The Story Behind Honda Hubcaps
I don’t know if you remember the 80′s but I do. It was back there, between Boy George and Oliver north, during a time when imports were the exception that Honda motor company patented and developed the first hubcaps and wheel covers that were held in place by the lug nuts of the vehicle. It’s one of those “DUH” moments in history where a concept is so simple you wonder why it was ever any different. The oddity is that it took over 15 years for any other companies to copy the concept. You can patent a bolt design but you can’t patent the concept of the nut and bolt so there was nothing holding the other companies back from designing their own assemblies.
It has been said that there are few other companies that can match the quality of a Honda hubcap, even today. While it takes more than the old place and punch method the old hubcaps used to get them on, the small amount of added effort is a fair trade for knowing that your hubcaps aren’t going to go careening over a cliff as your driving along some day. There was one occasion that an observant cyclist saved themselves from a good deal of potential injury by managing to notice and avoid one of the rogue “click on” hubcaps on the shoulder in their path. It had been obscured by some short grasses but was substantial enough to have kicked up and caused some damage.
The design is amazingly simple for each Honda hubcap and wheel covers – these hubcaps use a chrome lug nut with a washer that snaps in place. The washer holds the hubcaps in place through lug holes in the center that surround the “H” Honda logo.
If you have a Honda there’s something to note – if your vehicle doesn’t have factory wheel covers and you want to add them at a later date then you need to be sure that the black washer is present on more than half of the lug nuts for each of the wheels on your car. Most Honda’s will have these washers in place but for some reason if yours are missing then you’ll need to purchase them separately from a Honda dealer. Without them, you won’t be able to keep Honda branded hubcaps on your vehicle.
If you decide to purchase hub caps or wheel covers you need to ensure that you are ordering a compatible wheel cover. Aside from lug pattern differences there are also lug span issues to contend with. In example, the Honda Accords’ wheel covers cannot be interchanged with the hub caps from the Honda Civic because the distance between the lugs for the Accord is 115mm and the bolt span for the Civic is 100mm. These two vehicles have their own unique covers that you must replace accordingly.
When questing for the perfect wheel covers you have to consider more than just the lug pattern and span. Although they don’t all change every year there are model year as well as model specific differences. Mostly this has to do with overall appearance and rim size. You will need to use a hub cap reference guide to be absolutely certain you are ordering the correct parts.
Also, don’t be afraid of aftermarket parts. If you can find replicas, they may not have the logo on them but they should work just as well. The hubcaps main functions are cosmetic and also protecting the inner wheel from dirt and debris. Although some people prefer authentic parts as a matter of taste, functionality is available for those that don’t require paying extra for the name.
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