I bought my Evo with 18" RO_JA rims on it years ago. I recently bought VIII OEM wheels with intent to put winter tires on them and use it when it snows. So it was suppose to snow last night, so I went to put on the OEM rims. It didn't sit flush to the hubs.



So I noticed this (Pay no attention to the tape measure. It was to show myself that the OEM rims are too small to fit over the hub. I'm talking about the ring around the hub) Is this a hub centric ring?:



It's stuck on pretty good. How do I remove it? Do I just get a flat head screw driver and hammer and pry it off? I also want to put the 18" wheels back on when it's dry out, so I'd like to change wheels fairly often. Is there hub centric rings that stay on the 18" wheel?

 

Yup looks like a hub centric ring to me. I'd def try to pry gently all around it with a flathead.

 

Thanks man!

So I'm guessing I'll have to put these on when I change back to aftermarket wheels. What a PITA!

 

It's really not that big of a deal.

Put a thin coat of anti-seize on both sides of the rings next time you install them. This will prevent them from sticking.

 

^ what he said.

 

Yup, it's a centering ring. Should come off easily with a flat head.

 

Thanks again guys! The weather here in Colorado turned out to be great, mid 60's to 70's, so I'll take change the wheels and take of the hub centric rings when needed. I'll also put anti-sieze on there when I put my 18's back on.

Neal, what's the deal with Tire Rack's Tire Road Hazard Program? Worth it? Also, after ordering tires do I take them to Discount Tire or recommended installer and their cool with installing them for their fee?

 

Broken down below. We tried a lot of different programs and this by far has been the easiest and quickest one to date. Nationwide coverage and no shipping a tire back to us.

If you're looking for a shop to install our tires I would surf the Tire Rack Recommended Installer List. I can guarantee any installer on that list will install our tires. If not on that list it's best to verify it's okay with them first.

Tire Rack Road Hazard

*Tires are covered for 36 months from the date of purchase or until 2/32" or less of tread remains, whichever occurs first.

*Repairs are reimbursed up to $25 per tire per occurrence.

*During the first 12 months, you will be reimbursed for 100% of the original cost of the tire covered by the Tire Road Hazard Service Program, subject to the limitations set forth in the Program Certificate. Beyond the first 12 months, the reimbursable amount is calculated by a proration of elapsed time, not to exceed 36 months.

*The following tires are not eligible for the Tire Road Hazard Service Program:

Competition tires
LT Metric sized tires
LT Flotation sized tires
Trailer tires

*The following vehicles are not eligible for the Tire Road Hazard Service Program:

Any emergency service vehicle.
Any vehicle used for hire, commercial, towing, construction or postal service.
Any vehicle used for farm, ranch, agriculture, or off-road use.

*Program is only available to customers living in the 48 contiguous States. Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. territories, APO/FPO, Canada and Mexico are excluded

 

careful with the rings, difficult to find a replacement sometimes or find the correct size if need ever my luck has been discount tire

 

Thanks Neal! I'll be checking prices later this winter. It seems like it's worth it to get the plan.

humbled8, did you get the metal ones or the plastic ones?

 

I would get the aluminium rings. The plastic ones have a tendency to warp themselves. They are easy to find but it depends on the wheel. The common size for the Evo hub to wheel is 67.1-73mm.

 

Update:

Got them off today, since it snowed a lot and I wanted to put on the snow tires to play. I had to torch the front rings, but the rear came off pretty easily.

Thanks for the help!

 

I would drill and tap a hole throught each one to make it easier to remove them. Run a bolt in the hole and the ring will pop off, much better than the screwdriver method.

 

Really? It was that hard to pull off? I'd use a hammer. Or rubber mallet and whack the daylights out of it. Should jolt the rust loose.

 

Yeah, real hard. I started with a small hammer, then the big hammer; nothing. Then I put a screwdriver and hammer; nothing. Torched it for about 15 seconds, came off easy.