I have 17x7 Konig Feathers w/ Yokahama Sdrives 195/45/17. When they were originally installed, everything felt pretty good, a little bumpier w/ a thin tire, but nothing abnormal. Now, 300-500 miles later it feels like I'm hitting a small pothole at just about any speed (5-65mph), every few rotations. Keep in mind that Baltimore has plent of pot holes, but I haven't nailed one to the point of worrying me, and I've visually inspected the rims and they seem fine.

Took it to a chain tire dealer tonight, because they were the only thing open around 7. They visually inspected the tires, but not on a lift, and said they seemed ok, but I was missing hubcentric rings, which could cause the problem.

I'm going to take it into my performance shop tomorrow to get the problem nailed down, and I have hubcentric rings in the mail (Discount Tire Direct forgot them ) but I just want some peace of mind tonight.

Do you guys think the lack of hubcentric rings would really affect it at such low speeds? If not what in God's green earth is it, bent rim? Thanks for the help!

 

I'd check the suspension for anything being loose, including the top strut bolt. Still can't quite understand what you are experiencing. A small pothole is definitely a harsh impact to feel your car produce when cruising on a smooth street. If the wheel lugs are tight and put on in the right order, I don't think the spacer is going to solve anything.

 

I guess small pothole is the best thing I can compare it to, but it's not truly that great of an impact. It's like I'm hitting a small imperfection in the road, but I don't see anything. Of course around here it's not like I have a lot of perfect roads to test it on.

 

I would say it's the lugnuts or something but you'd feel a vibration in the steering wheel and would be pretty obvious I think.

Does the bump come in the same interval no matter what speed you go at? If so, it's not the wheels/tires.

Maybe not used to lowered sussy (you're on springs and stock shocks)? I can feel small bumps (that I can't really see) and i'm on 65 series tires .
Really wish they made some decent shocks for the GE

 

Thanks, but I've been on Swifts for a while. The guy at the tire shop said his car was lowered 2" more than mine, and he could still feel what I was talking about. He said it felt like a deformed tire, which it didn't seem to be. It seems like the intervals slow as the car slows, but like I said since the roads here are so effed, it's hard to tell.

Also, the vibrations seem to travel through the steering wheel but are not only in the steering wheel.

 

Been thinking about this since you first mentioned it. If the Swift's were on for a while and there was no problem, but the problem started after the tire/wheel upgrade, maybe it's either the tires or the wheels??
If you still have your stock rims try swapping them with the new wheels and see if it still does the same thing.

Sounds like it could possibly be a bent rim, or slightly out of spec. Something similar happened to me once on my old Audi, where the rim was just a little out of spec and had to replace the rim. The mechanic put the wheel on the machine, and you could see the wobble as the wheel rotated. Maybe the wheel is bent, but I'm also wondering about the lack of hubcentric rings.

 

If that's true then more than likely it's your wheels or tires. Have them road-force tested or swap you wheels front to back and see if it goes away.

 

Wheel bearing perhaps? Putting the lower offset wheels on would stress them. An intermittent vibration could develop because of that, but in my experience, it is usually while turning and braking. I'd put the stockers on and see if the problem goes away, as mentioned above.

 

It's a hubcentric ring, not a spacer. They're two completely different things.

Lowkeymods, retorque all your lug nuts if you haven't already.

You said you got the new wheels put on 300-500 miles ago; if you installed them with brand new lug nuts, you're theoretically supposed to check and re-torque them right about now, if not earlier. It's also recommended that you re-torque them after a track event and/or just periodically if you like to drive hard. This - in my opinion - is especially important if you have lightweight lugnuts, like Rays Duralumin, for example.

Also, make sure you put on the hubcentric rings when they arrive, even if your vibration is already gone. It goes with the originally intended design of the Fit's hubs.

Please keep us updated, good luck.

 

check your lug nuts, also its possible you lost a wheel weight. A missing wheel weight would cause the wheel to be unbalanced, though I dont know if it would cause what your feeling.

 

we have the same setup 17x7 195/45... you also might want to check tire pressures. i have my fit put in storage during winter and difference in tire pressures can contribute to what you are feeling right now. I now have them all on 34psi.

 

I still call it a spacer, but I guess that's confusing. It fills up space.

 

you don't need hubcentric rings.

do you possibly have a screw in one of your tires?

 

it isn't a spacer, though. i can call a car a truck but that doesn't make it right.

 

just technicalities...

there are hubcentric spacers Hubcentric Adapter
and hubcentric rings Hubcentric Rings

rings are most common nowadays tho as most are already dealing with aftermarket wheels with desired widths and offsets

 

I should have called it a four sided toroidal shim.

Next time, I will not play around with words (serious business), even though I know what I'm talking about and so does the OP. God forbid someone uses google to figure it all out.

 

check this out... https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...ml#post1085410

 

Are your spokes cracked?

 

When someone says "spacer," it means "spacer" or "hubcentric spacer." Neither of which are hubcentric rings.

Spacers are for subtracting offset. Hubcentric rings are for centering the wheel on the hub.

 

So, lowkeymods: did you get the spacers in there yet?



edit: upon review, it really does seem like I'm being a dumbass. I thought better of typing "spacer" instead of "ring" but I thought it described the concept well enough. So, in lieu of being a troll, I will believe that people here really are standing up for the integrity of the info. Pretty ridiculous that I'd have to type this, but every once in a while...