Why are hubcaps? (II)?

Question

I think I was a bit too Zen for most of you the first time I posted the question.
It was indeed a full question, because:
1) 'why' is a query indicator - for what cause or reason,
2) 'are' to exist or live, and
3) 'hubcaps' is the subject.
So, if it has to elabourated on, 'why do people use hubcaps at all? They serve no useful function in that they don't make your car turn better, go faster or reduce your running costs. Not in any shape or form.
Someone is obviously making a mint out of them because you have to
a) buy them with your car, (no-one ever advertises free hubcaps with every car, do they?)
b) have to replace them, which happens at an alarming rate according to the sheer number of them at the roadsides.
So, wouldn't it be a good idea to specify 'no hubcaps' for a discount on your next motor? Then you could paint your hubs yellow, or with pretty clouds/rabbits/flowers, just as you please.
Save the planet - do without hubcaps!

Answer 1

Hmmm good question. But couldn't we paint the hubcaps too? and aren't they free, because they don't list them as an accessory. Like power steering or CD player. Just a thought.

Answer 2

The can serve a variety of purposes.

The least technological reason, but probably the prime reason from a manufacturer's point of view, is product differentiation. This is less common now when very few cars come without full-width wheel trims or alloy wheels, but in the 1980s it was very common for the base model of a car to have a tiny (approx 40mm) wheel-centre cover, the mid-range model to have a 150-200mm centre-cap that covered the nuts/bolts, and the top-line model to have a full-width wheel trim.
Today a variation on this practice still occurs, with different wheel trims and/or alloy wheel designs for different versions of a car.

There is also the issue of model-year updates. Pressed steel wheels don't change often, but wheel trims are easy to change as part of an update, to make the newer model look slightly different to the older model.

Aerodynamics can be an issue - a smooth full-width wheel trim will smooth the airflow over the wheel, improving the car's aerodynamic efficiency.

Damage limitation - you comment on the need to replace them, but if the wheel-trim takes the damage, and the wheel survives, then the car is safer, and the replacement cost lower.

Design - a pressed steel wheel looks smaller than an allow wheel of the same diameter, because of the design of the rim, and the method of attaching the rim to the centre disc. A full-width wheel trim has the same visual diameter as an alloy wheel.

Cleaning - a smooth wheel trim is easier to keep clean than a presses steel wheel with its crevice where the disc meets the rim. The corollary is that the trim prevents proper cleaning of the wheel beneath.

Answer 3

hubcaps make Ur wheels look nicer that's why people have them. U would get a discount on a car or insurance for that matter if U say no hubcaps, people also don't advertise the jack or the spare wheel either, but they usually come with the car

oh and the question should really have been "why do people have hubcaps on their car"

Answer 4

elaborate hubcaps of the fifty's and sixty's you know those that looked like wire wheels so heavy they were bolted to the wheel with locking bolt. That kept up until the 1980's auto design called for fuel economy full size spare tire went the way of the dinosaur the car jack was a one time use thing if you could get it to even work just once. I know an ugly black steel wheel is what you profess all people must have ugly hung on there cars is marxist! Dean Moon made Moon hub caps smooth brushed aluminum aerodynmac wheel covers. Functional right? I for one use aluminum wheels on all of my cars unsprung weight savings

Answer 5

Hub caps do in fact serve a purpose. They were originally designed to keep dust and dirt out of the hub. Now, they do not act in this way but still help to protect the rim and the brake mechanisms. Some are used to help with air flow to assist in the cooling of the brakes.
In the traditional sense, you are right, they are no longer made to protect the hubs but they do still have a function, if only for looks.

Answer 6

because nobody want to look at a cheap black steel rim. it isn't as good as a chrome rim or anything but it does make the car look better. how is hubcaps affecting the planet? shouldn't you be more worried about nuclear products or something like that instead of a hubcap you have on your car?

Answer 7

One good reason / purpose is to keep road dirt, mud etc. off the threads of the lug nuts so if and when a wheel has to be removed (to inspect brakes at inspection time or to repair or replace a damaged tire) the lug nuts can be removed without damaging the threads of the studs avoiding a great cost replacement or repair.

Answer 8

Hubcaps, or wheeltrims in the UK,, are designed specifically for those who dont want to shell out for a set of decent rims.
The poor mans alloy !!

Answer 9

The purpose of hub caps are to prevent the brake dust coming out of the wheels and gunging up the outer wheel bearings.

Answer 10

Actually, a correctly designed hubcap does have a very real purpose - it's there to keep dirt, water, and grime off the lug nuts, so they don't rust as quickly.