Wheel Rims - Center Hole Important?
 

On Tuesday, 15 November 1994 14:08:42 UTC-5, Athos wrote:
> In article >, Wes Fujii > wrote:
> >Findeis Peter M ) wrote:
> >
> >: Does the edge of that center hole take some of the load
> >: off of the 5 wheel mounting bolts when the wheel is
> >: under high stress conditions?
> >
> >Yes. That hole is there to take the load of the vehicle weight
> >on the wheel. The weight of the wheel is not supposed to be
> >supported in shear by the studs. Because of the threads on the
> >studs, there are lots of places where failure can propagate, plus
> >the stud is already in tension. You might also expect that the
> >nuts or bolts might work loose if the wheel is not supported
> >correctly by its center.
> >
> >I wouldn't do it. It's not worth the risk.
> >
> >Wes Fujii
>
> The center hole is not the same size as the bearing cap. It's larger.
> The weight of the car is borne by the spindle. It goes through the
> wheels to the ground via the bearings in your rotor. The lugs also hold
> the wheel to the rotor by friction, as well as shear.
>
> Joe

Joe,
Of course the spindle sees the weight of the car through the bearings, but that load is designed to be transferred to the wheel rim through the pilot on the hub, rather than through the wheel studs. Think of the times that you've had to kick a tire a few times to get it to pop off the hub pilot...That's exactly what it is supposed to do. The wheel nuts/studs are only there to hold the wheel on the hub pilot - in tension only.

Wheel Rims - Center Hole Important?