo · 01-21-2008, 03:37 PM

Some custom wheels require a different lug nut that centers each wheel hole on the stud, rather than from the center of the hub. Are you using the correct lugnuts for the new wheels, or trying to use the stock ones? You might also call the wheel mfr, and ask about lug nut recommendations. I had the same problem on a Mustang years ago with Minilite wheels. Truck lugnuts with centering washers solved the problem.

jammin012 · 01-21-2008, 06:48 PM

Not that you're to this point yet but when I put new wheels and tires on the X-Type I had a shimmy problem from 55 - 65mph. The steering wheel was also not centered and pulled to the right. The dealer told me it was natural for that to happen in front wheel drive cars, X-Type all wheel drive, as the motor torques in that direction. What an idiot. Not satisfied I did some searching. Turns out every tires has a batch number. It's molded into the sidewall, usually 5 alphanumeric digits. I had 3 of the same batch and 1 different. I bought a new tire, luckily the same batch as the other 3, and behold the steering wheel centered, no more drift, and the shimmy went away. SO, after rebalancing 3 or 4 times, 2 re-alignments and much upset the problem was a mismatched tire. Wouldn't have believed that was possible. Now the tire could have been bad but anymore I'll make sure my tire's batch number matches.

V8Cobrakid · 01-21-2008, 07:01 PM

oh wow.. i'll have to look into the batch number.

they are "tuner" wheels. they are designed for 5x100 or 5x114 ( i think).. they would have to balance on the lugs themselves. maybe i installed that one wrong. I did notice a wobble at around 55 to 60 that's odd.. it seems to almost even out past that but still noticable.

i'm trying to post pictures now.. give me a min. i'll have to runout and check the wheel numbers.. if i can find them.. it's raining out. hehe

V8Cobrakid · 01-21-2008, 07:52 PM

You can see the gap where I've inserted a #2 screwdriver. Stock rims sit on that inner rim. mine balance on the lugs. You can see the tuner lugs. They are a pain.. the key is flimsy since it has to clear the wheel while tightening or loosening.

The wheels protrude out a fair amount. You can see the small black piece that dimples out behind the wheel. that's the aftermarket mud flap. the rear wheel and mud flap are visible. (mainly mud flap)

If i shim these wheels i would think they would hit the outer wheel well...

I tried to take a photo of the space above the wheel.... didn't work.

here's a pic of my wheels clearance.

okiebutnotfrommuskogee · 01-21-2008, 08:35 PM

If you go to tirerack.com and look for wheels for the Prius, you will see that some of the wheels require what is called a "centering ring". From looking at your picture with the screwdriver in it I would say that you need centering rings.

V8Cobrakid · 01-22-2008, 01:30 AM

thanks for the info. I've looked around ( i'll continue looking) and i found sets. these sets don't tell me measurments. to make matters worse, i don't know the measurement of the hub. I'll have to borrow my friends "micro measuring" device... i wish i knew the real name... i'll check the hub diameters and see what i can find online.

i'll check my local craigslist for people tossing some out...

01-19-2008, 02:53 PM	#1
V8Cobrakid Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: hell Posts: 2,894 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: N/A Package: #9 Thanks: 9 Thanked 18 Times in 18 Posts Friends: 5	Wheel vibration problem. non stock wheels. I installed new wheels onto my car. the size is located in my signature. one of the wheels was "curbed"... so i figured it's bent and it's causing a wobble.. but i think i found it to be much worse of a problem then that. when you take the stock wheels off the car, or put them back on, you'll notice that the wheel is snug agains the center bearing "shim". these new wheels i installed free float on the lug pins.. ( 1cm gap between the center outer diameter and the wheel inner diameter) so i have a feeling that the lugs can never perfectly center the wheel causing it to develop a natural wobble.. whichever one happens to be wobeling. my question. does anyone know of a product or shim that take up that center hub area? if i explained this horribly.. i guess i can take pics. __________________ Silver 9 as of June 12th '04 (over 123k Miles now) Decals, Mud Flaps, 1200Watt Modified sign wave Inverter, BT Tech Rear Brace, coastaletech 2" receiver hitch, and 215/45/17 tires.

