Don’t settle for just lug centric wheels!

A hub centric wheel is predominantly found in the OEM market, where as a lug centric wheel is most commonly found in the aftermarket sector. Fortunately for you as a customer of USARim we have genuine hub centric wheels or the proper spacers to turn your hazardous lug centric wheels into hub centric wheels that inspire confidence and control as you lay down many miles in your prized ride for years to come. Here at USARim we understand the importance of a customer’s need for unwavering safety and dedicated reliance on a product that is certified to withstand the harshness and punishment of a diverse plethora of road conditions you may face. The more respective and trustworthy wheel retailers don’t ignore their customers’ needs to properly turn their dangerous lug centric wheels into safe, reliable hub centric wheels that make your ride glide down the pavement with no disruptions. This is a hallmark trait of USARim to take care of our customer’s concerns regarding safety and to provide the necessary equipment to promote safety by allowing your wheels that you purchase from us to be fitted one hundred percent correctly. The reason for this distinction of market sectors mentioned above is because OEM wheels are designed specifically for a precision wheel hub to mounting plate relationship that creates a precise fit to the car under a wheel to axle relationship that is reliant on the lug nuts to stop lateral forces from pushing the wheels off during driving. The lugs hold the wheel to the mounting plate on the car and with a hub centric wheel the size of the wheel hub perfectly marries up with the axle with no gaps that cause the wheel to “float” upon mounting of it. On a hub centric wheel the wheel to axle relationship takes care of the massive forces exerted in an upward and downward direction, while again the lugs stop lateral movement of the wheel that could cause catastrophic failure under that kind of load in that specific direction.

This tight relationship of wheel to axle fitment on the mounting plate is not present with a lug centric wheel. With a wheel that is designated to be lug centric is going to be most commonly a wheel that is targeted by aftermarket companies, where the wheel needs to fit a wide range of vehicle models and makes to effectively target a large market with a narrower range of wheel designs. If the wheel hub that is produced by the aftermarket manufacture is too small then a proper axle fitment will be absolutely impossible. This is where the center bore diameter most likely won’t allow this lug centric wheel to perfectly have a snug fit to the axle of the car that a hub centric wheel has. This is because aftermarket companies are producing a wheel with a center bore that is large enough to allow the wheel to be fitted to a wide range of vehicle models. This can be achieved by applying the proper hub centric spacers that have varying inside or outside diameters that drop into the wheel’s hub effectively changing the center bore the correct value to ensure a proper, snug fitment to the mounting plate that surrounds the axle of the respective vehicle. With a hub centric wheel the center bore is engineered to have a perfect fit to the axle of the specified vehicle that the factory car company is producing so hub centric type spacers are not necessary for a proper fitment of the wheel to the mounting plate that allows the wheel to marry up with the axle of the vehicle perfectly. People will sometimes try and rationalize that they do not in fact need to utilize hub centric type spacers to transform their usually aftermarket lug centric wheel to a wheel that is now characterized as being fully hub centric. People will say that if you use special lug nuts that are cone type which are supposed to be self-centering then you can get away with using a wheel that is strictly lug centric. This however is not the case because even if you are using cone type, self-centering lug nuts the wheel that is lug centric will still have free play for movement against the mounting plate, which will cause significant vibrations to be felt while rolling down the road. Not only will the uncomfortable vibrations become noticeably obnoxious, but also eventually your lug studs will become warped over time. This is because the lug nuts are designed to prevent lateral forces from ripping your wheel off. The lug nuts do a great job at ensuring this, but what they can’t help with is a longitudinal shearing force that is now being enacted upon your wheels as a result of there being free play and enough movement in a upward and downward motion to cause the insidious vibrations that could actually shear your lug studs off leading to a potentially fatal, catastrophic failure of your precious vehicle that trust and depend with your life everyday. It doesn’t matter that you used conical type, self-centering lug nuts, lug nuts are lug nuts and therefore they only are designed to handle forces acting in one direction not multiple that would be present because you failed to turn your typically aftermarket lug centric wheel into a hub centric that guarantees a seamless fitment to the mounting plate allowing no free play longitudinally to evoke shearing forces that are perpendicular or ninety degrees offset of the direction that all lug nuts are only designed to handle. The simple beauty about hub centric wheel spacers is that any problematic lug centric wheels can be remedied and converted into wheels that are classified as hub centric allowing for the smoothest and safest ride to be achieved. There is simply no excuse for buying aftermarket wheels and keeping them in lug centric form that compromises your safety and ride stability. It is never too late to fully enjoy and appreciate our premium quality rims here at USARim that exudes an unfaltering dedication to the finest details and craftsmanship. Our quality rims either are designed right off the bat to be hub centric like our line of Mercedes Benz OEM replica rims or if you purchase another type of precision crafted rim from us that is lug centric initially for universal fitment purposes. We will be more than willing to promise that you as the customer receive the proper hub centric wheel spacers to keep your ride rolling in the most elegant manner conceivable!

