SARD Racing is a well-recognized name in the world of Toyota/Lexus racing and parts tuning, and rightfully so. SARD haslong been a participant in motor racing, and has been a Toyota backed team for over 3 decades. SARD Racing’s efforts and long-standing partnership with Toyota has allowed them to help each other in a number of ways, most notably in the development of the world’s first racing hybrid system.

The Toyota Hybrid Le Mans racing project has enjoyed a number of victories in the World Endurance Championship (WEC), with their first hybrid entry in 2012. At the time, the TS030 Hybrid was the first gasoline-hybrid racecar to compete in the WEC, yet this wasn’t Toyota’s first experimentation with hybrid racing technology. In 2006, SARD Racing was able to enter into the Tokachi 24-hour endurance race with a Lexus GS450h with Toyota’s support. The Lexus GS450h had a combined output of 341 bhp, the same as the standard roadgoing car, however the hybrid system was fitted with a capacitor as racing conditions require rapid recharging and discharging which the standard nickel-metal hydride battery would not be able to provide. The car able to finish the race in 17^th out of 33^rd place without any problems.

Image Source - Toyota

Following the success of the GS450h, SARD and Toyota used the precious data taken from the 2006 Tokachi race to develop a fully purpose-built racing hybrid system for the 2007 season. The racecar used for this race started out in life as a GT500 Specification MK4 Toyota Supra which was equipped with a naturally aspirated 480PS 4.5L V8, however the hybrid system added a 150kw motor/generator unit (MGU) across the rear axle and two 10kW in each front wheel, effectively making the car all-wheel drive. Although the power available to the front wheels was miniscule, its main advantage was being able to recover energy at more locations. Instead of a heavy hybrid battery like the one used in the GS450h, only the fast-acting capacitor was used for storing and supplying electrical power, allowing the Supra to weigh in at just 1,080 kg. 

Image source - Toyota

The hybrid Supra, dubbed the HV-R ran a trouble free 616 laps (1,944 miles) in the 24 hours, placing first place overall and 19 laps ahead of the second-place finisher. In addition, the hybrid system allowed for the Supra HV-R to achieve 10% better fuel economy over the GS450h while having more power; the 10kW MGUs on each wheel reduced the front brake wear by less than half of what was initially expected. The Supra HV-R became the first hybrid racecar to win a race and laid down the framework for Toyota’s future hybrid programs.

 

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Hub rings, along with the wheels they are coupled with are often subjects of “misleading information.” Although their function is simple and straightforward, there are many myths about them. Their function, the types of materials they are made from, and the story behind their creation has been subjected to a game of telephone which has lasted far too long. As a result, we feel that it is necessary to clear the air on this topic.

A hub ring, in its simplest form is a reducer bushing. When the wheel/tire is being mounted on the car, the hub ring helps non-hub centric wheels to be truer to the center of the hub by filling in any gaps. A common misconception is that there is constant stress being applied to the hub ring, which is in fact, false. As soon as the lug nuts/bolts are fitted and torqued down, all stresses on the hub ring are removed.

In the 1970s, a company named Western wheel was contracted in to make OEM wheels for GM’s Pontiac Firebird. General Motors asked for the wheels to be hubcentric with a tolerance of .400 for the mounting surface, an amount that is near impossible to see with the naked eye. Within a few months of the vehicle being available for sale, a handful of Firebirds were coming back to dealerships on flatbed trucks. Customers complained that they had gotten a flat tire and they were unable to remove the wheel off the hub; the culprit was galvanic corrosion.

                Galvanic corrosion is a phenomenon that occurs when two dissimilar metals (in this case, an aluminum alloy wheel and a steel wheel hub) come into contact whilst in the presence of an electrolyte. This can cause the location where these two metals meet to rust, making it very difficult to remove wheels if the corrosion is significant enough. In places where road salt is used, galvanic corrosion can happen very quickly with catastrophic results.

                In the early 80s, Chrysler partnered with the late Carroll Shelby to develop a limited-edition Dodge Dakota. Chrysler required the wheel hub to be created from a material that would be impervious to galvanic corrosion from aluminum wheels. Ron Pushea, a mechanical engineer and machinist specializing in vehicle componentry became involved in the Dakota project. Ron’s suggestion was to have the center bore of the wheel to be enlarged, with a sleeving to go over the wheel hub, acting as an O-ring to protect it from any corrosion. This polycarbonate sleeve became known as the hub ring.

Ron’s decision to use polycarbonate was an excellent one; polycarbonate exhibits high temperature and impact resistance, making it stronger than nylon/ABS plastic yet it is immune from Galvanic Corrosion compared to raw aluminum hub rings. In 1994, Ron developed a business called Prestige Wheel and continues to manufacture polycarbonate hub rings to this day.

From what has been presented above, we can deduce the benefits provided by polycarbonate hub rings when used in the correct applications. In the case where the wheels are nonhubcentric, it is always an option to use a hub ring when experiencing unwanted vibrations and to accurately center the wheel.  All hub rings available for sale on Footwork Autosport are manufactured using polycarbonate in the U.S.A.; we strive to bring you only the best parts available. WedsSport hubcentric center caps for the TC-105X have been anodized for resistance against galvanic corrosion.