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How do I Choose the Best Spinning Hubcaps?

Lori Kilchermann
Lori Kilchermann

Spinning hubcaps can be found on nearly every type of wheeled vehicle around the world. In order to choose the best spinning hubcaps for any application, there are a few areas of importance that must be investigated. On spinning hubcaps, only an individual center section actually spins. In order to purchase the best spinning hubcaps, you must make certain that the center spinning component is made of durable material and not an inexpensive molded plastic or tin stamping. It is also important to make sure that the spinning component is supported by a bearing. Inexpensive spinning hubcaps often use a small bolt to suspend the spinner off of the hubcap.

The best spinning hubcaps use a heavy spinner that is just slightly out of balance. This uneven distribution of weight causes the spinner to remain in motion when the vehicle comes to a stop. This gives the illusion of movement to the stopped vehicle. Other variations of the spinning hubcap use a very heavy center spinning component that is weighted heavily towards the bottom. This version allows the center to remain still as the vehicle is driven, giving the illusion of the wheels being stopped as the vehicle travels down the roadway.

Woman with hand on her hip
Woman with hand on her hip

The key to long-lasting and easily-spinning center sections is the use of a quality bearing on the spinning hubcaps. The typical bearing used on a spinning hubcap uses a light-weight oil for lubrication instead of grease. Grease has the tendency to become liquefied as it is heated and will often be slung out of the bearing and onto the wheel and tire. Grease also becomes gummed up and dirty, which hinders the center component's ability to spin freely. Light oil remains fluid and free even in dirty environments, allowing the hubcaps to spin easily in most cases.

Another critical factor to consider is the method in which the hubcaps attach to the vehicle's wheels. Inexpensive hubcaps will simply snap onto the wheels. This often leads to the loss of a hubcap as the momentum of the spinning center causes the hubcap to work loose from the wheel. High-quality spinning hubcaps often use a mechanical fastening component typically incorporated with the wheel's lug nuts to anchor the hubcaps to the wheels. With this type of attachment method, the spinning hubcaps remain attached to the wheels and are also theft-proof as most require a special tool to remove the hubcaps from the wheels.

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