#27493, "rotor warping, lugs and rings" In response to In response to 2 Jul-05-05 06:50 PM by juan
Your front rotors warp because the stock spec and especially the OEM rotors are woefully inadequate.
"Calibrated elbow" won't cut it? Damn. I bet this is where I am fucking up or at least not helping things).
yes, and warped rotors from over-torqued lugs is is probably a hidden "revenue stream source" for shops.
Even if you explicitly tell them to hand torque to spec, I am firmly convinced that when it comes time to mount the wheels, the service department just has their biggest most-hairy-knuckle-dragging shop-monkey do it, who never sets the torque on the impact wrench and lets it bang away till the lugnut is firmly secured at something like 2,700 ft-lbs...
...but maybe its just cos last time I took my wheels off I had to use an 18" breaker bar, a 1/2" impact socket, the full length of a 3' steel pipe over the breaker bar, nearly all of my 190lbs and 14 curse words I didn't know I knew. I broke one regular 3/8" socket and two 1/2" regular CrV sockets before trying the impact one.
Just get a 1/2" adjustable torque wrench from Harbour Freight tools for like $20, and it'll do the job just fine.
If you have aftermarket wheels, you should always use the nylon hubcentric rings.
Where do I find these? If they are so important, why are they not included with the wheels? Conspiracy amongst the brake shops and aftermarket wheel manufacturers, perhaps?
They should come with the wheels when bought new from reputable wheel companies. But note that they are sized to be specific to a car's wheel hub and the centerbore of the particular wheel. So if the wheels are from another car, or the rings are lost, then you will need to buy some or have them custom made.
Good post from an extremely knowledgeable person:
Hub centric rings are worth the effort. There are companies that make hub centric rings "special order" as long as you provide the OD and ID. Keep in mind that you want as close to a slip-fit as possible (about 0.004" clearance) from the hub ring to the vehicle hub. Most any machine shop could make these also. Some companies offer hub centric rings in metal, some are plastic. The metal ones are better.
Dave Scribner Product Manager-BLT HUNTER Engineering www.gsp9700.com
(FYI - this company makes the Hunter GSP9700, reputed to be the best machine to use when having tires mounted/balanced. TireRack.com uses these machines themselves, but you can find a local shop that has it from http://www.gsp9700.com/pub/search/findgsp9700.cfm)
Don't sweat having the plastic ones, unless you hot-lap your car. Just be sure to remember they are there - I nearly lost one of the ones that came with my Kosei's when I had my last set of tires installed.
