Fitting Hubcaps or Trim Rings to Steel Wheels

Or: How to tell if your (Not-Quite-Standard) wheel may fit

Proper fit of Hubcaps or Trim Rings to modern Standard Steel Wheels is easy.

With very rare 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.

All alloy wheels are NOT standard and will NOT take standard Hubcaps or Trim Rings.

Though lighter, alloy wheels are molded of thicker metal which therefore cannot meet standard measurement specifications for steel wheels.  If you have Styled Steel or Alloy Wheels, there may be Wheelskins to fit your wheels.

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.

First Let's see whether your wheels will take hubcaps, or are they one of the rare ODD ones.

There is some variation in the cross-section of different steel wheels. Probably over 99% of steel wheels are "standard" enough that they will take any of our universal-fit hubcaps. In rare instances, less than 10 per year out of the many thousands of hubcaps we sell, customers report that their wheels will not take our universal fit hubcaps.

This picture show how to place a straight edge across the wheel from edge to edge. It should not rest on tire rubber at either end, it should rest on the outer lip of the wheel, where the yellow arrow points on the right side. There should be no contact with the straight edge by either the lug nuts nor the raised ring around the lug nuts, marked with the red arrows. If your wheels have these parts projecting past this line, then you should measure how far past and call us.
This picture shows a wheels where the raised ring around the lug nuts extends past the line across the edge of the wheel, holding the straight edge away at the ends. Accurately Measure this distance indicated by the red mark and call us.
Most standard universal-fit Hubcaps will work on Truck, Trailer or Van wheels with protruding hubs if the hub DOES NOT PASS a straight-line across the edge of the steel wheel.  [Not across the tire!] The picture at left shows a VW Van hub projecting more than 1/2 inch past the line, so most hubcaps will not work for this wheel.      Another way to measure this is with a piece of string held tight across either edge of the wheel.   If the hub projects past this line, measure how much and call us, we may be able to determine which hubcap might work.

Now Let's talk about how hubcaps fit into the recess around the bead area of the wheel.

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 needs 1.75" deep recess to mount
Stainless Steel or Chromed Steel Trim Ring, (1.75" depth), with 360 retention tabs, needs 1.5" deep recess to mount	Chrome ABS Plastic Trim Ring (1.75" depth), with metal mounting clips needs 1.75" deep recess to mount
Other considerations: 1. Note that this pictured method of measurement does not give the 'official' depth of trim rings. We show this here so you can compare your wheel depth taken from a straight-edge across the edge of the rim. The 'official' trim ring depth would be these pictured measurements PLUS the thickness of the trim ring lip. 2. Hubcap or trim ring measured diameter is generally 1.4 inch larger than the wheel size read off the tire.

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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Hubcaps fit Standard Steel Wheels while Wheelskins fit Styled Steel or Alloy Wheels
Please verify your rim size and type (Standard or Styled) before you order.

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Updated 7/13/2010