Hub Verses Stud Piloted

[stev]

So, why is there two methods of attaching wheels? Is one method favored for drive axles and the other for steering? Will you ever find both types on one truck? Do aluminum wheels come in both flavors? Do steel? This is the most useful page i have found about it:

http://www.walkercoach.com/wheels.shtml

But it really does not provide much information about why you would want one over the other.

Thanx.

[rhasler]

So, why is there two methods of attaching wheels? Is one method favored for drive axles and the other for steering? Will you ever find both types on one truck? Do aluminum wheels come in both flavors? Do steel? This is the most useful page i have found about it:

http://www.walkercoach.com/wheels.shtml

But it really does not provide much information about why you would want one over the other.

Thanx.

Some new trucks are still spec'd with stud piloted wheels. I would assume this makes parts stocking, tooling, and the like more convenient for fleet owners with older vehicles.

[stev]

Some new trucks are still spec'd with stud piloted wheels. I would assume this makes parts stocking, tooling, and the like more convenient for fleet owners with older vehicles.

So, hub piloted wheels are the current "standard"?

[rhasler]

So, hub piloted wheels are the current "standard"?

Yes, hub piloted disc wheels (using M22 studs with flanged nuts) are standard.

[rhasler]

Here's a picture of what I'm talking about.

I think what you are refering to may be spoke wheels. I've always heard them called Dayton wheels, but I guess technically they are hub piloted. I don't know if they are still available on new trucks. If they are I would suspect that Mack only offers them on the drive axles, as Meritor manufactures the Mack FXL series front axles which has unitized hubs/wheel ends.

[RowdyRebel]

So, why is there two methods of attaching wheels? Is one method favored for drive axles and the other for steering? Will you ever find both types on one truck? Do aluminum wheels come in both flavors? Do steel? This is the most useful page i have found about it:

http://www.walkercoach.com/wheels.shtml

But it really does not provide much information about why you would want one over the other.

Thanx.

The only good thing I've found with the stud-piloted wheels is that if you have a problem with the outer tire, you can roll the inner tire up onto a 2x4 to lift the outer wheel off the ground, then you can remove it from the truck without having to find a jack. However, if the rim flange wears out (where the lug nut makes contact) on the inner rim, you will start breaking barrel nuts and the inside edge of the inside tire will wear out pretty quick. Not sure what happens if the rim flange wears out on the outer wheel yet...

Hub piloted wheels wouldn't have that problem, since the lug nut doesn't wedge itself against the rim flange to hold the tire in place...just clamps the pair of wheels to the hub.

The type of wheel the truck takes depends on the hub. You could have stud-piloted on one axle, hub piloted on another, and the old dayton's on another....or stud-piloted on one side, hub-piloted on the other. Not sure WHY you'd want to do that....but you could.

I've never driven a truck with the old dayton wheels....but sometimes I wish I did. Seems like they'd be easier to hose the mud & crap off the rims, where disc wheels (either stud or hub piloted) seem to always have a dish along the inside edge of the inner dual and the steer tire that just collects all the crap you run through off road...and getting the hose in there to clean 'em out is dern near impossible with the brake drums, axles, and everything else that is just seems to get in the way. Never made any sense to me why they wouldn't leave that filled in so water/mud/etc. would drain out or fling off instead of sticking around to throw the wheels out of balance.

[jaime87935]

This is just speculation - but - with stud piloted rims if you overtorque or undertorque the nuts the rims crack from bolt hole to bolt hole and the weight of the truck actually rests on the studs. With hug piloted rims the weight of the truck rests on the hub, even if you have stud failure on one or two studs it's safer. Personally I hate Daytons because of the additional work involved in mounting tires - you have to tighten the bolts while spinning the rim to true it. Also Dayton hub parts aren't always in very good shape and while you may be able to true the wheel you may not be able to get the correct torque and the rim spins on the hub - note the protrusions on the rim to keep the hub from spinning. All of these are safety issues with hub pilot being the safest. Tire busters aren't at the top of the heap at most shops

[Gambi80]

Can't for the life of me understand why someone would go out of their way to get dayton wheels on their truck. I don't think I've ever seen a set of daytons going down the road true-not wobbling like crazy....just imagine how that feels in the cab, especially on the steer axle.

[Rob]

Can't for the life of me understand why someone would go out of their way to get dayton wheels on their truck. I don't think I've ever seen a set of daytons going down the road true-not wobbling like crazy....just imagine how that feels in the cab, especially on the steer axle.

Typically it's up to the installer if they run true or not. When I put them on a simple deep well socket on the pavement next to the tire is used as a reference. Alternately tightening the nuts to center up the rim to hub mating while turning thr tire is really not that difficult. After the rim is square to the hub, the nuts are then evenly torqued to specification, by hand with a torque wrench. I've never had problems but have seem both trucks, and trailers wobble badly going down the road.

Rob

[David]

Can't for the life of me understand why someone would go out of their way to get dayton wheels on their truck. I don't think I've ever seen a set of daytons going down the road true-not wobbling like crazy....just imagine how that feels in the cab, especially on the steer axle.

Daytons are tougher. The center hole in a Budd wheel won't fit over the axle flange on anything greater than a 44k axle (unless you have the special military 24" wheels with 13.25" bolt pattern).