You’d be forgiven for never having used the phrases ‘cable ties’ and ‘hub caps’ in the same sentence before but, if you have ever lost a hub cap while driving along or even had one stolen, this article may prove to be invaluable!
A set of shiny hub caps can be the finishing touch on any car but they can have a tendency to pop off, especially if you are unfortunate enough to hit a pothole! If you are lucky enough to have retrieved and replaced the hubcap, it’s likely to be scratched and dirty and no longer the finishing touch you want for your pride and joy. Even more frustrating than losing a hub cap through poor road conditions though, is to return to your vehicle to find some unscrupulous person has made off with one (or more) of them.
So how can the humble cable tie come to your rescue?
Taking a simple nylon 6/6 cable tie and threading it through the holes in the hub cap and wheel before fastening off will give a quick and easy solution to losing your hub caps and while it won’t stop someone intent on removing them, it will be sufficient deterrent to keep someone away from your wheels.
How to secure your hub caps with cable ties
Make sure that the holes in your hub cap are in line with the holes in your wheel and simply feed the pointed end of the tie through from the front. Grab the cable tie at the back of the wheel and thread it through the hole next to the one you have entered through. This way you will have the head and tail of the tie each coming from adjacent holes. Fasten the tie as tightly as possible and cut off the excess. A good tip here is to bend the tie into a U shape towards the pointed tail; this will make it easier to thread the cable tie through without having to put your arms round the back of the wheel.
How many cable ties should I use?
A single cable tie will secure the hub cap at one point only and will not prevent the hub cap from coming loose. With just one cable tie, the hub cap can still move and become damaged, or even cause damage. Two, placed at opposite points will be plenty to keep the hubcap secure but the choice is yours. A fluorescent cable tie round each spoke would certainly make a statement!
What size and colour cable tie should I use?
A cable tie 300mm in length will be long enough to thread through the wheel and hub cap. However, a longer length such as 370mm will make the threading through a lot easier. To secure the hubcap, a good mechanical strength is vital and a tie 4.8mm wide will provide the strength required. At cableties-online, our nylon 6/6 ties are available in over a dozen colours, including fluorescent shades of yellow, orange, pink, green and blue so you can be as conservative or as ‘out there’ as you dare. If you don’t want to draw attention to your wheels, our silver cable ties will blend perfectly with the hub caps.
Once your cable ties have been secured in place, slip a pair of side cutters or scissors into your wheel-changing kit so that you can remove the ties easily when changing the wheels. Remember to pop some spare cable ties in too so that you can replace them once any work has been done!
An alternative solution to the nylon 6/6 cable tie is the stainless steel cable tie. Manufactured from 316 stainless steel, these ties are resistant to corrosion through weathering and they are not easily cut off by thieves. Obviously that also means you won’t be able to remove them easily yourself if you need to change a tyre.
If you need any help choosing the cable ties you need to secure your hub caps, send us an email or call on 01623 706241 and our experienced staff will be happy to advise.
