May sound weird but I have one factory hubcap on my 56 Lincoln Premiere that rotates on the wheel as I drive. The passenger front stock wheel. I install the hubcap and within about 30 miles it has rotated clockwise and is pulling the valve stem out of place. Anyone else ever have this happen? It fits snug as it should, and has clips that engage the wheel all around the perimeter of the wheel. Any advice as to a fix would be most appreciated!
Back 35 years ago on big trucks with Dayton rims that bolted to the cast spoke/spider centers, those would sometime have the rim rotate on the spider, and shear the valve stems off of the tubes. Common practice was to weld a strip of steel so the rim could only rotate just so far. I suppose it would work on a car rim edge, if placed between the groups of teeth, if it has spaces in between each group?
That is normal, I believe that is what is called a spinner cap. I think there is an alliance member with hands on knowledge of such things.
Thank you all for your insightful replies. Lol! This is actually the 3rd car I've had with this issue on one wheel or another. 65 Continental, 72 Eldorado, and now this one. I have to believe this is not the norm but all 3 are/were full wheel covers as opposed to dog dish hubcaps. Just seems odd that they do this as the wheel can't deform much and the hubcap is attached all around the perimeter. It takes a rubber mallet to mount it and I don't understand how it can move, but it does. It's not like I'm jumping it over bridges or anything.
If rim is same as the other three; Lock tab need more bit in to rim, also look at rim and you should see scratchs were the tabs are slipping,after adding bit to tabs,give them something to bit on by prick punching were scratchs are.
You hit the nail on the head! I went thru this with a 55 Merc, had a moon disc let loose from a back wheel at about 70 mph, tore the skirt off and skinned the hell out of it. finally got them to stay on with 2 or 3 wraps of electical tape. When I run 56 starfire spinners on the front of the Merc I was so afraid of throwing one i took them off til I got where I was going.
I was told by someone at an area car show to put 4 small dabs of clear silicon on the wheel and press the hub cap into it whipping off the excess. The silicon would act like glue and prevent the cap from rotating. I haven't tried it.
Sometimes all it takes is a fresh coat of paint on the offending wheel. Never tried that silicone trick but, sounds like it could work.
I had to sharpen up the little gripper teeth on a pair of Cadillac Sombrero caps to get them to stick tight, used an angle grinder and just put a point on them, they were worn a bit flat, then bent them out so they'd bite harder. The car had proper bias tires on it, that wasn't the issue.
Ha! Who'da thought centrifugal force could have instilled its own inertia to let heavy (and light!) caps to rotate within their redesignated confines??? Well...they do. Imagine, if you will...accelerating to a speed and your caps rotating at 1,400 RPM. A 'gyroscopic precession' is established, as the cap has directional inertia in its memory...Suddenly, braking is introduced, and the hub cap no longer has 'comfortable footing'...it begins to slip...the wheel has slowed, more than the cap will yield to, because of its established centrifugal force. Consequently, it keeps on its 'path', which was an established 'spin'. Only the valve stem can hold it...AAHH! Psssss.....there goes the air... That's why they SCREW ON the real Moon discs. Put a saucer on a plate and spin it...then grab the plate. Takes a 'respectable force' to stop it... Like a heavy flywheel. Ever see one 'get away'? It can getcha.
Exactly. Some radial tires will be worse than others. Bought several old cars with original bias plys, when they were changed out to radials PLING! Off came the covers, sometimes every few blocks. Here's a good solution Weee doneed no steenking hawheel cobers
Another possibility ,look at the centers where the hub sticks out. All of mine show the center of the cover has been pushed in enough to rub. I think that effectively makes the teeth ride a smaller diameter. My own caps stayed on 3 but the 4th would come off enough times that I gave up and put on mags. That 5 on 51/2 pattern is hard to find old style wheels for. I tried to order wires . no one that I called was going to make any for 6 months or more. Good luck
This is the best answer by far. How radial tire's and wheel flex can turn a hub cap rather than pitch it off is well defined here Atwater Mike. You my friend are my kind of genius.
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