> Installation
> Fitting to Non-Standard Wheels |
Fitting Hubcaps or Trim Rings to
(Not-Quite-Standard) Steel Wheels
Proper fit of Hubcaps or Trim Rings to Passenger vehicle
Standard Steel Wheels made since 1974 is easy. With very few
exceptions, all of our Universal Fit models will work. Steel wheels
manufactured prior to 1974 may or may not have been to the specifications
adopted as standard subsequent to 1974.
If you have Styled Steel or Alloy
Wheels, there may be
Wheelskins to fit your wheels. All alloy wheels are NOT standard.
Though lighter, alloy wheels are molded of thicker metal which therefore cannot
meet standard measurement specifications for steel wheels.
Many dual wheels since 1974 take
Trim Rings very well, though for full-wheel coverage they need
Dual Wheel Simulators.
Some steel wheels are "near standard" specification and might or
might not take a hubcap or trim ring. This page is meant to help
you to determine whether your wheels will take standard wheel treatments. The
pictures below show tangential views of the edges of hubcaps and trim rings,
with a ruler positioned to show how deep the mounting struts, legs, or clips
project into the recess around the bead of the wheel.
As the pictures show, if you place a straight edge across the rim of the steel
wheel, the mounting struts project 1.7 to 1.8 inch into the recess around the
bead of the tire, where the valve stem emerges. If the depth of the recess is
any less than this, the struts or clips will bottom out and the hubcap will not
be able to mount tightly to the rim, making it likely to fall off. Also note
that the curvature at the bottom of the recess may be "different" on some
wheels, such that it curves toward the wheel center more steeply, and this
factor may also make fitting problematic.
You may want to visit our Hubcaps
Installation Page or our
Standard Steel Wheels
page for other photos that will complete the "big Picture" of mounting. hubcaps
to standard wheels
| Hubcap with plastic mounting struts. needs 1.75" deep recess to mount  |
Hubcap with Metal Clips |
Stainless Steel or Chromed Steel Trim Ring, (1.75" depth), with 360 retention tabs, needs 1.5" deep recess to mount  |
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Other considerations: 2. Hubcap or trim ring measured diameter is generally 1.5 to 1.6 inch larger than the wheel size read off the tire. |
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The pictures below show how to measure the depth of the recess around the bead area of the steel wheel with a straight-edge and a ruler. Position a straight-edge so it touches the edge of the rim in two places and measure inward to the base of the valve stem. If the recess is 1-3/4 inch or deeper, standard hubcaps/wheel covers and trim rings will fit.
This white painted steel wheel was on a Ford Truck |
This unpainted steel wheel was on a 4x4 truck |
This plain black steel wheel was on a Volvo |
This alloy wheel was on a Chevy truck, the recess is only 1 inch, and no
standard hubcap will fit it. |
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