Hubcap

Last updated

A threaded brass hubcap on a cart wheel with artillery style hub Artillery style hub with brass hubcap.jpg
A threaded brass hubcap on a cart wheel with artillery style hub
Various automobile hubcaps Hubcaps (616854954).jpg
Various automobile hubcaps

A hubcap or hub cap is a decorative disk on an automobile wheel that covers at minimum the central portion of the wheel, called the hub. [1] An automobile hubcap is used to cover the wheel hub and the wheel fasteners to reduce the accumulation of dirt and moisture. It also has the function of decorating the car. [2]

Contents

A hubcap is technically a small cover over the center of the wheel, while a wheel cover is a decorative metal or plastic disk that snaps or bolts onto and covers the entire face of the wheel. [3]

Cars with stamped steel wheels often use a full-wheel cover that conceals the entire wheel. Cars with alloy wheels or styled steel wheels generally use smaller hubcaps, sometimes called center caps.

Alternatively, a wheel cover or spare tire cover can be an accessory that covers an external rear-mounted spare tire found on some automobiles.

History

Display of 1920s automobile hubcaps and a removal tool PensacolaAug081920sHubcaps.jpg
Display of 1920s automobile hubcaps and a removal tool

Hubcaps were first used on the Newton Reaction Carriage in 1680. [4] The first hubcaps were more commonly known as dust or grease caps. These caps are threaded onto the center hub on the wood, steel, or wire wheel. These were made from the beginning of car manufacturing to 1932. Pre-1915 hubcaps were all mostly made of brass that was nickel-plated. The 1920s hubcaps were mostly aluminum. Grease caps of the wire wheel brands such as Houk, Hayes, Frayer, Dayton, Buffalo, House, Phelps, Pasco, Rudge Whitworth, Budd, and Stewart are some of the hardest to find. When a customer went to buy the wire wheels, the make of the vehicle would be stamped in the center. During 1927 and 1928, the first snap-on center caps were being made on the wire wheels. After 1932, almost every car had a snap-on style center cap on the middle of their wire, steel, or wood wheels. Wire wheel center caps in the 1930s had a spring-loaded retention clip system that has been used on many hubcaps and center caps on every style of car and truck to the present day.[ citation needed ]

Steel wheels in the 1930s had retention clips mounted to the wheel that snapped into a lip in the back of the cap. Wood wheels were a special option. The caps on these had a large chrome base that mushroomed up to another smaller chrome base that would have the emblem on the face. The "stem" up to the second base was usually painted black to make it look as if the top base was floating. These caps were usually made of brass, steel, or aluminum. During the mid-1930s the first full wheel covers were introduced to fit over the entire wheel, except for a small portion of the rim closest to the rubber tire. [5]

Cord and Hudson were the early adopters.[ citation needed ] Cord made a plain chrome wheel cover that had a smooth top and holes in the side. The Hudson wheel cover was flat with a lip halfway to the middle and the center would say "Hudson", "Hudson Eight", or "Terraplane". This configuration differs from the "knock-off" spinners found on some racing cars and cars equipped with true wire wheels. While the knock-off spinner resembles an early hubcap, its threads also retain the wheel itself, in lieu of lug nuts.

When pressed steel wheels became common by the 1940s, these were often painted the same color as the car body. Hubcaps expanded in size to cover the lug nuts that were used to mount these steel wheels. They then serve to protect the lug nuts or wheel bolts from rust and corrosion that could make them hard to remove when it was necessary to change the wheel to repair a tire. [6]

An option on some cars was a chrome-plated trim ring that clipped onto the outer rim of the wheel, in addition to the center hubcap. The full wheel cover became popular that covered the entire wheel. These became increasingly decorative in style and were typically made from chrome-plated or stainless steel. [5] Basic automobiles came standard with simple, unadorned, and inexpensive hubcaps called "poverty caps" or "dog dish caps" due to their size and shape. [7] Various optional full wheel covers of various designs were optional or were standard equipment on higher trim models. Metal hubcaps also offer an audible warning should a wheel nut work its way off. [6] During the 1960s and 1970s, automakers also offered stainless steel spoke full wheel covers that simulated the look of traditional, and more costly, wire-spoke wheels. [4]

