• Welcome to ClassicBroncos! - You are currently viewing the forums as a GUEST. To take advantage of all the site features, please take a moment to register. It's fast, simple and absolutely free. So please join our community today!
    If you have problems registering or can't log into your account, please contact Admin.

Wheel centering help

marcussly27

Jr. Member
Joined
May 6, 2015
Messages
142
I dialed in my front end with some help from JamesDuff and now I need some help with my wheels. I have 17x8s from UsWheel. Issue is there is some play on the lug nuts so centering these are difficult. I have a little wiggle in the wheel and it's driving me nuts. Does anyone have a clever/cheap way to get these perfectly centered on the hub? I believe early broncos are lug centric? I have Dana 44 front and Ford 9inch rear axles. Thanks!

https://www.uswheel.com/wheel/7650/us-wheel-deuce-series-455/?finishID=3796
 

Attachments

  • IMG_4057.JPG
    IMG_4057.JPG
    163.6 KB · Views: 136
  • IMG_4056.JPG
    IMG_4056.JPG
    148.3 KB · Views: 111
  • IMG_4055.JPG
    IMG_4055.JPG
    199.7 KB · Views: 141
  • IMG_4051.JPG
    IMG_4051.JPG
    203.9 KB · Views: 131
  • IMG_4050.JPG
    IMG_4050.JPG
    211 KB · Views: 146

Yeller

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Mar 27, 2012
Messages
7,689
Loc.
Rogers County Oklahoma
By play/wiggle what exactly are you referring to? The wheel wiggles and the lug nuts are tight? The wheels are lug centric meaning the lug nuts center the wheel and carry the weight, so there should be no “wiggle” if they are tight.
 

DirtDonk

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Nov 3, 2003
Messages
51,618
And can you take a good clear close-up of the lug holes in the wheels?
You have a good bulge seat lug nuts, so as Yeller said, if your wheel holes are the correct taper and the lug nuts are tight, the wheels should be also.
And perfectly centered.
 

Jonathan_Cole

Full Member
Joined
May 11, 2020
Messages
154
As already stated, if the lugs are correct they should self center. The only other thing is, don't crank the first nut down so tight that it can't self center.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
 

Qumanchew

Contributor
Full Member
Joined
May 16, 2018
Messages
317
Loc.
Kutztown PA
The only possibility I can see is if your lug studs are too long for the closed end nuts. In other word the nut could be bottoming out on the end of the stud.
 

DirtDonk

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Nov 3, 2003
Messages
51,618
It’s unusual I think to see a steel wheel with two 5 lug patterns in it. Especially when they look to be the same!
Have you checked and will the wheel studs locate on both patterns? Or is this the only way they fit?
The exposed holes do look to have tapered seats. But it’s hard to tell on the ones that are being used at the moment.

Good point about the studs being too long for the nuts.
In my experience, if you actually try to tighten them down with a wrench though, the caps will pop out.
However, if these are solid lug nuts, then it may indeed be a issue.
 

Jonathan_Cole

Full Member
Joined
May 11, 2020
Messages
154
It’s unusual I think to see a steel wheel with two 5 lug patterns in it. Especially when they look to be the same!
Have you checked and will the wheel studs locate on both patterns? Or is this the only way they fit?
The exposed holes do look to have tapered seats. But it’s hard to tell on the ones that are being used at the moment.

Good point about the studs being too long for the nuts.
In my experience, if you actually try to tighten them down with a wrench though, the caps will pop out.
However, if these are solid lug nuts, then it may indeed be a issue.
It's a 5x5 and 5x5.5 wheel. Also, I have a different us wheel and you have to have 60 degree conical lug nuts.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
 
OP
OP
M

marcussly27

Jr. Member
Joined
May 6, 2015
Messages
142
The only possibility I can see is if your lug studs are too long for the closed end nuts. In other word the nut could be bottoming out on the end of the stud.
So here's the issues I'm having with the USWheel Dueces. The lug nut holes are wearing away. I've gathered that the wheels and axles are lug centric, but even with proper torque on the 60 degree conical lug nuts, I'm having a hell of a time getting them to fit properly. Any feedback is appreciated!
 

Attachments

  • IMG_4085.JPG
    IMG_4085.JPG
    111.3 KB · Views: 122
  • IMG_4086.JPG
    IMG_4086.JPG
    129.7 KB · Views: 105

Yeller

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Mar 27, 2012
Messages
7,689
Loc.
Rogers County Oklahoma
Hate to be the bearer of bad news. This is hard to type and is going to sound brutal, I will apologize in advance. You’ve tightened the face of the lug nut to the fave of the lugnuts and not the conical seat. The issue was mentioned above. Not us wheel’s problem.
 

Jonathan_Cole

Full Member
Joined
May 11, 2020
Messages
154
Can you post a picture of the mating face of the lug nuts also? Are all of your wheels like this?

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
 

DirtDonk

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Nov 3, 2003
Messages
51,618
Going by the unused holes (though at least one of them looks like it was used at some point based on the chipped paint and uneven surface) they don't look like there is much of a taper even where there is one. And some of the holes don't even look like they have much of a taper at all!
I responded to your inquiry in that other post about similar wheels, but worth repeating here perhaps.
Wondering if a tire shop did the install or did you do it yourself? If those were tapered seats, and the lugnuts matched, they could have been severely over-tightened to give it a similarly buggered appearance. Doesn't have to be just that the wheels were moving around and banging on the studs. Could easily have been mooshed out from too much torque.
Seen it happen too many times from shops with mega-impact wrenches. Even when using torque sticks they can over-tighten the lug nuts.

As I mentioned in the other thread, the local Goodyear dealer had to replace my friend's Mustang steel wheels twice! They buggered them up the first time, then buggered up the new replacements with too much torque. Deforming the tapered holes and ruining the lugnuts in the process.

Takes a lot to do that at home, given the usual tools. But of course if the home is equipped with a big compressor and a high-powered impact wrench (or later model electric impact for that matter) it's entirely possible to over-torque a lug nut right in the driveway/garage.

Paul
 
OP
OP
M

marcussly27

Jr. Member
Joined
May 6, 2015
Messages
142
Well, I have an update. The tire shop definitely didn’t mount these properly and I’m in the middle of submitting a claim, fingers crossed. I learned how to mount these properly the hard way and will definitely be doing it myself in the future. Wheel shop walked me through the “proper way”, super helpful.

In the meantime, I’m shopping around for new 17x8s with 4.5 BS and found some nice steel OE style from wheelsmith for a very reasonable price. Terry was super helpful. Powder coated and 4 wheels for just over 1300 with a 3-4 week lead time.

Curious if anyone else has any other manufacturers to recommend? Wheel vintiques didn’t have my size unfortunately and I don’t want to spend 4k+ for aluminum.

Thanks!
 
Top