fitting gm wheels to mazda

im new to the mazda scence and have been ready about putting Gm wheels on my truck and was wondering about the pros and cons of grinding the tabs off to make them fit. The local machine shop wants $175 a rims to mil out the center.

Pro is you can switch to any GM wheel or any wheel that size whenever you want. Really haven't heard of any cons. Other then screw on your lug nuts so you don't grind down your studs by accident. There are pics and threads from people that have done the job already just type your search in the search bar.

You've probably seen most of this already, the easiest way to go of course would be to grind the tabs. In my opinion I would say getting the wheels milled is the way to properly do it because the hub or tabs are designed to support the weight of your vehicle. The bolts are to merely hold it in place.

You could argue against that because most aftermarket wheels are designed so that the bolts hold the wheel in place and support the weight of the vehicle. Also many have done this on their daily vehicles and have had no problems. I would think that grinding your tabs would make it out of balance depending on how good you are but I've never driven a truck with the tabs removed.

I Really hate to argue with the boss around here (thanks for the great site BTW) But the statement that the hubs support the weight of the vehicle is 100% incorrect.

In fact you had it backwards, the pressure created by the lugs holds the wheels on.

There are MANY factory vehicles (mostly older) that use "lug centric" wheels (the hub never touches the wheel)

Read here:



It says - - "What is the purpose of centering rings? Are they required?

Some wheels are designed to fit multiple vehicle models and will use a centering ring system to reduce the bore size to match the hubs of different vehicles. These rings help to keep the wheel precisely centered on the vehicle hub as the lug hardware is torqued down. The clamping force of the lug hardware in the lug seats is what mechanically centers and secures the wheel in place on the hub"

Again, not trying to be a jackass at all, I just want people to have the correct info.

jus mill um did that with my esclade rims

I just ground down the tabs and have had zero problems with it. Have zero feeling of anything being unbalanced, after an alignment it drove perfectly straight with no problems, I check the torque on the lugs once a month (just a old habit I got into) and never found one lug loose. I never had a wheel milled and the idea kinda scared me NOT saying it's the wrong way just to me it seems like it.

My opinion, pick which method you feel more comfortable with and go with that. As long as ether method is done correctly you should have no issues.