I know the difference between hub centric and lug centric.
Hub - the weight is carried by the hub, since the center hole of the wheel seats directly on the hub.
Lug - the tapered lug nuts center the wheel.

Once everything is torqued down - how big a difference does it really make? Has anyone on here ever had a problem with lug centric wheels on a SD?

I will admit that having had a lug get loose in the past - it was reassuring that the other 7 kept the hub centric wheel snug. I have a 2wd SRW and do plan on towing, but at the same time... there are some very good looking lug centric wheels out there.

I still tend to lean towards hub centric, but was wondering what you guys though.

 

I would stick with the hub centric. That is the way the truck is designed.

 

This might help. It's the same principle, but talks about using wheel spacers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBWeQHZy_nw

 

Curious as to who makes hub centric wheels and how to tell without putting them on the truck if they are lug/hub centric

 

lug centric wheels will have a tapered lug opening since the nuts are tapered that is how they center the wheels

 

look at factory ford lug nuts they are flat agains the wheel=hub centric the lug nuts bolt the tire up.

Regular lug nuts are tapered= lug centric, they center the wheel to the hub as you bolt up the wheel

 

IMO, this is not a HUGE issue. The vast majority of aftermarket wheels are LUG centric. IF there was such a safety concern with LUG centric wheels, you would hear about it in the news... "Another LUG centric wheel came off and killed 4 people." Think about all of the aftermarket wheels that are on the road... again, the vast majority are LUG centric.

Now, if you can find a set of HUB centric wheels that you really like, that is the better choice. But I don't think that it is a requirement. JMHO.

 

The truck was designed for hub centric rims. This means that the hubs are the precision machined parts and the lug bolts, since they have a lot of clearance, do not need to be precisely located (centered).

If the lug bolts are not exactly positioned and lug-centric wheels are installed, the wheel will not be exactly centered. This can lead to a vibration problem that balancing can't fix.

If your truck has lug bolts that are precisely centered, lug centric wheels will work with no problem. I would take some measurements of actual lug positioning before going to lug-centric rims. If you know a machinist who can take these measurements, this is a plus.

Lou Braun

 

thats what im talkin about, he knows his stuff....dont want to be loosing a wheel

 

After doing some more reading and research - I found a few examples of people sheering lug nuts, but usually as a result of improperly torqued lug nuts.

The most common causes:
- using an impact instead of a torque wrench

- over torquing, because "more must be better...right?"
As it turns out, over torquing immediately damages the lugs.
If they have been over torqued, they should be replaced.

- under torquing - this allows the wheel to shift or spin on the hub, placing a sideways load
on the lug.

- bottoming out the 'acorn' lug nut on the inside of the lug before it seats properly against the wheel. Make sure the nut is long / deep enough to seat properly against the wheel.

It is cheaper for after market companies to oversize the center hole to fit more vehicles, rather than making them an exact fit for a specific vehicle. This saves the company a few dollars, but costs the customer in terms of the safety afforded by hub centric. There is a much smaller margin for error with lug centric wheels.

(This being the case, someone who doesn't know what they're doing, doesn't own (or use) a torque wrench or more dangerously, a tech at a shop who thought "using the impact until it stopped turning" was good enough... can all cause the lugs to fail. )


Off subject - but just as important: unevenly torqued alloy wheels have a tendency to warp when exposed to the heat from the brakes caused by enthusiastic driving (or track use.... yes, some of our big trucks see the drag strip, even if they don't road race) or heavy towing. Just another reason to be diligent with the torque wrench.


Also note that if the center bore on your wheel is larger than the hub, you can order adapter rings to align the wheel properly.

Wheel Tech - Centerbore

Lug Centric can be safe - if properly torqued and re-torqued after a few hundred miles. They are however discouraged for heavy towing and track use.

Hub centric on the other hand, is more ideal, somewhat safer and offers the safest margin of error. It is strongly encouraged for heavy towing, and depending on the sanctioning body, may be required for track use. (although this applies more to the sports car crowd.)

Also - for wheel spacers - the cheap Chinese ebay lug-centric adapters have a nasty habit of crumbling and falling apart. Wheel adapters for Superdutys definitely need to be hub centric. (Fred, from the video posted above and WheelAdapter.com is your number one source for wheel adapters, wheel spacers, used wheels, and wheel studs. is highly recommended for his customer service and having an excellent product.)

 

I don't know what the superduty pickups use/have, but my chassis cab DRW rides on the hubs and has flat lug nuts, so to have the utmost safety and smoothest ride, I would say go with hub centric aftermarket rims.

My Dodge 1500 pickups ride on the hubs but have conical/tapered lug nuts also. For a factory setup like this and normal use, I would guess either lug or hub centric aftermarket rims would pose no balancing, vibration or centering problems.

Personally I would always use hub centric, especially on a truck that is big, heavy and could be used off road and for towing.

 

Not necessarily.

My Weld wheels are hub centric and have tapered lug nuts/lug bores.

The proper way to find hub centric wheels is to measure your hub and find the wheel with the appropriate hub bore. I chose hub centric/forged wheels because I tow a heavy 5th wheel and carry my family around. Gives me peace of mind.