Metric Hubs???

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Postby bg » Sat Jan 12, 2008 5:34 pm

Decided to experiment and see if I could do one myself today.(*I do *NOT* recommend this*)

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(4 on 4" hubs from SWW redrilled to 4x108mm, 14" Contour/Mystique wheels)

All in all, went much better than I expected to, need to pickup a 17/32" drill bit to finish the job.
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Postby brian_bp » Sun Jan 13, 2008 11:36 pm

I recently bought a Ford Focus (not for towing) and soon discovered that it uses the 4-on-108 mm pattern which is common for European Fords... and nothing else. The result is that the only wheels I could find to fit it (for an extra winter set) were more Focus alloys. I could only find a few of those available used in the my area; most wreckers didn't even have them.

I assume that Ford (and maybe no one else) used 4-on-4.25" traditionally, and it has survived as an equivalent metric specification in more recent high-offset applications.

bg, I have to ask... why would you choose to go to this oddball pattern? Compatibility with a Focus/Contour/Mystique tow vehicle, perhaps? And isn't the offset of that Contour/Mystique steel wheel wrong for the trailer hub?

The good news, I suppose, is that Focus wheels are available (if you can find them) in 14", 15", 16" and 17" sizes in alloy (each size larger in diameter is likely a little wider as well), plus at least 14" in steel. 215/40R17 teardrop tires, anyone?
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Postby bg » Mon Jan 14, 2008 12:05 am

Main reason I went with the oddball pattern is because I only want to carry one spare, and the tow vehicle being a Contour that will likely be replaced by a Focus.

The offset issue is something I haven't reached a conclusion on yet. I may need to run spacers to center the hub within the wheel, but I know several members are using high offset wheels with no trouble.

I got the 2 wheels cheap, and the hubs were inexpensive for the experiment.
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Postby brian_bp » Mon Jan 14, 2008 7:32 pm

Thanks, bg. Compatibility with the tug is great to have, and makes an otherwise oddball pattern sensible.

The offset is okay only if the bearings have lots more capacity than you need, since their capacity is effectively reduced by placing the load significantly off of the intended location. There may also be clearance problems, depending on the specific trailer. If both capacity and clearance are okay, then it would be handy to not need spacers.

If you do need thick spacers (ones with studs in them), then it would seem easier just to use adapters than to machine the hubs and still need spacers.
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Postby Muggnz » Tue Feb 05, 2008 5:20 am

These people
http://www.trojan.co.nz
sell blank hubs & lotsa other bit's 'n pieces.

Their parts catalogues have details info on what fits what.
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Postby bg » Sun Apr 27, 2008 4:19 pm

finally got around to drilling the second hub today and taking pictures.

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Is it worth it? I'm really not sure. It took about 20 minutes drilling each hub, stepping the drill bits (1/8",1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 17/32")

It'll be nice to not have to worry about an extra spare tire, but, had I ruined the hubs ($30) that'd have been most of buying a 'normal' spare tire.
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Postby Nitetimes » Sun Apr 27, 2008 10:45 pm

bg wrote:Image


Just a thought, but most people wait till after the tires are mounted to balance them. ;) ;)
Rich


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Postby bg » Sun Apr 27, 2008 10:54 pm

Yeah... I haven't knocked those off yet. been procrastinating a bit. Need a repaint as well.
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Adapting wheels to trailer hubs

Postby eamarquardt » Sun Apr 27, 2008 11:41 pm

Guy and I just fit his Toyota Camry wheels to std. Ford pattern hubs. The bolt pattern was the same but we needed to use Toyota lug nuts to attach the alloy wheels to the hubs. So we pressed out the original studs, drilled out the holes to 14mm and pressed in new studs that he purchased.

The biggest problem was boring out the alloy wheels so that they would fit over his new axles hubs. I couldn't fit them in my lathe so I put em on the mill. Dialed them in to within .001, and bored them out on the mill. Now they slip right over his new hubs and bolt right up.

The biggest problem I see (if you buy blank hubs and drill them out as required to fit your wheels) is having the bore in the wheel slip over the hub.

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Re: Adapting wheels to trailer hubs

Postby brian_bp » Mon Apr 28, 2008 5:08 pm

eamarquardt wrote:...The biggest problem I see (if you buy blank hubs and drill them out as required to fit your wheels) is having the bore in the wheel slip over the hub.

Cheers,

Gus

Until Gus mentioned this, I had not even noticed that the trailer hubs seem to fit the centre bore of the Ford wheels very nicely. I assume that's coincidence.

bg, is there a bit of clearance between the wheel's centre hole and hub, or is it a sliding fit by chance?
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Postby bg » Mon Apr 28, 2008 10:27 pm

I haven't put a caliper on it or anything... but it's a perfect fit

Pure luck. I'll measure it whenever I get a chance to.
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Postby bg » Tue Apr 29, 2008 11:05 pm

hub center measures 2.568"
wheel center bore measures 2.585"
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Postby brian_bp » Wed Apr 30, 2008 2:12 pm

Thanks, bg. :thumbsup:
That is quite the fortuitous coincidence in sizing... and it's lucky that the 0.017" clearance wasn't 0.017" of interference!

2.568" is 65.2272 mm, or about 5 mm larger than my Toyota's centre holes... I wouldn't be able to do this wheel trick with the Toyota wheels and those hubs, and I believe that my hubs are even bigger.
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