Cable ties on alloys ????

working fool

I have seen this a few times
People putting cable ties / tie wraps around the spokes of alloys wheels
What's the story ???

I've checked there definitely alloy wheels
Are they trying to make them look like hubcaps so there not stolen ??

R.O.R

working fool wrote: »

I have seen this a few times
People putting cable ties / tie wraps around the spokes of alloys wheels
What's the story ???

I've checked there definitely alloy wheels
Are they trying to make them look like hubcaps so there not stolen ??

Deffo 100% sure they aren't composite wheels from Opel or VW?

ronaneire

There was a post here sometime back with a picture of a VW Golf and low and behold clearly in the pic was cable ties on the alloys

KTRIC

Well duuuuh It's to stop them from being stolen :rolleyes:

tossy

To stop them falling off

dougie-lampkin

ronaneire wrote: »

There was a post here sometime back with a picture of a VW Golf and low and behold clearly in the pic was cable ties on the alloys

Except they weren't alloys, they were hubcaps. They're pretty convincing

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056154060

working fool

dougie-lampkin wrote: »

ronaneire wrote: »

There was a post here sometime back with a picture of a VW Golf and low and behold clearly in the pic was cable ties on the alloys

Except they weren't alloys, they were hubcaps. They're pretty convincing

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056154060

Yeah seen them on a golf just like that .
They are pretty good looking hubcaps

Also seen them on an 05 Almera
Pretty sure that model dident have them

working fool

KTRIC wrote: »

Well duuuuh It's to stop them from being stolen :rolleyes:

In fairness your average alloy thief might see through that .
Unless thief,s are allergic to cable ties or something ?

working fool

R.O.R wrote: »

working fool wrote: »

I have seen this a few times
People putting cable ties / tie wraps around the spokes of alloys wheels
What's the story ???

I've checked there definitely alloy wheels
Are they trying to make them look like hubcaps so there not stolen ??

Deffo 100% sure they aren't composite wheels from Opel or VW?

One was a Vw allright .
I dident get a real close look at it

R.O.R

Did they look a bit like this?

no1beemerfan

Do you need the cable ties if the wheel nuts hold it on? Also what does the steel wheel look like with them off?

working fool

R.O.R wrote: »

Did they look a bit like this?

One of them was the golf
I dident see the Opel ones
They look really good though .
Do the wheel nuts not hold them on ?

R.O.R

no1beemerfan wrote: »

Do you need the cable ties if the wheel nuts hold it on? Also what does the steel wheel look like with them off?

working fool wrote: »

Do the wheel nuts not hold them on ?

If the car is still there at lunch I'll have a tug at the front wheel as there are no ties on that, and it's a bit damaged.

working fool

working fool wrote: »

KTRIC wrote: »

Well duuuuh It's to stop them from being stolen :rolleyes:

In fairness your average alloy thief might see through that .
Unless thief,s are allergic to cable ties or something ?

Come to think of it !
You might be onto something here
Seen a couple of car thiefs on the Telly and the cops sub,dued them with cable ties .
And in the 80,s I had an 8 track player held into the car by ties , and nobody stole that either ?

langdang

R.O.R wrote: »

If the car is still there at lunch I'll have a tug at the front wheel as there are no ties on that, and it's a bit damaged.

They're nice hubcaps but they're not that nice!

Tallon

I have never seen them on alloys

dar83

Maybe they're low-tech Irish curb feelers...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curb_feeler

Wouldn't want to scratch those hubcaps!

working fool

dar83 wrote: »

Maybe they're low-tech Irish curb feelers...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curb_feeler

Wouldn't want to scratch those hubcaps!

Wow
Handy for cyclists ? Lol

R.O.R

The front cover on the Astra wasn't for budging, and I really couldn't be @rsed getting a crowbar to it, but the holes around the wheel nuts are big enough that the trim could be removed.

Feeling in behind the cover, the actual wheel is the same shape as cover - it's just black metal.

voteforpedro

no1beemerfan wrote: »

Do you need the cable ties if the wheel nuts hold it on? Also what does the steel wheel look like with them off?

working fool

voteforpedro wrote: »

no1beemerfan wrote: »

Do you need the cable ties if the wheel nuts hold it on? Also what does the steel wheel look like with them off?

Not too bad looking
Even without the hubcap

dharn

bit unlikely thay the wheel nuts would be holding on the trims tighten the nuts so they wont loosen.. crushed plastic

goz83

dharn wrote: »

bit unlikely thay the wheel nuts would be holding on the trims tighten the nuts so they wont loosen.. crushed plastic

If brain power applied, they would put a soft rubber washer behind the bolt ro spread the pressure and prevent damage to the hub cap, while holding it on securing without ugly cable ties. tbh, I would rather rish losing a hub cap rather than put on cable ties. Surely better can be done? Velcro maybe? Or just get real alloys. These days, you can buy alloys with tires online for the price a garage would charge for tires alone. I spent under €800 for a beautiful set of alloys with tires for a 318iSE. The tires at the time alone would have cost me over €600 for a half decent set.

colm_mcm

Mk2 punto has a similar way of holding in the trims with the nuts. Amazing that more cars dont have this.

dougie-lampkin

colm_mcm wrote: »

Mk2 punto has a similar way of holding in the trims with the nuts. Amazing that more cars dont have this.

It's common across a lot of Fiats I think, my Seicento has them (although two of the hubcaps inexplicably had cable ties on them when I bought it). I don't like the idea, I like to torque metal on metal. Then again, my daily has alloys so it doesn't bother me :pac:

colm_mcm

dougie-lampkin wrote: »

It's common across a lot of Fiats I think, my Seicento has them (although two of the hubcaps inexplicably had cable ties on them when I bought it). I don't like the idea, I like to torque metal on metal. Then again, my daily has alloys so it doesn't bother me :pac:

The it one Is metal on metal, the Bolts are rounded so the trim isn't between the bolt and wheel.

slimjimmc

dharn wrote: »

bit unlikely thay the wheel nuts would be holding on the trims tighten the nuts so they wont loosen.. crushed plastic

It works, very well in fact.
I personally know that on some models of Citroen the plastic wheel-cover used to be held on with the 4 wheel nuts, Xantia had it. The wheel-cover wasn't like a washer, the wheel-nut still contacted tightly on the steel rim but a shoulder on the nut pinched the plastic just right. Never lost one and one never came loose.

colm_mcm

Nice thing about the fiat one was that you could fix the wheel on withone bolt, then slip the trim on, only 3 bolts held the trim on.


Still see people taking them off for the nct though..