Specialty wheels of magnesium or aluminum alloy had come onto the market, and wheel covers were a cheap means of imitating their styling. Plastic wheel covers (known in the UK as wheel trims) appeared in the 1970s and became mainstream in the 1980s. The first domestic automobile to use a full plastic wheel cover was the Chevy Monza which featured a "wind blade" design and came in several colors.[ citation needed ]

The variety and number of hubcaps available as original equipment have increased. [8] Plastic has now largely replaced steel as the primary material for manufacturing hubcaps and trims, and where steel wheels are still used, the wheels are now generally painted black so the wheel is less visible through cutouts in the wheel trim. On modern automobiles, full-wheel hubcaps are most commonly seen on budget models and base trim levels, while upscale and performance-oriented models use alloy wheels. Even modern aluminum alloy wheels generally use small removable center caps, similar in size to the earliest hubcaps. The variety of wheel trims on any particular car has expanded significantly, for example, a 2003 BMW Z3 had 23 different wheel options. [8]

Characteristics and design

Often a hubcap will bear the trademark or symbol of the maker of the automobile or the maker of the hubcap. Early hubcaps were often chrome-plated, and many had decorative, non-functional spokes. Hubcaps were immortalized in the Art Deco styling near the top of one rung of setbacks (ornamental frieze) incorporates a band of hubcaps on the Chrysler Building in midtown Manhattan. [9] [10]

Part of the lore of hubcaps is that on bad roads they have a tendency of falling off due to hitting a bump. [11] Center caps, however, fall off less frequently than older full wheel covers, which were often quite heavy. In some parts of the U.S. and in Mexico there are automotive garages whose walls were decorated with various hubcaps that had fallen off in the vicinity; they were often for sale.

This problem persists even with different retention systems that have been engineered. [12] Hubcaps generally use either clip-on retention, where some type of spring steel clip (or plastic clip in the case of plastic hubcaps) engages a groove in the wheel, or bolt-on retention, where a threaded fastener retains the hubcap, or a plastic washer attached to the lugnut itself holds the hubcap on. Clip-on hubcaps tend to pop off suddenly when the wheel impacts a pothole or curbstone, while bolt-on hubcaps are more likely to vibrate loose over time, and tend to rattle and squeak.

To prevent the loss, owners attach plastic wheel trims to the wheel itself using an electrical zip tie, which are sold in silver color for this purpose. A kit consisting of spare zip ties, a pair of cutting pliers, and latex gloves allow a trim thus secured to be removed easily in the event of a tire puncture.

In the U.S., during the age of custom cars (the 1950s–early 1960s), decorating one's car with the wheel covers from another was common. Two very desirable wheel covers were those of the 1950 Cadillac [13] (called the "Sombrero") and that of the 1953 to 1955 Oldsmobile, which resembled a huge, three-tined spinner. Aftermarket suppliers included the "Mooneyes" brand (named after the firm's founder Dean Moon) hubcaps and wheel covers that were some of the first independently offered for hot rods and custom cars. [14]

Motorsport use

1980s BBS racing wheel shroud Porsche 956 962 (935%3F) tires and wheels (7526211220).jpg
1980s BBS racing wheel shroud

Another variant of the wheel cover, known also as wheel shrouds, rim blanking or turbofans, is associated with the German wheelmaking brand BBS since the 1970s. These are attached to the wheel first, then bolted on as if the driver or mechanic is bolting the wheel to his car in the manner of changing their wheel. Commonly made from aluminum, they are designed to distribute airflow to the brakes, thereby generating downforce depending on the shape. Thus, these wheel covers are functional rather than merely decorative. [15]

From 2006, to get around FIA technical regulations that all wheels must be made from an homogeneous metallic material, a carbon fiber variant found its way into Formula One when it was used by Scuderia Ferrari whom BBS supply its wheels to. At the Turkish Grand Prix, the rear shrouds were also adopted by Toyota and Toro Rosso and thus their use became widespread for all teams. Prior to being banned from the 1994 PPG Indy Car World Series, wheel shrouds were popular on superspeedways until Team Penske revealed that those covers could reduce drag by 2.5%. [16] [17]

