These days, using wheel spacers is no longer a strange concept to us.
Many experts recommend choosing spacers for your car due to some major reasons, such as enhanced traction, larger calipers, or more safety.
In the current market, there are two key kinds of designs: hub centric wheel spacers vs non-hub centric.
How do they differ? Which is the winner to get your preference? If you wonder, you can not miss our post today to find a thoughtful answer.
Dig into this post now.
What Are Hub Centric Vs Lug Centric Wheel Spacers?
Knowing the definition of hub centric vs lug centric spacers will give you a rough idea about how the two differ.
What Is A Hub Centric Wheel Spacer?
A hub-centric wheel is produced so that when it is set up on the car, the hub’s center flange is exactly where the wheel sits. These wheels are just big enough to fit neatly into the part pilot diameter.
To put it another way, thanks to the contact between the hub pilot’s flange and the wheel’s center bore, it is centered. The structure leads to a snug fit like a glove.
A lot of factory rims belong to the kind of wheel (except Nissan’s factory), so when it comes to their lug nuts, most of us immediately thought of a flat, even seating surface.
This compatibility on the hub plays an important role in minimizing the possibility of shifting out of place while being installed.
Also, this supports preventing them from hitting bumps, accidentally driving over a curb, or moving around at high speeds.
What Is A Lug Centric Wheel Spacer (Non-Hub-Centric)?
Lug-centric (or they can be called non-hub-centric) wheel spacers have center bore openings at a bigger diameter than the car’s hub pilot.
Many aftermarket rims belong to the lug-centric group, engineered big enough to fit a wide range of vehicles.
These lug types on the vehicle’s wheels have a 60 deg-angled seating service, so their nuts are equipped with the same conical-angled pattern.
These nuts fit snugly into the seating so that they have the same center with the tire/ wheel – so-called concentricity. That’s the reason why we call them lug-centric.
The lug nuts instead of the wheel hub keep a role in locating these rims. Once we tighten these lug nuts, they will assist in adjusting the wheel’s location relative to its hub, hence centering these wheels.
So which one is the winner between the hub centric and non hub centric wheel spacers? The answer is awaiting!
What Is Different Between Lug Centric Vs Hub Centric Spacers?
When it comes to the difference between hub-centric and lug-centric wheel spacers, we can see three key domains: location, assembly, and automotive applications.
The detailed breakdown will be discussed right below.
Location
Lug-centric spacers are located on the midpoint of the axle. In the meantime, the non-hub-centric spacers aren’t centered on their axle till they are torqued utilizing the right lug hardware properly.
Assembly
The simplest method to draw the line between these two patterns is to keep an eye on how the wheel hub is assembled.
If you see a gap between the hub and the center hole of its rim, it means you are checking a lug-centric one.
Due to the bigger center diameter of this rim, there is a certain distance between the hub and the axle. This shows the rim is fixed by the lug studs assembly.
If this hole in the wheel’s midpoint suits nicely against its hub, it’s hub-centric. In the design, it’s the rim-to-axle link that takes up the weight of a vehicle and manages the forces impacting the tire.
Automotive Applications
On the side, we can see clearly the difference between the two wheel spacers in automotive applications.
Hub centric rims are produced to fit a certain range of cars or a vehicle. The key bore dimension of the OE tires is made to suit nicely against the typical hub assembly.
The structure paves the way to center this hub and rim assembly. They are applied to fix the rim to its mounting plate.
Also, this design promises better resistance strength and endurance of loads or impacts when driving on standard surfaces.
Meanwhile, the lug-centric pattern is manufactured to fit a wide range of cars without meeting a particular axle form for the hub.
This satisfies the diversity of most cars’ requirements. Therefore, encountering this kind of design in any garages or car shops isn’t hard.
Which One Is The Winner Between Hub Centric Wheel Spacers Vs Non-Hub Centric?
The brief answer to this query is that the hub-centric ones are the winner between hubcentric wheel spacers vs non-hub centric.
The design can assist in eliminating the vibration through the car’s floor at high speeds by covering the gap between the axle hub and the aftermarket wheel.
Also, we can use aftermarket wheels with various center diameters thanks to this kind of wheel spacers.
On the other hand, when it comes to lug centric wheels’ dangerous sides, we can mention that it doesn’t have solid contact and doesn’t have enough of its hub’s support.
Therefore, some strong impacts might lead to vibrations, and the lugs experience failure with age. The rim will also come loose compared to the right place, resulting in accidents.
In The Nutshell
Which is better between hub centric wheel spacers vs non-hub centric? Until these bottom lines, we believe you are confident to confirm the hub centric takes the lead over the other.
However, everything has two sides. Non-hub-centric designs still have their advantages satisfying the wide variety of car requirements without any specific size.
In the specific case, you must consider which is better to use in this case: Hub Centric Wheel Spacers or Non-Hub Centric
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