Chrome Rim Care

Here at UsaRim we take pride and dedication to our customers’ needs, which is why we can’t stress enough on the importance of maintaining a mirror-like finish on your chrome rims that you purchase from us. We have the passion for quality automotive performance and care, which is why you came to us to purchase rims in the first place. Don’t let improper or inadequate wheel care ruin the brilliant finish on your newly acquired chrome rims. Let us teach you proper, routine cleaning, claying, polishing, and waxing procedures to ensure that your rim’s finish stands the test of time. Chrome is inherently a soft material that is susceptible to the abrasive properties of brake dust that when left to accumulate over long periods of time will ruin the soft chrome finish on your rims through pitting and abrasion of carbon fibers that are deposited on the rim through deterioration of the actual brake pads themselves under braking. Don’t allow your glistening new chrome rims become a victim through neglect. By following this quick and simple procedure you will be on your way to learning how to effectively clean and clay your chrome rims in order to properly prepare them for our polishing and waxing procedure that will ultimately bring out that desired sparkle in your chrome rims. Here is easy to follow break down of the cleaning procedure:

1. Start by giving each of your four wheels a respectable rinse down for a solid minute with a low-pressure jet stream of water to effectively remove as much accumulated brake dust and grime from the chrome surface that will come off from the bombardment of the water alone.
2. Next step is to break out your favorite choice of chrome wheel cleaner and individually coat your wheels down in a uniform fashion with the cleaner. The important thing to remember here is that you remember to always use a non-acidic wheel cleaner to prevent your wheel’s chrome finish from being eaten away by improper cleaners.
3. After dousing the rims down in a proper non-acidic solution, it’s time to move to the fun part, which is getting closely intimate with your chrome rims by giving them a little tender love and care by using a rim cleaning brush that has non-abrasive bristles to remove caked on brake dust and grime that wasn’t eliminated by the initial rinse down. It is crucial during this step to keep the rims wet continually to keep the brush from scratching the chrome finish. During your scrubbing routine never forget to get behind the spokes to ensure that the fronts and backs of the rim are evenly and properly cleaned. Just as equally important is to clean the nooks and crannies of the lug nuts themselves as brake dust will be residing inside there as well. Finally since you are already busy getting down and dirty you might as well get to the wheel wells and clean those too as you are scrubbing your rims in the meantime.
4. The final step to the cleaning procedure is to adequately dry your rims down completely; this will prevent water spots from developing in the rims themselves. Do so with a non-abrasive microfiber cloth that will not induce scratching and create water streaks both of which will spoil your hard work.

The next procedure we will be laying out is prepping the wheels for polishing by claying the rims. This will properly remove other types of grime and caked on residues and containments along with remaining brake dust that survived your well-executed and proper cleaning procedure.

1. Start by spraying your rims down with a high quality clay lubricant of your choice.
2. Then take your clay bar and form it into a circle roughly 3 inches in diameter. Now it’s time to gently rub your rims with the clay circle until all the nooks and crannies are covered including behind the spokes and in-between them as well as touching up the lug nuts.
3. Finalize the claying process by spraying the rims with the clay lubricant one more time, then wipe off any residual clay remnants left behind from your initial clay rubbing.

Once you have taken the time and care to clean and clay your rims, you can move onto the polishing procedure to start making your hard work and dedication translate into that mirrored-finish that you crave out of your chrome rims.

1. Evenly apply your choice of metal wheel polish on your rims that is designated as safe to use on chrome surfaces.
2. Take a polishing ball that is not wool and attach it to a electric drill and start sweeping over your rims gently with the polishing ball to integrate the metal polish into the rim uniformly starting off with a low speed initially then graduating to a higher speed setting as the polish dries and gets evenly distributed over the chrome rim.
3. Bring back your microfiber cloth to wipe down the rims softly down and complete the process.

The final step to bring out that glossy, mirror finish that you have been working so hard to ensure all this time is to top off your rim care with a much needed touch of wheel wax. This procedure fights to keep your chrome finish shielded from brake dust, dirt, and debris on your next outing with your cherished chrome rims. Simply apply your favorite wheel wax with an applicator pad and follow through with a sufficient buffing. The wheel wax is designed to dry clear so as to not tarnish the shine that you expect out of your chrome rims. The waxing process needs to be kept up weekly to provide your rims with the daily protection they need to resist grime and brake dust accumulation on the chrome surfaces of your rims. By staying dedicated to your wheel waxing you will save time down the road by noticeably making cleaning times shorter by having less grime to remove overall because of the wax’s grime repelling properties.