I'm with Hoot on this one, which is why I had a machine shop modify my wheels, I'm more confident in their work than the results of my attacking my wheels in the driveway with a holesaw and letting it "chatter around". No offense to those of you who went that route, just an observation.

 

Hoot,
What are your thoughts on the lug nuts being tappered? Why would they bother if they are hubcentric? Based on your theory about how cheap D/C is why would they bother with tappered lugs then? As far as the hubcentric vs. lugcentric goes keep in mind all it does it provide centering, the wheel is held on by the clamping force of the lug nuts, not the hub or the lug studs.

 

for those that have a motor hone you can turn them to a very close tolerance with them also

 

Good point and yes.... all wheels are held on with bolts.

I also agree.... as long as the tapered holes are machined correct and concentric that they will do the job without the center hub "centering".

But that doesn't explain why D/C went through all that trouble.

 

I don't see the troube, D/C puts in an order, the wheel center hole has to be a specifuc size, they specify it, the axle hub has to be a specific size, they specify it, there you go. Where is the trouble? Do you think when D/C has something built they do not usually provide detailed specifications? The reason I mentioned the fact that either only provides centering is because this is getting blown way out of proportion. As you said if the there is no vibration there is no issue, the wheels are no worse or anymore unsafe with the hole saw method.

 

Not within those tolerances. Close tolerance = $$

BTW: I own a hole hog so using one would not have been an issue.

 

Trust me I would have rather had a machine shop do the work on my wheels instead of using the hole saw method however the few shops that I contacted either couldn't do it or didn't want to mess with it or wanted like $95.oo per wheel to do. I used the method that was described on this message board by members that successfully did this with the hole saw and let it "chatter" in the hole, was this the optimum professional route to go...not hardly, does it work...yes. Do I have a vibration problem...no. To be honest I probably would not do it myself again because it took too much time , but under the circumstance I'm happy with it.

 

Hoot,

I agree with you and have stated clearly in my earlier posts that the hole saw method is not the most accurate or the best way to open the wheels up. At least not the most accurate. But it is the best for doing it at home, quickly, and easily. And since the center is not supporting the weight of the truck it has no affect on their performance. I like doing things in a more refined way too, but I'm also very practical. My tires came already mounted, I did not have access to a lathe, the whole idea was somewhat experimental, and I wanted to see how they worked.
If the center hole has a "few thousandths" clearance over the hub and the nuts are tightened securely into tapered holes, how is the center hole centering the wheel or supporting the weight? A few thousandths clearance vs. tight tapered fit. Clearly, the center hole is not supporting the truck. If the wheel moves even those few thousandths to contact the hub, your in trouble and will soon lose a wheel. The nuts would have to be loose for this to happen, the wheel would begin to wobble, and before long, would come off.
The center hole helps to allign the wheel as it is installed. To get the wheel centered enough to start the nuts. Dodge had to pick some size of hole and the stock wheels have a lot of machine work on them already. Why not pick a hole size that allows easy installation with enough clearance and yet holds them close enough to start the nuts. Again, this is not rocket science. The center hole could have the loosest tolerances of any measurement on the machined parts of the aluminum wheels and still be fine. Where's the extra expense?
It sounds like you are making the argument that the nuts are just along for the ride and only keep the wheel pressed to the flange but don't carry any weight. Maybe you could take the nuts off to prove to us how the wheel will stay centered as you drive. That would be a good test but I don't recommend it.

Wetspirit

 

Wetspirit-are you referring to me?-

"When a new poster comes along and doesn't take the time to do a search, and benefit from all that others have written about, it doesn't mean we have to start over and debate the basics that have been settled for a long time".

I was simply stating that wheels are either hub piloted or stud piloted, I was in the biz for many years so I know from where I speak. I've seen what happens when someone tries to make wheels "fit". Obviously this debate isn't settled and hopefully whichever way you cut the pilot its safe. People are killed every year because a tire lets loose (especially on big rigs) and sails into oncomming traffic. At any rate the wheels do look good, I may change my mind about buying those Weld "Stonecrushers".
E

 

Do the Weld wheels have a center bore within .003 of the hub? Anyone know?

 

Wetspirit,

I never said the center hole does any supporting. I simply said that D/C makes them close tolerance which to me means the wheels are CENTERED by the hub (hubcentric) not supported by it.

I do think that since the center hole is so close, the lugnut holes probably are too but I can't guarantee it. I do know though that once the center hole is on the hub, any discrepancy in the lugnut holes won't really matter..

My stand on it is.... if you can get them machined reasonably, cost wise, it's the right way to go. I think unless someone can prove otherwise, you should be recommending the correct way which may not necessarily be the way you did it... even if your's seems fine.


BTW: the Hummer rims are also hubcentric on H2's. Probably the fact that they are CNC machined you can get away with it.

 

What do you mean about the lug nut holes being close? The lug nuts are convex as they go into the hole on the wheel which is concave the wheel is centered, there is quite a bit of play between the lug studs and the hole they go through on the wheel.

 

The proper term for the tapers in the holes is "conical" and they can be off just like the holes could be. Conic comes from "cone". I'm doing my best here to not argue with you guys about it.

I never said the holes or the countersunk "conics" are out of spec or will not do the job. All I'm saying is I don't believe it's right to tell people to use the hole saw method just because you did or others did it and it works. It could be an issue later on... can you guarantee it won't and guarantee that hubcentric is not important? It's irresponsible, period. We're not talking about car wax here.

Sleep well tonight

 

Hub centric means more than just cented by hub. It also means supported by the hub. Dodge axles and lug studs were designed to do either. On single steel wheels they are lug centric. On duals and aluminum wheels, I believe they where hub centric. So in the case of an aftermarket wheel, either would be acceptable. the only real issue is putting a lug centric wheel on an axle that was only designed to be hub centric. The loading capibility could be off...

I believe everyone is making to big of a deal about this. If the H2 wheel is modified such that the centerbore is perfectly aligned and sized, it could be hub centric. If the center bore is larger than needed, it will be lug centric. The wheels have conical holes so that they will work lug centric.

It is probably most important that the enlarging process does not leave any sharp or irregular edges or ridges that might cause stress risers. The weigth ratings of the wheel are probably less than wanted though...

 

There you go. Either way is fine.