mike678

I took my winter wheel/tire package off today and replaced the OEM wheels. This is my first experience with wheel bolts and centering rings and I need some advice.

The little plastic centering rings I got from tirerack were stuck to the wheel hub with rust. I had to use a screwdriver and pliers to get them off and they got pretty mangled (one broke completely). So my questions:

Do people just replace the centering rings each season, or should I have put some grease between the rings and hub when I put the winter wheels on?

I just used a wire brush to remove the rust from the hub and put the OEM wheels back on. Should I have used any grease on the hub?

Any other advice related to this process?

Thanks!

my2010audi

with this lux car , i suggest you let auto shop do it for you in the safe side

deutschmick

I'd give tirerack a call on this one.

We have one car that has a winter tire/wheel combo and have never had this problem yet.
They don't use salt on the roads here which probably helps.

CrownSeven

Like you mentioned, I typically put a little grease on the hub wherever the wheel will make contact to help the wheels come off come spring.

As for the centering rings, if they are mangled, replace them. See if you can get metal ones instead.

Nothing wrong with getting a little dirty and changing your own tires yourself - I haven't met a shop yet that I trust to do the job properly.

kleinbus

Yes replace it if you broke it.

So far on these last 20 years I have not broke rings and if you broke or got one mangled then I assume you used force and pryed from one side only?

Next time use steel brush to clean the hub and like others said, use a bit grease to lubricate the surface of neck (grease also slows down the rust build up) and tiny drop to bolts itself, grease is not needed on flat area where the mounting bolts are located. Season after when you take off, pry both sides and go around in sequence like you go with bolts.

If you pry from one spot only then you better buy bunch of ring to have those available for every season.

mike678

Thanks for all the responses.

HaveBullDogWillTravel

always torque lug nuts/bolts to correct spec!

mnice78

DUH, no way!
I do this with my bmw twice a year with winter / summer tires and this is one of the most straight forward maintenance things you can do. plus it's good practice if you ever need to change a flat tire. I can't speak for the Q5 as I have not taken delivery yet, but the center ring as insignificant as it looks is very important for the overall ride quality so definitely replace it. And I agree with the other posters, always torgue your bolts to spec. I suggest investing in a good torque wrench and breaker bar since you'll be doing this at least twice a year.

MCNIERNEYC

I have a floor jack and used the jack points from the manual that are designed for the included jack. It worked, but the undercoating on the weld seam appeared to have suffered some damage.

Is there a better place to use as a jack point when using a floor jack with a circular lift cup?

deutschmick

Use a hockey puck in your lift cup; cheap and works great.