Can aftermarket rims cause wheel bearing failure?
 

I bought my 2007 RX-8 in 2010. I had snow tires mounted on stock rims and ordered a wheel and tire package for summer on line. I got TSW Snetterton wheels in the same size as stock. 2 years ago I needed a left rear wheel bearing. Didn't think much of it as I've had wheel bearings replaced on cars in the past. Then last year the right rear went. Had that repaired. Now, it seems to be making noise again.


Dealer thinks that because the aftermarket rims are offset they are causing more stress on the hubs and causing the wheel bearings to fail prematurely. I've asked 2 different mechanics about this and although they didn't seem sure they felt that the rims should not cause any issues with the bearings.


Has anyone else experienced this? I would appreciate any info.


Thanks in advance

I highly doubt it is the wheels but you never know. My car is 13 years old and has almost always had aftermarket wheels and/or spacers and I have never had an issue. My hubs have 150k or so on them now and I have never replaced a hub assembly in an RX-8 ever. It's a pretty rare failure. Unless you drive thru water a lot it should not be a common issue.

But, a buddy of mine was having issues with vibration and wobble even though his wheels were not bent and were balanced. Well, his Forgestar's were out of round. Apparently this is pretty common in certain aftermarket wheels.

Theoretically, yes. Realistically, no.

It looks like all TSW Snettertons in RX-8 friendly sizes have an offset of +40. That's so close to the OEM +50, it's hardly worth considering.