imported_weiRtech

well, my 2002 SiR is in having the wheel bearing on the front passenger side replaced. the driver's side was replaced in december. both are covered under warrantee, but i was told that because i have bigger/wider rims it is probably the cause so if it happens again they won't replace it. the rims are 17"x7" with a 42 offset.

anyone else having this issue? i think this is a load of ****e.

imported_phuviano

Its not a load $hit. They are correct. It does put more wear on your wheel bearings. However, if you have the same problem happen again under warranty. Just put on some stock wheels and bring it in. So they can't blame it on the rims.

zeeman

iTrader: (1)

that is a load of crap. Man i ran 17" x 7" on my civic for over 2 years with no problems. And i know plenty of other people using 17's for years with no problems.
Next time you take the car in, put the stock wheels back on and tell them that you don't use the 17s anymore b/c they scared you into not using them.

zeeman

iTrader: (1)

haha....i love when you make a post, post it up, then see someone else has posted in the time its taken you to write your reponse....especially when it says the total opposite of what you're saying....lol.

imported_phuviano

Its not a load of crap. It does put more wear on you wheel bearings. However I do know a lot of people who have 17's for years and no problems. I myself have 17's and no problems as well. I'm not saying its puts a whole lot of more stress on your wheel bearings, but have bigger and wider rims does put a little more stress on wheel bearings.

zeeman

iTrader: (1)

i was more referring to the fact that honda said that they wouldn't replace the bearings again.
I can totally see having taller/wider wheels putting more stress on the bearings.

DumbasSi

I would think that a bigger heavier wheel that adds unsprung weight to the suspension would cause the suspension to wear out faster.

bbarbulo

iTrader: (2)

it's only a marginal increase in wear, so small that it's negligable. remember in the USA, they have the HFP (Honda Factory Perfomance) package with bigger rims and all, and all those parts are covered under warranty. Also, in 2004, the SiR recieved stock 17 inch wheels. in conclusion, you are gay. LOL j/k all in all, engineers will agree that increased rotating mass will slightly affect wheel bearing loads. HOWEVER, this load will not significantly shorten the life of the bearing. in my honest opinion, it has more to do with bearing installation over in the UK than anything else, all other factors being equal. HOWEVER, the BIGGEST factor of wheel bearing life is in driving style. I recently installed a 20th anniversary brake package on my friends 04 Jetta TDI. The parts for the brake upgrade came from a car with a CONFIRMED 40,000 kms on the odometer. both front wheel bearings had at least a solid millieter of play in them. in other words, they were completely destroyed. however, the car was heavily abused with reverse donuts, huge burnouts, attempts at drifting and so on.

ANYTIME a wheel bearing is locked into solid state (where the bearing fails to spin), any lateral load transferred to that bearing will shorten it's life. so a situation where you lock your brakes while turning would be the worst scenario for wheel bearing life. that's why ebrake slides kill rear bearings.

hope that sheds some light on things.

zeeman

iTrader: (1)

i nearly fell off my chair when i read that.

I don't think aaron beats on his civic like that, i mean, thats what his heavily modded crx is for.

bbarbulo

iTrader: (2)

if he doesn't beat it, then the only explanation is poor production methods in the UK. wheel bearings are VERY sensitive to loading from the axle nut. always torque your axle nuts according to FSM procedures. so if the wheel bearing wasn't properly loaded from the factory, it's life will be significantly reduced.

that's why I tend to shy away from cars built outside Japan. other countries do not have the same level of worker commitment, causing poor quality. that's why north american cars are crap (that, and poor design to begin with), and also that's why mexican and brasilian cars are crap too. Toyota and Honda keep a tight leash on their north american productions, but even so, their japanese-built cars are still superior to north american and UK ones.

imported_SilverSleeper

I look at it this way.

I have the 16" Version of those HFP Rims bbarbulo mentioned and they must weigh 17-18 lbs. The 17" would be bit more. Unless your rims are heavier (i.e. chromies) then their case is bunk.

imported_ERTW

if the offset is different, it could add to premature wear. different offset means the load point is slightly shifted, and the load vectors will be offset, causing pressure applied at a SLIGHTLY different angle than the designers anticipated.... think of it this way.. exaggerate the offset to 1000000 mm.. taking into account the finite, proportionally VERY thin area of the bearing, it will add a lot of load on the outer top edge of the bearing and destroy it in no time... a 2 or 3 mm probably won't matter at all though.

but it only works in theory, in practice is it probably so negligable, that it has virtually no effect. so in the end they are full of ****... they are just trying to get out of liability next time.

bbarbulo

iTrader: (2)

hahaha, yeah good point as well... like those 'lowrider' guys with their rims sticking out past the fender.... those are the guys who are killing bearings in addition to other things.