Hub Centric ring quality. Does it fit?

[Gene in NC]

Hub Centric ring quality. Does it fit? Wanted to give back for help from board.

Rings for Borbet 15 type H on '89 525. Bot wheels with ContiExtreme Continental 225-60R15 95V with about 7-8/32 tread. Wheels and tires looked good. Searching board suggested getting rings right before exposure to endless rebalancing game.

Went thru three sets of rings before smooth running.

TOPLINE PRODUCTS from local dealer/friend ($6 ea) were not even close. Speced. at 72.6 by 73.8 and flex/soft plastic. Loose fit in wheel and on hub. Plenty shaky even after careful remount. His brother, who runs the associated tire dealership, also friend, was at the sales counter and must have been salivating over the rounds of rebalancing potential.

Tried eBay. Tried fit of rings w/o mounting.

WHEELS AND CAPS ($14.98 set) aluminum had been sprayed with clear coat. Supplier claimed clear coat made rings "fit better". Needed a lot more clear coat, ha, ha. Slightly loose in wheel and not snug on hub.

BUY WHEELS TODAY ($11.99 set) polycarbonate fit "hand pressure" tight in wheel and snug on the hub. Installed in fronts only and ran smooth as silk.

Don't challenge claims by some that aluminum may be best, but the polys fit.

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

Had a similar experience. Bought some plastic rings that would just deform and gave me the shakes.

Bought a set of aluminum rings off E bay, but had to ship them to my sister-in-law, cause the seller want $20.00 to ship ‘em.

When I switched to the aluminum rings everything was fine.

[Jehu]

Had a similar experience. Bought some plastic rings that would just deform and gave me the shakes.

Bought a set of aluminum rings off E bay, but had to ship them to my sister-in-law, cause the seller want $20.00 to ship ‘em.

When I switched to the aluminum rings everything was fine.

How are your Hong Kong Foglamps doing? On one of mine the clip wire has been problematic. Since the bulb grounds to the metal surround of the ballast whenever that collar loses contact with it the CCM throws the Fog lamp message so I went to Home Depot or Lowe's and got a steel locking washer,one of those with a cut thru it which allows the connecting wire to slip thru and it acts as a shim between the collar and the clip so it doesn't lose contact with the metal..

[Tiger]

You mean Tirerack won't sell any rings to us?

[BMWCCA1]

You mean Tirerack won't sell any rings to us?

When Gene (again) cross-posted this to the E28 list I gave this answer:

I've only used the aluminum ones from Tire Rack and never had a problem. Part number was A670 and the last time I bought two sets they were $4/each. Don't know why you'd ever waste time trying anything else. If you've ever been to The Tire Rack, you'd know these people are serious about tires and wheels and do know their BMWs.