Top 5 Questions To Consider In Choosing Hubcaps

Top 5 Questions To Consider In Choosing Hubcaps

No matter what make or model you drive, whether you own a brand new or used vehicle your new or used Honda, Toyota, Ford, Chevy Impala or Nissan Sentra hubcaps will eventually get damaged, lost or stolen.  If you take a casual drive along some a stretches of highway in many states you will find the long lost hubcaps of motorists past.  For all you know one of those motorists is you right now.  Lots of people don’t have a clue they have even lost a wheel cover until they park the car and look at it.  If you need to replace your hubcaps here are a few questions you should consider:

Why Do I Need New Hubcaps?

The tires on your car take quite a beating and they bear the brunt of the grimiest conditions on the streets.  All types of dust, debris, mud and mess end up on your tires as you go about your travels.  Most hubcaps start out smooth, brilliant and untouched with a mirror-like shine but it’s only a matter of time before the dirt, grime and corrosive agents in the environment take a toll and significantly dull the look of your hubcaps.

Continuous wear and tear can cause your wheel covers to become severely scratched, dented, broken or all three.  Driving around with a broken hubcap is like living in a house with a smile with a missing tooth, everything still works, but it doesn’t look attractive.  In some cases your physical environment can cause you to lose a hubcap completely, leaving your vehicle looking unbalanced and unfinished. 

What Makes Hubcaps Fall Off?

Hubcaps can fall off in a number of ways the first being the enemy of all motorists – potholes.  These critters claim the lives of many car parts and cost drivers untold sums of money each year in damages. 

Another reason for your hubcap falling off could be incorrect installation on your part or on the part of technical persons who may have done the job in a rush.

Potholes are a hubcap’s worst enemy but there are other perils that make them come off unexpectedly like incorrect installation, broken retainer clips or struts and flexing steel wheels.

What Are The Benefits Of Chrome Hubcaps?

The best part about chrome hubcaps or wheel covers is that they are more resistant to corrosion.  The second-best thing is that they’re chrome!  The more chrome the better.

What Size Hubcap Should I Put On My Car?

This is perhaps the most important factor in choosing a hubcap.  Yes, size does matter.  Whether your car is homegrown or imported, there is only one way to get the measurement for your hubcap.   Just check the size on the side of your tire.  The exact size is at the end of a long code ending in the letter “R” and another number.   If you see, for example, the numbers 13, 14, 15 or 16 that tells you the size of your tire as well as your hubcaps.  For example, the code R14 means you should buy 14” hubcaps.

How Do I Clean My Hubcaps?

Your hubcap can become so tarnished and unattractive with all types of debris and contaminants that are thrown at it every day.  It’s suggested that you clean your hubcaps once a week.   Start by removing your hubcaps and hosing them down with a high pressure hose to get off the stuck on grime on both sides.  Try Meguiar’s All Wheel, Aluminum and Chrome wheel cleaners which are perfect for tougher jobs. 

 

How You Can Benefit From New Hubcaps

First of all, what is a hubcap anyway?  Hubcaps also known as wheel covers are the decorative metal or plastic disc that covers your wheel well and fits onto its rim.  They’re some of the coolest car accessories around and take a car from blah and ho-hum to spectacular instantly.  If you think your car looks too ordinary adding a set of hubcaps can give it a touch of personal flair that shows your identity.

Financial

For every driver that loves their car there is a serious desire to have your car always look its best and whether the car is new or was purchased as a used vehicle you want it to look better and better with age.  Your car is a source of pride but it also makes good financial sense to keep making upgrades to it. 

Keeping up the aesthetic value of your car maintains its market value.  In dollars and cents that means greater financial benefits for you if or when you decide to sell.  You would never pay full asking price for a vehicle with missing parts, so trust that nobody else will either.  That’s why it’s vital to keep all of your vehicle’s parts in excellent condition and that includes replacing any wheel covers that have been damaged, lost or stolen with a brand new set wherever possible.

Cars get banged up all the time and there’s nothing more heartbreaking for a driver than seeing scratches and random scuff marks on their precious hubcaps.  The pothole is your tire’s worst enemy and although some roads are famous for them it’s impossible to predict them because new ones pop up every day.  Sometimes you don’t even see them coming either as a result of poor visibility or the pothole was posing as a puddle.  The moment your car dips into a pothole chances are your hubcap will get damaged or will fly off completely and if you don’t realize it has come off you will end up having to replace it.

Fuel efficient

If you’re wondering whether you should invest in a set of rims for added style you might as well take hundreds of dollars out of your wallet right now and throw it into a dumpster.  And no, that’s no exaggeration because you can just as easily purchase hubcaps that look just like rims from an online retailer.  Not only are rims more costly than a new set of hubcaps but they add extra weight to your car, so you are eating a hole through your gas budget.  Increased weight means higher fuel consumption and additional stops at the gas pump and nobody wants that.  While you can get just as much wow-factor mileage out of new hubcaps there are some styles that offer reduced friction, enhancing the aerodynamics of your car.