> FAQ
> Difference in Terms: Hubcap, Wheel cover, Wheelskin |
What is the difference between terms Hubcap - Wheel cover - Wheelskin?
| Cars and trucks built before about 1935 came on wire spoke wheels with
small metal caps installed to seal the wheel hub on the axle. Those early "HUBcaps"
were smaller than 3" in diameter and made of heavy gauge plated steel
hammered onto the hub of the wheel. Their main function was to keep dirt out
of the spindle nut and wheel bearings.
Photos courtesy of
Hubcapcafe.com |
Pictured below is a 1929 Ford Model A Business Coup |
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In the mid ‘30s, hubcaps became more decorative than functional. The ‘dog dish’ style was born, chrome hemispheres 9 inches in diameter, covering the lug nuts and the center of the wheel. About the same time, wheel technology advanced and spoke wheels were replaced by wheels formed from stamped steel.
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Pictured below is a 1938 Buick Special Sedan |
In the ‘40s, Cadillac lead the pack in adding sparkling chrome by the acre: bumpers, grills, trim lines, window borders, hood ornaments, hood vents, headlights, running boards, etc. Increasing the size of the chrome hubcaps added reflective surface.
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Pictured below is a 1941 Cadillac Series 67 |
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By the ‘50s, hubcap diameters increased to the point they covered the entire steel wheel. Many of this period were flat chrome rounds looking like Frisbees, with little differentiation. This was the time the term ‘wheel cover’ became common. Over time, the terms ‘hubcaps’ and ‘wheel covers’ have become synonymous as the lightweight, full-diameter decorative coverings of standard steel wheels. |
Pictured below is a 1955 Ford Fairland Club Sedan |
| Photos courtesy of
Hubcapcafe.com
Visit that website to see more classic car pictures. |
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| One of the hallmarks of modern hubcaps is their interchangeability.
Nearly any hubcap of the correct size will fit any
Standard Steel Wheels
that will take a hubcap. This means that changing styles is very easy. We
are not limited to those styles designed by our particular auto
manufacturer.
"Wheelskin" is a relatively new term, since the late
1990s.
Styled Steel or Alloy Wheels
do not have the normal recess inside of the bead for standard hubcaps to mount
into. Most Wheelskins therefore use metal clips to grab the outer edge of the
rim or the wheel, the way a wheel weight does. Many of the newer Impostor Center
or Inside Clip models have clips that grab the wheel at the base of its spokes. |
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