Will smooth hubcaps fit my 2000 Civic wheels?
 

I wanted to order a set of smooth hubcaps for my 2000 Civic DX, but I'm not sure if they'll work. The stock hubcaps are held on by the lugnuts, and the outside of them isn't clipped into the rim like normal hubcaps. I found a listing on eBay, but it says it probably won't work if your OEM caps are held on by lugnuts. So has anyone tried this? Anyone got smooth hubcaps or other caps to fit like normal ones where they pop into your rim on a Civic? Thanks in advance.

-Woody

caps
 

Woody,hi,I'm guessing that since you already have wheel covers,you have steel wheels. I have the MOON- style caps on my CRX.I have steel wheels and they are drilled and tapped in six places to hold the covers on.Rim-mounted balance weights were replaced with adhesive-backed stick-on weights so the caps fit flush.Sounds like the "beauty-ring" style,push-in-place covers won't work or your car would have used that type cover to begin with.But the "original" MOONs are still your option.

The answer is that it depends. Odds are, you can use them. You only can't use regular hubcaps if you have steel wheels that have no outer lip for them to clip on to.

If you can post a picture, we could give you a definite answer.

smwoodruff0908 -

I assume you are talking about the snap-in racing disks. If yes, then I think you are ok. If you have hubcaps, then you have steel wheels underneath. The snap-in racing disks are designed for steel wheels.

Here are some same-gen Civics from the Garage with wheel cover strategies :

Racing Disk - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com
Pizza Pan - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com

CarloSW2

The 2000+ Ford Taurus comes with hubcaps that bolt onto the wheels, and the snap on ones also fit on them.

The snap on ones hold into the outside edges of the wheel, and I think almost all steel wheels have the same type edges because of the way they are made. The lug nut hubcaps basically are just for style and because they usually stay on the wheel better, not because the snap on ones won't work.

Post a picture of your steel wheel, and a picture aiming at the inside edge of the steel wheel (like an angle with the camera near the lug nuts, facing the tire).

Think out of the box, moons will fit and stay in place on alloys and steel and you will not ever worry about loosing a wheel cover and you do not have to drill into the rim

Well to clear some things up, I'm planning on getting the full moons (either from Hubcap Mike's or eBay). The stock wheels are the steel ones. I'll take some pics tomorrow for you guys, since it's kind of dark out now ;) Also, I'd really like to not try to drill into my wheels just for hubcaps. Thanks again for the info guys, keep it coming if you've got more to add :D

I can get you a set of 14" full moon caps for 50.00 plus shipping, or if you can find a set of 15" we can trade. LMK what you think :)

PM sent Sean T. :D

I just saw the pic of your stickers on your civic, and you wheels look like they should hold regular hubcaps. When you take the hubcaps off, get a pic of the back of the hubcap too, please :)

Well here's more pictures than you probably ever cared to see of my rims, haha. I didn't know exactly how they'd come out, so I figured I'd take a bunch for you guys to get a better impression. I think the hubcaps should fit as there were 4 tabs on the back of the OEM hubcaps that look like regular hubcap tabs, but they really don't hold them on by themselves. The only part I'm worried about is the valvestem, since it takes up most of the room in the indent in the rim where I THINK the hubcaps would snap into. What do you guys think?

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n...c/P9051402.jpg

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n...c/P9051405.jpg

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n...P9051406-1.jpg

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n...P9051407-1.jpg

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n...c/P9051393.jpg

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n...c/P9051394.jpg

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n...c/P9051395.jpg

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n...c/P9051396.jpg

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n...c/P9051398.jpg

And just a couple showing off my amazing Duct-odynamics (that is a real word in case you were wondering:thumbup:) DuctTape Upper and Lower grille blocks, DT Fog Light hole covers, DT mirror removals, and now DT smooth rims :D

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n...c/P9051400.jpg

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n...c/P9051401.jpg

As far as I can tell, your wheels WILL take traditional snap-in hubcaps :D :D :D

Here are the basics:

A traditional snap-in hubcap has plastic tabs that recieve tension (pushing outwards) via a metal ring...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...s/P1010172.jpg

When you push the hubcap onto the wheel, the plastic tabs snap into place in this groove...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...s/P1010171.jpg

You will also notice that on snap-in hubcaps, there is an indent in the ring as well as in the hubcap to accomodate the Air filler nozzle thingy.

On older hubcaps, and most metal hubcaps (possibly the moon caps), they are still snap-in, and follow the basic idea but with a different method. All the little metal tabs snap into that groove, but they don't need a tension ring because they have enough tension on their own. This connection is much more stable than the plastic tabs with a metal ring, so if the moon hubcaps have this, they will probably NEVER fall of.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...s/P1010183.jpg

Older plastic hubcaps use the same method, with just a few metal tabs instead of metal tabs all the way around. Even these are better than the plastic tabs... I just about fell over when this hubcap finally popped off the wheel, I was pulling so hard!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...s/P1010182.jpg

And believe me, when it comes to hubcaps, I know what I'm talking about :D

Here's my "collection"...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...s/P1010184.jpg

I hope this helped :)

oh, and the metal ones also have slots for the air tube to fit into.

Thank you so much Sean T. that's exactly what I was looking for. Seems like you've got quite a collection there :D So do you still have those 14" moons available?

@Sean T:
The Moon discs have metal hooks similar to that trim ring, with a gap for the valve stem (though the valve stem is covered up, and the discs fit so tight they take a claw hammer to remove).

Yeah, same thing with a few of the metal hubcaps I have.... you absolutely CANNOT get them off with your hands. lol