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"Super Hub" or upgraded wheel hubs

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#1
I was at the track this weekend and broke my passenger front wheel hub. I got lucky because A) I caught it before the wheel came off and B) a friend had an old passenger front hub that he gave me so I could finish out my weekend.

He had that passenger hub because a year and a half ago he broke his driver's front hub and driveshaft.


A Chump/CHAMP team pitting nearby was running an old Focus SVT, and they asked if I had any "super hub" options. I told him no, but it occurs to me I haven't looked.

So, does anyone know of any upgraded hubs for our cars? I know NA/NB Miatas replace their wheel hubs regularly, but if I can just upgrade the part to something "unbreakable" I'd rather do that.

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JDG

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#2
How the heck did you break your hub? What wheels, tires, and suspension are you running? Have any photos to share?
 


OP
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Thread Starter #3
How the heck did you break your hub? What wheels, tires, and suspension are you running? Have any photos to share?
Three years of roughly monthly 2 day track events running RE-71Rs or R888Rs in 16x7, and RS-4s on 15x8. Two years on stock suspension, the last year on a set of MCS 2WR dampers.

Some curb hits, but I don't aim for them.

I'll get well-lit photos tonight of the broken hub.

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#4
Not aware of anything beefy out there but 3 years is really good for fwd hubs seeing race use. Id swap them out every two years as insurance and not sweat it.
 


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#5
Yeah your hubs had a good run! Usually in racing environment, they are considered a consumable item, much like brakes and tires. Maybe someone will make beefier hubs like it's available for miatas but seeing there's not near as much Fist as Miatas doing tracking, I wouldn't hold my hope too long.
 


OP
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Thread Starter #6
Yeah your hubs had a good run! Usually in racing environment, they are considered a consumable item, much like brakes and tires. Maybe someone will make beefier hubs like it's available for miatas but seeing there's not near as much Fist as Miatas doing tracking, I wouldn't hold my hope too long.
I knew they were treated as consumables to my friends driving Spec Miata, I just wish I had thought about it when I did wheel studs six months ago.

I agree that I'm probably not going to see an upgraded hub anytime soon. So I'll probably just add hub replacement to a yearly/18 month service.

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OP
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Thread Starter #7
Pictures of the broken hub. Not entirely sure why the first one is so dark, but these are just from my phone.

The hub didn't separate while on my car. It was probably only cracked, so we thought it was somehow bent. I realized I had a big problem when the brake rotor started hitting the fixed caliper. The hub cracked all the way through while it was being cleaned to take home, and fully broke into two pieces while in the back of my car driving home from the track. Despite the splines no longer being perfectly round, the axle came out cleanly.

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OP
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Thread Starter #10
Maybe we circuit guys don't jump our cars (on purpose), but I imagine anyone who does anything serious with a Fiesta should keep an eye on their hubs.

I feel like this thread should be renamed to "Check you Hubs" or we should start a new thread about all the parts to be regularly inspected and replaced. I definitely missed the hubs. Something like a "Regular Preventative Maintenance for High Performance Driving" thread?

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M-Sport fan

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#11
I am SURE that all of the gravel rally competitors change them out on a regular basis, since yes, they get the MOST 'air time', as well as the worst pounding that ANY motorsports events could exact on them (at least events in which a FiST/Fiesta could ever compete in). .
 


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#14
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OP
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Thread Starter #15
I noticed that a lot of the rally Fiestas over in Europe seem to have some sort of five stud hub- I wonder how hard those would be to source? I mean, if they are good enough for rally, I'd think they'd be fine for track use.

Edit- Team O'Neil seems to have done conversions: https://www.facebook.com/teamoneilrally/photos/a.270130898164/10152832617863165/?type=1&theater
Yeah, the Fiesta R2 and R5 kits convert to 5 lug hubs as a part of the upgraded axles and brakes. I was pointed at O.D.D. Racing as the closest shop to me (Texas) to buy rally parts from. I'm sure Team O'Neil will also sell you M-Sport parts.

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:edited for words:
 


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M-Sport fan

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Yeah, the Fiesta R2 and R5 kits convert to 5 lug hubs as a part of the upgraded axles and brakes. I was pointed at O.D.D. Racing as the closest shop to me (Texas) to buy rally parts from. I'm sure Team O'Neil will also sell you M-Sport parts.

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:edited for words:
Actually, (and SADLY) Team O'Neil is TOTALLY and COMPLETELY out of both the M-Sport parts bidness, as well as the rally prep business they previously operated out of their school's shop area.

O.D.D. as mentioned above, and maybe McKenna Motorsports are the only current M-Sports parts dealers in North America.

When I asked O.D.D. Racing about those actual R2, or R5 5 bolt hubs, they told me that they just use the Focus 5 bolt hubs, which I KNOW is NOT the bolt pattern that the R5, or the WRC class cars are using, and I very much doubt that the R2 cars are using a 5x108 either.

I am trying to find out WHAT is the actual 5 bolt pattern used on these cars, but it seems that NO ONE can tell me. [mad]

The other problem is that (most likely) even IF these M-Sport sourced hubs can bolt directly to our ST specific front uprights, and rear beam, I can almost guarantee you that the ABS will not be able to be hooked up to them in any way, shape, or form. [:(]
 


OP
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Thread Starter #17
Actually, (and SADLY) Team O'Neil is TOTALLY and COMPLETELY out of both the M-Sport parts bidness, as well as the rally prep business they previously operated out of their school's shop area.

[...]
Oh dang, that might explain why I didn't get Pascal the last time I emailed Team O'Neil. Which is a shame because Pascal was very helpful.


[...]

I am trying to find out WHAT is the actual 5 bolt pattern used on these cars, but it seems that NO ONE can tell me. [mad]

The other problem is that (most likely) even IF these M-Sport sourced hubs can bolt directly to our ST specific front uprights, and rear beam, I can almost guarantee you that the ABS will not be able to be hooked up to them in any way, shape, or form. [:(]
When you figure that out, let us know!

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M-Sport fan

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#18
Oh dang, that might explain why I didn't get Pascal the last time I emailed Team O'Neil. Which is a shame because Pascal was very helpful.
I may be mistaken, but I believe that Pascal is at Broken Motorsports in Union City, N.J. (201-442-0580) currently.
YES, he was THE MOST helpful being at Team O'Neil, (as concerns OUR rides, and rallying/mods) while still there. [wink] [thumb]
 


MagnetiseST

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#19
As far as the ABS part goes, I would assume that there is a hall effect pick up somewhere in the bearing assembly. There is no tone ring on the end of the axles, so we measure wheel speed off of something other than that.

The Focus hubs / axles don't have the same spline count, nor do they attach the same way as ours, to the hubs. So I am doubtful that they would press into our wheel bearings without issue. Then you would need custom axles anyway.

Someone just needs to grab our hubs and have them made out of billet aluminium. Problem solved :LOL:
 




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