01-21-2008, 03:07 PM	#3
V8Cobrakid Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: hell Posts: 2,894 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: N/A Package: #9 Thanks: 9 Thanked 18 Times in 18 Posts Friends: 5	Re: Wheel vibration problem. non stock wheels. I don't have the money for new wheels. i purchased these used. any clue where i can find that shim piece?.. er.. whatever it is. (spacer?) i googled with failed results. my goodyear comforthreads wore out and i didn't have money to put new ones on. even cheap tires would almost hit 400dollars installed.. so i purchased these rims/tire combo from somoene for 300 bucks. it's wider (i wanted) with a smaller tire wall (i wanted)

01-21-2008, 03:19 PM	#4
V8Cobrakid Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: hell Posts: 2,894 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: N/A Package: #9 Thanks: 9 Thanked 18 Times in 18 Posts Friends: 5	Re: Wheel vibration problem. non stock wheels. so.. i'm looking again.. i'm finding spacers with the larger hub piece built into it. the only reason i see for using a spacer is to move the wheel out farther because it might rub. i'm not having rub issues.. but with 215 tires.. i'm wondering if pushing it out several mm with a spacer will be benificaial to the suspensions movement. the only reason i'm hesitant against this is because the wheels would probably touch the outer fender well if i add in this spacer. so.. i'm wondering if there is only a hub ring.. no extra space added.. just filling in the gap. i'll take a pic or few later. i'll show wheel clearance and such.

01-21-2008, 03:37 PM	#5
subarutoo Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Chatsworth, CA Posts: 1,176 My Car: 2006 Prius Model: Package: #6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 6 Times in 4 Posts Friends: 0	Re: Wheel vibration problem. non stock wheels. Some custom wheels require a different lug nut that centers each wheel hole on the stud, rather than from the center of the hub. Are you using the correct lugnuts for the new wheels, or trying to use the stock ones? You might also call the wheel mfr, and ask about lug nut recommendations. I had the same problem on a Mustang years ago with Minilite wheels. Truck lugnuts with centering washers solved the problem.

01-21-2008, 06:48 PM	#6
jammin012 The man behind The Man Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Cali Posts: 511 My Car: 2007 Prius Model: Package: #4 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 1	Re: Wheel vibration problem. non stock wheels. Not that you're to this point yet but when I put new wheels and tires on the X-Type I had a shimmy problem from 55 - 65mph. The steering wheel was also not centered and pulled to the right. The dealer told me it was natural for that to happen in front wheel drive cars, X-Type all wheel drive, as the motor torques in that direction. What an idiot. Not satisfied I did some searching. Turns out every tires has a batch number. It's molded into the sidewall, usually 5 alphanumeric digits. I had 3 of the same batch and 1 different. I bought a new tire, luckily the same batch as the other 3, and behold the steering wheel centered, no more drift, and the shimmy went away. SO, after rebalancing 3 or 4 times, 2 re-alignments and much upset the problem was a mismatched tire. Wouldn't have believed that was possible. Now the tire could have been bad but anymore I'll make sure my tire's batch number matches.

01-21-2008, 07:01 PM	#7
V8Cobrakid Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: hell Posts: 2,894 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: N/A Package: #9 Thanks: 9 Thanked 18 Times in 18 Posts Friends: 5	Re: Wheel vibration problem. non stock wheels. oh wow.. i'll have to look into the batch number. they are "tuner" wheels. they are designed for 5x100 or 5x114 ( i think).. they would have to balance on the lugs themselves. maybe i installed that one wrong. I did notice a wobble at around 55 to 60 that's odd.. it seems to almost even out past that but still noticable. i'm trying to post pictures now.. give me a min. i'll have to runout and check the wheel numbers.. if i can find them.. it's raining out. hehe

01-21-2008, 07:52 PM	#8
V8Cobrakid Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: hell Posts: 2,894 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: N/A Package: #9 Thanks: 9 Thanked 18 Times in 18 Posts Friends: 5	Re: Wheel vibration problem. non stock wheels. You can see the gap where I've inserted a #2 screwdriver. Stock rims sit on that inner rim. mine balance on the lugs. You can see the tuner lugs. They are a pain.. the key is flimsy since it has to clear the wheel while tightening or loosening. The wheels protrude out a fair amount. You can see the small black piece that dimples out behind the wheel. that's the aftermarket mud flap. the rear wheel and mud flap are visible. (mainly mud flap) If i shim these wheels i would think they would hit the outer wheel well... I tried to take a photo of the space above the wheel.... didn't work. here's a pic of my wheels clearance.

01-21-2008, 08:35 PM	#9
okiebutnotfrommuskogee Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Tulsa, OK Posts: 1,044 My Car: 2007 Prius Model: Package: #1 Thanks: 2 Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts Friends: 2	Re: Wheel vibration problem. non stock wheels. If you go to tirerack.com and look for wheels for the Prius, you will see that some of the wheels require what is called a "centering ring". From looking at your picture with the screwdriver in it I would say that you need centering rings.

01-22-2008, 01:30 AM	#10
V8Cobrakid Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: hell Posts: 2,894 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: N/A Package: #9 Thanks: 9 Thanked 18 Times in 18 Posts Friends: 5	Re: Wheel vibration problem. non stock wheels. thanks for the info. I've looked around ( i'll continue looking) and i found sets. these sets don't tell me measurments. to make matters worse, i don't know the measurement of the hub. I'll have to borrow my friends "micro measuring" device... i wish i knew the real name... i'll check the hub diameters and see what i can find online. i'll check my local craigslist for people tossing some out...