By Mike Woodward

HUB-CENTRIC WHEELS

Hub-centric wheels are designed for the hub center bore of the wheel to be a perfect match to the vehicle. This allows the wheel to be centered on the vehicle hub, which is the most accurate way to center the wheel. Most original equipment wheels are designed to be hub-centric because the manufacturer designs wheels specifically for each vehicle.

LUG-CENTRIC WHEELS

As opposed to hub-centric wheels, lug-centric wheels are centered on the vehicle using the lug holes. Most aftermarket wheels are lug-centric because this allows the manufacturer to make the wheels with larger hub bore diameters so that the wheel can fit a wider array of vehicles. Manufacturers make the center bore larger because a center bore that is smaller than the vehicle hub will not be able to secure safely to the vehicle.

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO MG?

Most MGs use hub-centric wheels but the MGB LEs use lug-centric wheels that were also used on the Triumph Stag. This means that when you take your LE wheels to be balanced on a standard dynamic wheel balancer that is designed for hub-centric wheels and locates on the hub, it may not work! The solution is to use an adaptor that fits on the machine that locates the wheel in the lugs while it is being balanced. A typical adaptor is shown below and can be borrowed from Mike Woodward by any HMGCC club member.

Safety fast!

The second entry in this week’s Corona Competition, check back throughout the week for more entries.