jonshonda

Happy K02 customer here. Got 65k miles on my first set which still had 7/32nd's on them when I sold them for $250. I will add not only road force balance, but insist they using finger plates when balancing as well. The wheels are lug centric, not hub centric and if they don't use finger plates they are likely balancing off the hub. My oil change place checks alignment every time, and I get free rotation cuz I bought the tires at that shop.

gfcipriani

What is road force balancing and how is it different from typical balancing? Do the Lexus dealerships perform road force balancing?

ASE

Why would anyone want to impose Lug Centric wheels on this vehicle ? ...

ASE

Discount Tire explaining ... https://www.discounttire.com/learn/road-force-balancing

This equipment is very expensive ... so is only available at the better dedicated tire stores ... so car dealerships typically do not have Road Force Balancing ... which is why I never use the dealership. They are not tire experts ... and typically have the minimum wage "technician" who got fired from McDonald's last week perform oil changes and tire balancing. So my point ... there is no advantage to using the dealership for tires ... in fact the opposite.

Not plugging Discount Tire ... but they do nothing but tires ... have the latest-and-greatest balancing equipment ... have a great balance/rotation and repair coverage program ... and have a huge network of locations ... great to have when traveling.

jonshonda

I assume most who are running aftermarket tires have them on aftermarket wheels. Rather then argue, I will just let the pro's explain it. Hub Vs Lug Centric

TLDR; vast majority of aftermarket wheels are lug centric. Balancing lug centric wheels is done differently then hub centric. How To Balance

ASE

Plenty of hub centric wheels available with the proper 106.1 mm bore ... or use centering rings (not recommended) ... so no, the "vast majority" do not use lug centric on this platform given the high sensitivity to imbalance. Why add centering (when mounted on the vehicle) as an additional challenge when this variable can be completely eliminated using proper hub centric wheels ?

ASE

You appear to think that it's all about balancing the wheel / tire off of the vehicle. It's equally important that the wheel is properly centered on the wheel hub when installed on the vehicle. Toyota/ Lexus truck based platforms are designed (and specified) to use hub centric wheels given the sensitivity. Being balanced on a machine is not the same as being concentric with the wheel hub when installed on the vehicle. Hub centric wheels are exacting ... lug centric wheels are anything but (in comparison). Jeeps don't care ... Toyota's do ...

jonshonda

Listen man, I am just telling you my first hand account of how I have had balancing not go right when the aftermarket wheels are road force balanced NOT using finger plates. But then come out perfect when using finger plates. This isn't something I invented nor to I make money off of, I am just sharing my experience as it worked.

Plus as the hub develops corrosion and that corrosion is removed, time and time again after countless tire rotations, don't you think you have issues with the hub no longer being either perfectly round or the same size it was when it left the factory? Or do you leave the corrosion on the hub and hope for the best? You also have to account for tolerances in the oem hub and aftermarket wheel. You seem to think these are all perfect?

ASE

All good information from a machine balance standpoint ... with the exception that your assumption "most that are using aftermarket wheels are lug centric" ... a very bad suggestion for use on the Toyota/Lexus truck based platforms (GX-470 ... GX460 ... 4-Runner ... Tacoma ... FJ Cruiser) ... not sure if that was your intention ... just trying to heed warning to others that this is an unnecessary variable that can be eliminated by using proper 106.1 mm hub bore wheels.

This has absolutely no basis in fact or reality. Yes, nothing is ever perfect ... but hub centric is significantly more accurate in achieving wheel/hub concentricity than lug centric wheels.

jonshonda

That wasn't my assumption, that is taken from the article at discount tire I linked. Don't shoot the messenger fella.

Can you post examples of aftermarket wheels for Toyota's that don't use cheap *** flimsy sheet metal or plastic center caps as hub centric rings? Imagine the tolerance build up of the combination of parts vs lug nuts?

I know my Method NV's use the cheap center caps for hub centric spacing, and looking at most of their "toyota specific" models they utilize the center caps for hub spacing. I've run the Methods for probably 50k miles w/o the center caps with zero issues (meaning they were rotated on my vehicle at least 10 times), so then how it is that being hub-centric is so critical? Answer me that question and I'll shut up.

Interesting information from ICON wheels. ICON Stating Their Wheels Are Lug Centric. Which begs the question of which will win when the lug nuts are torqued down...the lug nuts or the hub spacing rings? So if the same conical lug nuts that fit ICONS fit all other aftermarket wheels, wouldn't that suggest that those wheels would also lend themselves to being lug centric?

ASE

............

ASE

Sorry ... but it appears you are confused ... lug centric ... hub centric ... centering rings ... center caps ... conical lug nuts ... pick a lane with how you choose to share information ... your commentary is all over the map and highly misinformed ... referencing sources when completely out of context does not add any value to this subject.

BTW ... Method and ICON both have 106.1 mm bore (hub centric) wheels specifically for the Toyota platform.

Not wanting to bust on you ... just wanting to save people on this forum from disinformation ...

jonshonda

I am not all over the place at all, you just aren't understanding how this all works. My links are valid. My method NV's which are stated to have the 106.1mm hub bore have hub caps between the hub and the wheel, so they are using the hub caps to center the wheels. They rim itself never physically contacts the hub of my GX470, the hub cap does. Any aftermarket rim that has the hub cap design similar to the methods will be the same. They use the hub caps to center, not the rim.

The conical lug nuts will also center the wheel studs on each lug hole. If the wheels were hub centric wouldn't they use the same style lug nuts as the oem hub-centric lug nuts. I mean just look at a OEM Lexus GX460 Lug nut design and then look at what all the aftermarket wheels use for lug nuts. It is clear the OEM hub centric lug nuts do not center themselves on the wheels studs, but conical lug nuts will.

But the conical shape of the lug nuts and the design of the rims make them essentially a lug centric setup. Again, I have them on my vehicle, I have done the testing over 100k miles, I am going off my testing and methods that are proven. I've had dozens of rotations performed on my NV's w/o hub caps, which means the wheel centered itself on the lugs. No issues.

I am not stating you shouldn't get the correct hub bore wheel for your vehicle, what I am saying is that using finger plates and road force balancing eliminated my balancing issues. Why, cuz the wheels are lug centric.

I'm out.

ASE

So I guess you have been hub centric all the time. Hmmmm ...