there are 2 versions of hub centric rings, aluminum and plastic.

anyone know the pros and cons of each?


aluminum:
pros?
cons?

plastic:
pros?
cons?
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I've only had the plastic/polymer type ones. They work just fine. Probably the only weak point I can think of is that they occasionally stick to the hub (tight fit, so it's kind of expected), and when you pry them off with a little screwdriver you have to be careful or you'll chip them. Not a huge deal, the actual barrel section of the ring is still intact to do its job.

Pat Olsen
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For the track I've used both, but I prefer the aluminum ones. I found that the plastic/polymer ones melt/distort under the high heat of track use.
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on the aluminum, do they make the contact points rust, either the wheel or the hub?
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i had alum. ones on my old car and they consistently rusted to the rotor/hub. now i use only plastic rings.
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i had alum. ones on my old car and they consistently rusted to the rotor/hub. now i use only plastic rings.


thats what i was hearing as well.
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If you apply the bronze hi-temp brake grease to the aluminum ones they usually will not stick.
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Well, I've never used the aluminum rings on wheels that saw daily driving. They were put on and off with the track wheels, and I never had a problem with them sticking.
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I run them on my DD wheels (aluminum rings) and no issues. I did load them up with anti seize though...
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I've run plastic on the track and no melting. Use the same for daily driving. The aluminum ones were double the price so I didn't get them.
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I've run both, no differences that I noticed between the two- besides the obvious composition of the rings :)
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I've run plastic on the track and no melting. Use the same for daily driving. The aluminum ones were double the price so I didn't get them.

i found this site. very affordable and they have the best selection of sizes.
plastic are 25.99 for 4, no matter the size.
aluminum are 36.99 for 4, no matter the size.

http://www.1010tires.com/hubrings.asp


and if you have an american tire near you. they sell plastic for 4 at 20.00.
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aluminum cannot rust, its not ferrous. it can corrode (oxidize), but the alum ones I have came with an anodized coating to prevent that. Ill see how they do at the track
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aluminum cannot rust, its not ferrous. it can corrode (oxidize), but the alum ones I have came with an anodized coating to prevent that. Ill see how they do at the track

I also thought aluminum would better because of those characteristics you mentioned above, but in a conversation a few months ago with Work Wheels USA about hub ring size, the rep specifically said to not use aluminum hub rings. Apparently, after extended periods they have found that these will actually fuse to the wheel despite anodized coatings. This is why they supply plastic or composite hub rings with their wheels. Again, these are not my own words this was from a Work Wheels rep over there.
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My aluminum rings have been on for about 6 months and I just got done rotating my tires last weekend. As a part of my rotation process I actually do check the rings and grease the rings and they looked as good as when I put them on the first time. But I wouldn't mind getting a set of composite rings.
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I also thought aluminum would better because of those characteristics you mentioned above, but in a conversation a few months ago with Work Wheels USA about hub ring size, the rep specifically said to not use aluminum hub rings. Apparently, after extended periods they have found that these will actually fuse to the wheel despite anodized coatings. This is why they supply plastic or composite hub rings with their wheels. Again, these are not my own words this was from a Work Wheels rep over there.

That sucks because my Work Emotions came from RavSpec with aluminum rings. Im sure regular removal for tire swapping ( I run different summer/winter sets), tire rotations, car work, etc with applying new grease on the rings should prevent problems
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anti-seize is your friend with aluminum rings. I used them on my enkei's before I even knew what they were and they ended up getting stuck to the wheels and I had to break them in half to get them out.

I put anti-seize in my wheels now with aluminum rings and they pop out extremely easily. never even knew they made plastic ones.
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I melted the center caps out of my rota wheels during an HPDE track day. I would say a delrin/ plastic hub ring would definitely melt during any racing above that of Autocross grade driving
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I melted the center caps out of my rota wheels during an HPDE track day. I would say a delrin/ plastic hub ring would definitely melt during any racing above that of Autocross grade driving

Did your Rota center caps actually melt and get stuck to the wheel so you could see that they actually melted? Or did they just fall out, assuming they melted?

The hub rings I received with my Work wheels do not appear to be typical ABS plastic. They are clearly a blend of materials and are slightly flexible, not brittle. Under direct flame they would definitely melt, but under dry heat or track conditions, I'm sure they would be just fine. Just my 2 cents...
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I've seen dozens and dozens of center caps come up missing at track days (falling out)- I don't run them anymore
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Did your Rota center caps actually melt and get stuck to the wheel so you could see that they actually melted? Or did they just fall out, assuming they melted?

The hub rings I received with my Work wheels do not appear to be typical ABS plastic. They are clearly a blend of materials and are slightly flexible, not brittle. Under direct flame they would definitely melt, but under dry heat or track conditions, I'm sure they would be just fine. Just my 2 cents...

the inner prongs that press against the wheel hub melted and the caps fell out of the wheels as I was driving out of the park. No more using those during races
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I have work emotion xt7s with the aluminum hub rings... no issues, however the hubs have rusted a bit over the winter so the fit is much tighter... I will need to pry them off and sand down the rust on the hub lips if I wish to continue using them.

getting the winter wheels back on may be an issue if the hub rings don't want to come off.
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I've never used the aluminum ones. The plastic did stick slightly to the hub in the front after a track session. Easy to get off with a small screwdriver.

For centre caps, our rules say they are not allowed unless they are attached with screws (my Enkei rims have them). Otherwise they just become debris on the track.
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I've had aluminum rings with my Racing Hart CP-035 wheels for more than three years, now. The rings have never seized or stuck to the hub. I didn't put anything on the rings and it's on my daily driver and occasional track car. I have aluminum rotor hats on the front and steel at the rear. No issues other than the anodizing color faded due to heat at the track.
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