Another type of wheel cover, the static wheel fairing, was introduced by BBS for Ferrari at the British Grand Prix to act as a brake cooling aid for front wheels while remaining stationary the wheel itself with one part being cut out at a 27° angle to enable hot air to escape and thus became adopted by every team. The wheel covers were banned from use in F1 from the 2010 season after incidents where they broke loose in races. To get around the ban, Ferrari used a detachable integral aero device made from the same magnesium material as the wheel itself, which consisted of double concentric rings of different diameters. As parts of cars now have to be homologated, its rivals were unable to copy this device. Its use became eliminated when the FIA revised the regulations for 2011 season to prohibit wheel materials in certain exclusion zones. [18]

Non-rotating hubcap

A non-rotating hubcap retains the same orientation even when a vehicle is in motion. An example is the Rolls-Royce whose hubcap centers are weighted and mounted to revolve independently of the wheel rotation, thus the RR logo can be read while the vehicle is in motion. [19]

This design also allows for messages or advertising to be placed on the hubcap and be read while the vehicle is moving. [20] Non-rotating hubcaps with advertisements may be found on race cars, taxis, commercial vehicles, industrial machinery, buses, and golf carts. [21] [22]

Nave plate on a 1940 Triumph Dolomite Triumph Dolomite drophead (1940) (9489766872).jpg
Nave plate on a 1940 Triumph Dolomite

A nave plate is a British name for a hubcap. [23] These chromed disks were decorative embellishments on British cars, such as those made by Triumph. [24]

These plates can also cover the entire wheel. Nave plates were used in the 1920s and 1930s to cover wire wheels (which are lighter and truer running than more conventional pressed steel wheels) to make them appear modern and streamlined as well as to make it easier to keep them clean.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Axle</span> Central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear

An axle or axletree is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to the vehicle, with the wheels rotating around the axle. In the former case, bearings or bushings are provided at the mounting points where the axle is supported. In the latter case, a bearing or bushing sits inside a central hole in the wheel to allow the wheel or gear to rotate around the axle. Sometimes, especially on bicycles, the latter type of axle is referred to as a spindle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bicycle wheel</span> Wheel designed for a bicycle

A bicycle wheel is a wheel, most commonly a wire wheel, designed for a bicycle. A pair is often called a wheelset, especially in the context of ready built "off the shelf" performance-oriented wheels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheel sizing</span> Measuring a wheel rim diameter to find the wheels size

The wheel size for a motor vehicle or similar wheel has a number of parameters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AMC Spirit</span> Compact car produced by American Motors Corporation

The AMC Spirit is a subcompact car sold by American Motors Corporation (AMC) from 1979 through 1983. Replacing the AMC Gremlin, the Spirit was available in two different body styles, both of which were two-door hatchbacks – but neither was marketed as such. Instead, AMC offered a restyled Gremlin either as a "Spirit Kammback" or "sedan", while an additional model with a more gently sloping rear was introduced as the Spirit liftback or "coupe". Due to budget constraints, the Spirit shared the Gremlin's platform – its floorpan, powertrains, and many other parts were carried over. AMC also offered a four-wheel drive cross-over version using the Spirit's bodywork, marketed from 1981 through 1983 model years as the AMC Eagle SX/4 and Eagle Kammback. Spirits were manufactured by AMC in both Wisconsin and Ontario, as well as under license by V.A.M. in Mexico where they retained the Gremlin name on the restyled models.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AMC Concord</span> Compact cars produced by American Motors Corporation

The AMC Concord is a compact car manufactured and marketed by the American Motors Corporation for model years 1978–1983. The Concord was essentially a revision of the AMC Hornet that was discontinued after 1977, but better equipped, quieter, and smoother-riding than the series it replaced. It was offered in four-door sedan, two-door coupé, three-door hatchback, and five-door station wagon configurations. The Concord was AMC's volume seller from the time it appeared until the introduction of the Renault Alliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Custom car</span> Passenger vehicle that has been substantially altered in its appearance

A custom car is a passenger vehicle that has been either substantially altered to improve its performance, often by altering or replacing the engine and transmission; made into a personal "styling" statement, using paintwork and aftermarket accessories to make the car look unlike any car as delivered from the factory; or some combination of both. A desire among some automotive enthusiasts in the United States is to push "styling and performance a step beyond the showroom floor - to truly craft an automobile of one's own." A custom car in British according to Collins English Dictionary is built to the buyer's own specifications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dodge Caliber</span> Motor vehicle

The Dodge Caliber is a compact hatchback manufactured and marketed by Chrysler's Dodge division from model years 2007 to 2012, replacing the Dodge Neon and Chrysler PT Cruiser.

