You do not NEED hub centric wheels. PERIOD. There's nothing wrong with them, and in most cases they would be better, but lug-centric is proven and safe. We have this debate unnecessarily about every other week.

 

We all make mod choices that we must live with. But when someone asks a question, they are entitled to know both sides of the issue so they can make their own informed decision, since there is a risk associated with every modification made to a stock vehicle.

Freedom of choice. Choose Wisely!

 

I have repaired customer vehicles professionally since 1975- NOT ONE TIME in all those years have I seen a wheel fail by being centered by the lug nuts. This includes steel wheels bent so badly I had to torch the outer wheel off to get to the lug nuts! Aluminum wheels broken off the car with just the center and lug nuts left! Run the hell out of them- if the lug nuts are tightened properly you will never have a problem....

 

I now have aftermarket lugcentric wheels. I researched and researched and made my decision to go ahead and get the lugcentric wheels.

I looked on other forums (high performance cars to offroad vehicles) lots of disuccsion. Lots of theories and thoughts.

In my lifetime, I have only heard of 2 stories where the wheel rolled passed the vehicle and 1 personal exeperience....and all three led to operator/maintenance error. The wheel was not put back on the vehicle properly. 1 from the person forgetting to put the lugs back on one of the wheels and just the plastic cover, that was on the news. 1 story from a friend that told me of a wheel falling off story... lugs put back on, but not tightend/torque. 1 that happened to a friend of mine riding passenger....again lugs not put back on correctly.

This may be a bit overkill, but I thought about doing this when I was researching: Do you have any friends that are police officers that work the streets?

I'm sure their vehicles are put through stop, go, slam on the gas, slam on the brakes, etc every day. But I assume they go through regular maintenance and checks. Ask a police motor pool their exerperience.

 

My Jeep had a bad shimmy without the hub centric rings. I would not run anything that is not hub centric or without a hub centric ring.

 

I have pro comp wheel and had a shimmy like the front was out of balance. I realized that I forgot to remove the little washer that holds on the rotor during assembly. Be sure and take them off or you will have problems.

 

I would think it's more an issue of getting the wheel centered than having a wheel fall off. I could see tightening a wheel down relying on the lug nut conical area to do the centering and winding up with a wheel that's off center enough to throw it off balance. It wouldn't take much.