BMW Shimmy with Replica and non-OEM Alloys Spacers and Hub-centric rings

Have you fitted Replica or any non-BMW Alloy to your car and are now getting vibrations and shimmy? This is part 2 of my series on the dreaded shimmy and today we look at problems caused by fitting Alloys that were never an option on your model - and these can cause endless problems with wheel wobble, shimmy, vibrations and imprecise steering.

The usual problems are due to incorrect offset (ET) and centre-bore. Most replica Alloys have an offset which can put the weight of the car fully on one bearing rather than being shared - and the over-size centre bore can stop the Alloy being centred (all BMW alloys are hub-centric rather than lug-centric) which will allow the wheel to run eccentrically. Where a replica alloy is used it is normal to fit either a hub-centric ring or a hub-centric spacer - both are discussed here and the effects of a hub-centric spacer on offset and the problems they can cause.

More info can be found on my website here:

https://www.meeknet.co.uk/e31/wheel/F...

https://www.meeknet.co.uk/e31/Timms_b...