The spinner on automobile wheels historically refers to knock-off hub nuts or center caps. They may be the actual, or intended to simulate, the design used on antique vehicles or vintage sports cars. A "spinner wheel" in contemporary usage is a type of hubcap or inner wheel ornament, that spins independently inside of a wheel itself when the vehicle is in motion and continues to spin once the vehicle has come to a stop.

DRAG-U-LA, along with the Munster Koach, was one of two cars on the television show The Munsters designed by prolific show car designer Tom Daniel while working for George Barris and Barris Kustom Industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rim (wheel)</span> Outer part of a wheel on which the tire is mounted

The rim is the "outer edge of a wheel, holding the tire". It makes up the outer circular design of the wheel on which the inside edge of the tire is mounted on vehicles such as automobiles. For example, on a bicycle wheel the rim is a large hoop attached to the outer ends of the spokes of the wheel that holds the tire and tube. In cross-section, the rim is deep in the center and shallow at the outer edges, thus forming a "U" shape that supports the bead of the tire casing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artillery wheel</span> Nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century style of gun carriage

The artillery wheel was a nineteenth-century and early-twentieth-century style of wagon, gun carriage, and automobile wheel. Rather than having its spokes mortised into a wooden nave (hub), it has them fitted together in a keystone fashion with miter joints, bolted into a two-piece metal nave. Its tyre is shrunk onto the rim in the usual way, but it may also be bolted on for security.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lug nut</span> Fastener, specifically a nut, used to secure a wheel on a vehicle

A lug nut or wheel nut is a fastener, specifically a nut, used to secure a wheel on a vehicle. Typically, lug nuts are found on automobiles, trucks (lorries), and other large vehicles using rubber tires.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wire wheel</span> Wheels whose rims connect to their hubs by wire spokes

Wire wheels, wire-spoked wheels, tension-spoked wheels, or "suspension" wheels are wheels whose rims connect to their hubs by wire spokes. Although these wires are considerably stiffer than a similar diameter wire rope, they function mechanically the same as tensioned flexible wires, keeping the rim true while supporting applied loads. The term suspension wheel should not be confused with vehicle suspension.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor</span> Police car variant of the Ford Crown Victoria, produced by the Ford Motor Company

The Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor is a four-door, body-on-frame sedan that was manufactured by Ford from 1992 to 2011. It is the police car version of the Ford Crown Victoria and was the first vehicle to use the Ford Police Interceptor name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alloy wheel</span> Wheel made from an alloy of aluminium or magnesium

In the automotive industry, alloy wheels are wheels that are made from an alloy of aluminium or magnesium. Alloys are mixtures of a metal and other elements. They generally provide greater strength over pure metals, which are usually much softer and more ductile. Alloys of aluminium or magnesium are typically lighter for the same strength, provide better heat conduction, and often produce improved cosmetic appearance over steel wheels. Although steel, the most common material used in wheel production, is an alloy of iron and carbon, the term "alloy wheel" is usually reserved for wheels made from nonferrous alloys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Thunderbird (eleventh generation)</span> Motor vehicle

The eleventh generation of the Ford Thunderbird is a two-seat convertible manufactured and marketed by Ford from 2001 to 2005 for model years 2002 through 2005. It followed a five-year hiatus of the Thunderbird after the 1997 discontinuation of its tenth generation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Center cap</span>

A center cap, or centercap is a decorative disk on an automobile wheel that covers a central portion of the wheel. Early center caps for automobiles were small and primarily served the purpose of keeping dirt away from the spindle nut and wheel bearings of vehicles. Center caps are often found on new cars to hide the lug nuts, and/or the bearing. Center caps are a type of hubcap, the other primary type being wheel covers. Some modern center caps are retained to the wheel using spring clips, while others are retained by the wheel lugs or other threaded fasteners.

