How to Buy Hubcaps

Hubcap is a generic term used to describe a variety of car accessories such as wheel covers, wheel caps, center caps and wheelskins. Center caps and wheel caps only cover the lug nuts of a tire. Used interchangeably, wheel covers and hubcaps describe a metal or plastic covering for the tire hub.

Instructions

1. Find the size of your wheels before shopping for hubcaps. The wheel size is located on the tire. Look for a series of letters and numbers divided by a slash that end in a number from 12 to 17, the standard sizes for most tires. Write down the tire's size, and the make and model number of your vehicle, which is located in your owner's manual.

2. Decide if you want an Original Equipment Manufacturer hubcap or want to explore decorative wheel covers, hubcaps, center caps and wheel caps. Replace the hubcap with one that matches the other hubcaps on the car. Contact your car dealer or visit your local hubcap dealer to order an OEM replacement for the car.

3. Explore the numerous new and used hubcap styles available from aftermarket hubcap dealers. Hubcaps are available in metal and high grade plastics. Discover custom hubcaps that give your wheels flair. Find the variety of OEM hubcaps made for your specific make and model of car including hubcaps and center caps with your brand's logo. New and used model OEM hubcaps are available for car models from the 1940s through today.

4. Check out wheel covers made of plastic. Most wheel covers are interchangeable on different makes and models of vehicles as long as the wheel size is the same. Plastic wheel covers are decorative and generally less expensive than metal hubcaps.

5. Give your tires a luxury look with chrome hubcaps or wheelskins. Specify the make and model of vehicle when you place the order. Wheelskins are not interchangeable like some hubcaps or wheel covers. Install wheelskins over the rims of your tires to give your car an upscale look.

6. Visit a local aftermarket hubcap store to see the variety of hubcaps available on the market. Price your hubcaps locally and comparatively shop other local retailers.