Alcoa 'Hug a Lugs'

[bubblerboy64]

Well,? Got my used Alcoa's on and the accessories consisting of the
Hub covers and the lug covers. Fifty miles down the road stopped for
a drink and noticed that the one wheel was "necked" lost all ten Hug
a Lugs and the hub cover. Being the genius you all know I am not I
figured I better check the others and they were all loose. Loose
enough that I could pull the hug covers off with my hands with really
no effort at all. So I took them off and called Alcoa. They, with
no questions ask, are replacing what I lost. Problem is of course
how do you make them stay on. This is for stud piloted wheels.
There is an inner clamp which is a nylon bushing which goes over the
NUT. On the outside of this bushing are threads which hold the shiny
stuff,but they do not get progressively tighter as the lug cover is
tighted down. The force is simple the thickness of the inner clamp
and the nut and the lug cover. There is not enough frictional
resistance to the inner clamp sliding off the nut. They did send two
sets of inner clamps (more like bushings) one white and one grey.
The fellows said the grey ones were so tight they could use them. I
can see several better ways to hold these lug covers on most all of
which would involve threading something onto the stud not the the
NUT. Alcoa tells me this is the "only thing they have for stud
piloted wheels". My reason for posting is to see if you guys have a
better answer for me. I had wheel simulators and they had a threaded
attachment to the studs. These Alcoa wheel accessories are EXPENSIVE
and I can't see how frictional resistance between the lug nut and the
inner clamp followed but the screwed down Hug a Lug would ever be
enough to secure these bits and pieces. Those that have alcoa wheels
on studs tell me how you are holding on the hubs and nut covers. Got
to be a better way. Maybe Alcoa is not the company to use for this
stuff? It's pretty enough but I can't see how in the best of
situations it would work. That being said the fellows at the tire
shop did say that most of what they see on trucks etc is attached
similarily. I like belts AND suspenders. This just doesn't seem
right to me.
John Heckman
central Pa
1973 FC