The VAM Lerma is an automobile that was designed and manufactured by Vehiculos Automotores Mexicanos from 1981 to 1983. The Lerma shared parts with other vehicles by VAM's license partner American Motors (AMC) to reduce manufacturing costs. It was VAM's top-of-the-line flagship model after the discontinuation of the Classic (Matador) line in 1976. The VAM Lerma was unusual in offering a hatchback design focused at the top-end luxury market. The model was an indirect replacement of the VAM Classic and to some extent the VAM Pacer lines.

A centerlock wheel is a type of automobile wheel in which the wheel is fastened to the axle using a single, central nut, instead of the more common ring of 4 or 5 lug nuts or bolts.

References

  1. ↑ "Definition of Hub". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  2. ↑ History News. American Association for State and Local History. 1976. p. 222. Retrieved 25 April 2023– via Google Books.
  3. ↑ St. Clair, Prentice (April 2013). "IDA Certification – Study Guide: Wheels and Tires". Auto Laundry News. Archived from the original on 15 January 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  4. 1 2 Browne, Ray B.; Browne, Pat (2001). The guide to United States popular culture. Bowling Green State University Popular Press. p. 416. ISBN   9780879728212 . Retrieved 25 April 2023– via Google Books.
  5. 1 2 "Understanding the Purpose of Hubcaps". wheelcovers.com. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  6. 1 2 Magliozzi, Tom; Magliozzi, Ray (1 January 2010). "Ever wonder do hubcaps serve any purpose". Car Talk. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  7. ↑ Breitenstein, Jeff (2004). The ultimate hot rod dictionary: a-bombs to zoomies. Motorbooks International. pp. 64 and 158. ISBN   9780760318232 . Retrieved 25 April 2023– via Google Books.
  8. 1 2 Abbott, Jim (14 September 2020). "For 35 years, Hub Cap House has keep wheels turning in Daytona Beach". Daytona Beach News-Journal. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  9. ↑ Horsley, Carter B. "The Midtown Book". The City Review. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  10. ↑ "The Chrysler Building, 1926–1930". Picturing America - Artwork, Essays, and Activities (PDF). National Endowment for the Humanities. 2008. p. 68. ISBN   9780615207933. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 January 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  11. ↑ Schmidt, John R. (2014). On This Day in Chicago History. The History Press. p. 31. ISBN   9781626192539.
  12. ↑ "Hubcaps 101". Hubcaphaven.com. Archived from the original on 10 March 2008. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  13. ↑ "The History of Hubcaps and Wheel Covers - American Wheelcovers". Hubcapmike.com. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  14. ↑ Fetherston, David (1995). Moon equipped. Featherston Publishers. ISBN   9780964617506.
  15. ↑ Productions, Petrolicious (7 July 2016). "This Is How Turbofan Wheels Evolved From Racing To The Street". Petrolicious. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  16. ↑ "Race Engine Technology: Formula One Technology". motorsportads.com. Archived from the original on 17 June 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  17. ↑ Collins, Sam (9 June 2013). "Wind Cheaters - 11 ways F1 teams increase top speed (Updated)". Racecar Engineering. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  18. ↑ "Wheel shrouds and Static wheel fairing". formula1-dictionary.net. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  19. ↑ Simanaitis, Dennis (29 May 2003). "2004 Rolls-Royce Phantom - Not your (affluent) father's BMW". Road and Track. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  20. ↑ Zipern, Andrew (14 May 2001). "MediaTalk; In Los Angeles, the Hubcap as Billboard". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  21. ↑ "Non-Rotating Hubcap". farmshow.com. 1992. p. 17. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  22. ↑ Nudd, Tim (12 January 2006). "Are hub-cap ads the wheel deal?". Adweek. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  23. ↑ "Nave plate definition and meaning". HarperCollins Publishers. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  24. ↑ Piggott, Bill. Collector's Originality Guide Triumph TR2 TR3 TR4 TR5 TR6 TR7 TR8. MotorBooks International. pp. 116–117. ISBN   9781616730321 . Retrieved 28 November 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.