# Hubcentric Adapters: are they really safe?



## Kno (Sep 22, 2012)

So Im looking in to buying some adatpters made by 42dd, But first I want to know, are adaptors really safe? They are hubcentric which are a plus, but give me your opinion on adapters and If they will be safe for a daily driver. Also will they void my insurance policy?

heres a link to the adapters
http://store.42draftdesigns.com/VWAu...Set_p_439.html


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## trattripp (Jan 6, 2013)

hi.............
welcome to this forum side .
this is simple problem
you can easy find that prolem
if you want to know this problem then
go to 
 top ten classified webside


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## Kno (Sep 22, 2012)

trattripp said:


> hi.............
> welcome to this forum side .
> this is simple problem
> you can easy find that prolem
> ...


um.......


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## JettaGT8V80 (Jun 12, 2003)

how on earth will the void your insurance???

they are perfectly safe and have been used for decades


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## 87vr6 (Jan 17, 2002)

*FV-QR*

no. adapters are totally unsafe. No one uses them anywhere, especially on my last two cars for 50k+ miles.


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## Kno (Sep 22, 2012)

I need hard evidence to show someone because Im trying to convince them


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## JettaGT8V80 (Jun 12, 2003)

Kno said:


> I need hard evidence to show someone because Im trying to convince them


what kind of hard evidence do you need 

its safe perfectly safe


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## Kno (Sep 22, 2012)

here is what he sent me...
Your wheels are balanced hub-centric because that should be the dead center of the wheel. OE wheels are centered by the hub, but because aftermarket or wheels from different vehicle manufacturers are made for a variety of vehicles, the center hole of the wheel is usually larger than your hub. This requires your lugs to center the wheel which even with the correct lugs to match the taper of your wheel, it may not center, thus causing a vibration. Now, when you add spacers, you are increasing the likely hood of a balance problem because they make it more difficult for the wheel to center itself. They also put more stress on the lugs.

With adapters that are hub centric, you are not actually putting more stress on the lugs, just the ball joints and wheel bearings. You are changing the load on the bearings which could cause premature failure. There is already a risk w maintaining original OE lug torque, now you want to add another degree of variability w/ dissimilar materials. Dissimilar materials have different heat expansion and elasticity which can cause issues. It also changes forces on ball joints and control arms, not to mention changes in dynamic toe! On top of all this, there is no way to verify the torque/condition of the inner set of lug nuts without pulling the wheels off every week! 

Look at the links below.

http://www.crashforensics.com/wheelandhubfailures.cfm


http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=..._0bN0Yr87GGFH40Xmls8Q&bvm=bv.1355534169,d.cGE

From another blog:
You will never find wheel adapters or spacers on any vehicle I own.

The design of vehicle suspensions, and the matching of wheels to those suspensions, should be left to experts. The hairs go up on the back of my neck when I read about putting spacers or adapters between the wheels and the hubs JUST TO CHANGE THE APPEARANCE OF THE VEHICLE.

Here's a bit if insight into some of the effects of doing this:

A vehicle is not a "rigid body". It is flexible. As it rolls down the road, it flexes, and this includes the suspension components. I mean that the individual components of the suspension actually change their shape, and they change their positions and orientations relative to each other.

For example, the upper and lower control arms of the Tundra front suspensions pivot at their inboard ends. They pivot about bushings that are partly RUBBER.

Think about what happens to the control arms when you apply the brakes: 1) The forces generated try to rotate the spindle so that the upper ball joint is pushed forward and the lower ball joint is pushed rearward; 2) They push the tire, wheel, and spindle toward the rear, which pushes both ball joints toward the rear; and, 3) They try to rotate the tire, wheel, and spindle so the front of the tire points more outboard (i. e. because of the positive scrub radius, it tries to make total toe more negative), by putting an inward force on the end of the tie rod, thus pulling outward on both ball joints. Now, just what is the "net force" on a ball joint, and thus what is the "net change" in the orientation of the control arm to which it is attached?

If you space the wheel more outboard the vehicle, this DRASTICALLY increases the scrub radius, which is small to begin with. It thus DRASTICALLY increases the negative change in total toe that happens upon braking, especially hard braking. Do you want to GUESS what the effect is, just because you like how it LOOKS?

As I stated above, the vehicle flexes as it rolls down the road. In fact, total toe changes as it rolls depending on, among other factors, the speed of the vehicle. In a rear wheel drive vehicle like the Tundra, with rack-and-pinion steering mounted behind the front axles, total toe tends to become more negative as the speed increases. The specification for total toe is set such that the the "dynamic" total toe at a nominal speed (commonly about 55 mph) is zero. This prevents tire wear and increases stability, because the tire is not "scrubbing sideways" as it rolls down the road.

The increased scrub radius GREATLY affects the change in total toe due to speed. So, if you set the alignment of total toe dead on the factory spec, does that result in total toe being zero as you cruise down the road? Again, do you want to GUESS what the effect is, just because you like how it LOOKS?

How often have you seen or heard of a traffic accident which appears to have no reasonable cause? The driver just turned a corner or put on the brakes and the vehicle swapped ends? Next time it happens, look to see if the vehicle has stock wheels and tires on it.

I apologize for the rather strident tone of this response, but this subject is a raw nerve with me. I don't presume to tell people what they can and cannot do in modifying their own vehicles, but I point out that the accidents that result from modifications often have undeserving victims.

I follow the beat of a different cliche. I don't own a vehicle to impress anyone. Mine look fine, and I keep them clean and in good repair. To me, they are just transportation. I am concerned with how they work and how safe they are, not with what passersby think of them.


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## JettaGT8V80 (Jun 12, 2003)

he is wrong you can get hubcentric spacers thus centering the wheel correctly 

and from a blog is not a credible source by any means at all i could make a blog post about how the us is run by a flying spagetti monster and have enough people think its true but it doesnt mean it is


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## [email protected] (Feb 10, 2011)

That article is ridiculous.


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