This is nothing new. German cars have used lug bolts for 75 years. Chrysler and other manufactures hold the wheel cover on with the lugs for at least 20 years. The difference with these wheel covers (not hub cap) is that two holes have clips to hold the wheel cover in place. That is for assembly line purposes, the plastic becomes hard after a few years from brake heat and the clips will break if you try to slap the wheel cover on.
That wheel cover holding technique has been in use since 2001 or earlier (Grand Caravan).
Next time place the wheel cover in the trunk and let someone else handle it.
I can tell you that this is not really a new thing for US-made cars, as my father’s '59 Plymouth used this awful method of wheel attachment. I’m not sure when Chrysler adopted this accursed idea, but I do know that it was gone by '63, as our '63 Plymouth used conventional studs & nuts.
Every time that we changed a tire on that '59 Plymouth, we cursed the engineers who decided on that system, rather than studs & nuts.
A neighbors mother had a flat, and after watching him futz for a while, I went out to see whats up. I forget the car, but had to get out the manual to figure out how to get the tire off, similar bolt on hubcap kind of deal, but it did have studs.
Last flat about 25 years ago, of course a Sat. afternoon on a 500 mile road trip returning from vacation.
Broke a stud, called roadside service, Service guy broke another stud, so we got towed 20 miles to a service station that worked on Sundays. Then had to sneak 2 dogs and 2 cats into the only hotel nearby, it was a no pet hotel.
Have to look at the new car and get prepared for a flat, no spare just the pump thing. If flat fix won’t work, plan on a tow is where I am at on that one.
The problem extends to late model Dodge’s with lug nuts too. When the chrome cover on the lug nut gets loose…the proper socket will no longer work. You have to drive on a different size socket to hold the cover tight enough to get the lug nuts off. What’s so hard about putting actual chrome on the lug nut to begin with? This may be a problem with other brands as well but my experience has only been with Dodge vehicles in the last 10 years.
I have the same complaint @missileman, I would think that it’s more expensive to produce the lug nut, that flimsy cap and have it chromed, then join the two…then it would be to just chrome the lug nut in the first place and be done with it. I had a 97 Dakota with them, so it’s been well over 10 years.
I think they come lose more from someone using a one size too large socket or a SAE vs Metric socket. THen the loose socket breaks the bond on that cheap cap twisting it.
I bought all new solid lug nuts for my 02 Dakota when I lost the first cap and was told by Advanced that they were stainless…they lied…they are all rusted.
Nevada, I find your last comment insulting, implying a lack of ability.
And, by the way, a “wheel cover” IS a “hubcap”. And visa-versa. Get down off your high horse.
To everyone else here, great discussion. It’s good to know I’m not the only one who thinks this is a dumb design.
I do know that it was gone by '63, as our '63 Plymouth used conventional studs & nuts.
Rock Auto lists left-hand thread lug nuts up to '70 Dodge and Plymouth. My Dad’s '63 Polara had LHT. One could easily replace them with RHT studs and nuts.
Edit: Oops, thought you were referring to the LHT Chrysler used on the left side. Never mind.
My Merkur and my old Mercury both have lugs with chrome covers on them. The covers work loose and often fall off which then means a 4-way lug wrench won’t have a hex that will fit them.
I finally ditched all of the lugs along with their worthless covers and installed one piece lugs.
Seems like a whole lot of money is going onto designing ridiculous systems for holding the wheels and/or hubcaps on cars. Some of these systems seem like they’d be more expensive to provide than just a simply alloy wheel and basic lug nuts (or bolts for those European-car fans).
Personally, I prefer steel wheels as I find them less problematic and they hold a balance better.
They don’t fit modern styling very well and the gleam of those alloys can certainly put a gleam in a potential buyer’s eyes. Form over function…
Low grade stainless will rust, I don’t know how they can get away with calling it stainless, but they do. Read online reviews of cheap “stainless” cutlery.
I believe Dodge will never stop suprising people,at one time they had the most durable engines around and engineers second to none. @Oldtimer,when you buy pipe clamps to put in the ground,make sure the clamp is all stainless,those ones with the carbon steel screw,wont last 6 months in the ground(I have a heck of a time convincing people of this)
I have a dumb question. Given that rust protection coatings and paint on cars have limitations, would it be effective to have a sacrificial cathodic anode attached to the car in such a way it protects the entire frame and body and is replacable as needed? Would that be practical? Would it work? Would it require too large and heavy an anode? Better yet, why not coat all the metal with zinc before applying paint?
I think that only works for items submerged in water. And then not even completely.
As for me, I think any rust prevention measures are a big waste of time and money. I wouldn’t pay a dime for any sort of anti-rust coating or construction on a car. Rust just does not happen. The only things that rust are trailers that launch boats into salt water, and then only if they’re not washed after each use.
I would imagine that many people who live in areas like I do would feel the same way. Yet I’m sure that those living in the rust belt would jump at the chance for any improvement in rust prevention. It must be hard to make cars that suit the needs of an entire country like the US.
Where would it ground to? Where would the cathode’s electrons travel to? You have four rubber isolators (tires) preventing you from grounding it to “earth”, and your entire chassis is a circuit ground for the car’s systems.
Anodes used in applications to prevent corrosion, such as those used in your hot water tank, provide a sacrificial surface from which charges can dissipate to prevent it from dissipating from the device’s surfaces in a process called galvanization. Just as zinc is carried via a current flow to be deposited on the surfaces of “galvanized” metals for protection, regular metals can travel with a current flow from a surface that you don’t want to lose it. The anode gives it a replaceable, more conductive surface to travel from. In your car’s design, great care has been taken to prevent the opportunities for galvanic corrosion. They’ve designed out the material junctures that would promote galvanic corrosions, designed in ventilation, designed out cavities, replaced a whole lot of welding with spot welds, very fine machine-applied bead welds, bonding adhesives, replaced a lot of ferrous materials with plastics and nonferrous materials, and a whole lot more.
You’re better off not messing with their designed-in rust prevention systems.
Boy oh boy, I certainly had brain freeze. I forgot about the need for the electrolytic mass such as buried in the ground or in water. Time for me to drag out some old cathodic protection trade manuals my dad had and my old chemistry and physics textbooks from days gone by.
That is what I was told, but that it was only theory that the wheels would loosen.
Now we know it was proven!!!
I don’t know about the other companies, but Chrysler at least marked the studs with a large “L” on the end. We always learned to look so you wouldn’t break a stud off.
