all evom tire installers, i wanted to know how important it is to clean off the rust that builds up between the hub and the rim? is it possible that having that rust could make wheel become loose and eventually fall off?

example:
hub


wheel:

 

i think you kind of answered your own question.

 

No, your tires won't fall off. You'd just start loosing air in your tires more frequently because the bead is not fully seating due to the rust.

Get that stuff clean prior to mounting thems rubber.

Hope that helps.

 

I think he ment on the Rotor and face not on the wheel/rim. this is all surface rust and doesnt mean anythink. if you want use some black paint or rust stablizer on the surface but will not effect you wheel or cause damage. every car i have owned always has some since these are iron product with no coating sitting outside in the elements.

 

we use antiseize on the hub.

cb

 

Keep the mating surfaces clean. If no part of the wheel actually touches those areas, it doesn't effect anything. Take some mid grade sandpaper and clean the wheels mating surface lightly and the rotor as well, add some anti-seize like CBRD mentioned to the wheel where it contacts the rotor. I also use the anti-seize on the wheel studs and I put a SMALL film on the tapered edge of the lug where it centers in the hole. Torque the wheels properly, drive around for about 50-200 miles and recheck the torque. Thats what I do.

 

thanks for all your help, at the tire shop that i work had never cleaned those parts, but about a few months ago they became very strict about cleaning with a wire brush (i just got a write up on sunday for not doing this for one of the hubs ), and their reason was because wheels could potentially fall off. The wire brush they provide us dont work on all cars, because the wire brush is too wide and wont fit between the stud and the hub area. Now that i think about it we usually wipe off any type of grease from the stud or hub. I need to pass this information on to my manager.

thanks for all the help guys, EvoM members are the best

 

Yeah if there is rust between the mating surface and you drove the car for a while, it would eventually wear the rust down into dust. This would leave a small gap and the wheel lug torque could be compromised. Not cleaning these surfaces can cause irregular tire wear and safety issues too. I just threw some new wheels on my car tonight and had to remove quite a bit of rust buildup around the hub ring. Some cars are hub-centric and some are lug-centric, meaning they use the hub in the middle of the hub to locate the wheel "on center" or the lug-centric setups use the taper on the lug nuts to center the wheel.

So if you aren't sureif it IS a hub-centric setup, it can't hurt to make sure the hub ring isn't built up with rust and the tapered surface on the wheel is rust free as well.