Trucking can be a job or a way of life for some. It’s not uncommon for truckers to spend most of their time on the road that they are practically living in their semi-trucks. Most people getting into doing trucking as a job can expect to adapt it into their lifestyle. It can be rough, and you have to be prepared for that. As a job, you’ll need lots of experience and seat time. It’s a small space, and if you are sharing it with someone, it can get tense over time. I have driven trucks commercially and recreational. I can share a thing or two about my experience. If there is anything I learned over the years, it’s that be mindful to check tire pressure, fuel, and trailer alignment before taking off onto the road. You don’t want to get sloppy with that.
Trucks, even semi-trucks, are huge vehicles, so you have to be watchful of it while on the road. Also when you are parking, you have to keep your wits about yourself and watch out for obstacles. You want to avoid accidents, and accidents can happen if you are not careful about such a big vehicle. You don’t want that. It’s your responsibility not to hit anything. While on the road you can get blindsided if you are not careful. So even if you have a spotter, you have to take care to be observant on your own. Wither you are a commercial driver or use a semi-truck for recreational purposes some of the same considerations apply. Luckily Lug Nut Covers can help you out a bit with some of these concerns.
You are spending all this time on the road on your semi-truck, why not add a bit more style? Best way to add a bit more character to your truck without it becoming a costly endeavor is through lug nut covers. It can be a cheap and simple way to enhance the look of your semi-truck. A stylish lug nut cover can be the most inexpensive way to make your semi-truck look sharper than with any other truck accessories.
What are Semi-Truck Lug Nut Covers?
They are exactly what they sound like; they are covers for lug nuts. Lug nuts serve an essential role – they secure the wheel to the vehicle and axle. You probably saw lug nut covers in action on the road on semi-trucks usually shaped like spikes. They are getting more and more popular not only because they are cheap and easy to install, but because they make your semi-truck look cooler. Lug nuts come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. However, they are more than just decoration.
Why Should I Get Lug Nut Covers for My Semi-Truck Tires?
Lug nut covers can serve as a deterrent against people driving too close to your semi-truck. It can endanger you and the other if they are not mindful to keep a fair distance from your truck. There are no laws against lug nut covers other than it shouldn’t extend too far from your trucks fender. It’s been shown time and time again to have a positive effect on the road. People tend to drive more carefully around big rigs with lug nut covers, especially spikes. The more careful others are around you, more comfortable your life becomes and less recklessness you have to maneuver around. However, you have to be responsible with your semi-truck so that you don’t endanger others on the road. Lug nut covers can serve another purpose. A lot of semi-truck drivers check their mirrors to ensure the wheels are turning. It can also help make sure the brakes hadn’t frozen up in winter conditions.
Material, Colors, Shape, and Cost of Lug Nut Covers
You might be wondering now, what are these lug nut covers made of and are they dangerous? Usually, they are made of plastic with chrome plating and not actual metal. They wouldn’t do much damage to other vehicles if they were to clash other than at best scrape the paint. However, if they are driving that close to your semi-truck then It’s an accident waiting to happen.
When it comes to materials for your lug nut covers, there are some other options than chrome plastic such as chrome steel, stainless steel,
and colored vinyl. The most common ones you’ll see are the chrome plastic ones. You can customize your semi-truck as you wish.
While chrome finish is the most common, they come in a black finish too. Finding lug nut covers in the shape and color of your choice may prove to be an ordeal. However, you can choose to paint the color of your choice on black lug nut covers. Usually, spray paint will do the trick. Just remember to do multiple coats making sure to let them dry after each coating. Customizing your semi-truck lug nut covers will help you stand out and be unique from the rest. You can get a bit creative with it if you like.
If you are concerned about your lug nut covers rusting, going for ones made of plastic is the best option for you. Chrome steel ones are likely to rust more frequently than stainless steel ones. Higher quality lug nut covers will last longer withstanding rough driving conditions on a daily basis.
As for shapes, the most common ones are the spikes as you would have guessed by now. However, lug nut covers come in all sort of way and sizes; spikes are not your only option. Other favorite shapes include bullet, cylinder, domes, reflector, standard, towers, and warheads to name some. There is something for everyone!
Another thing to consider while buying your lug nut covers for your semi-truck is their size. The most common size is 33mm. You have to be
mindful of the size of your lug nuts you are getting the covers for. You want to avoid going back and forth from the shop just because you didn’t get the
right size for your lug nuts.
If you don’t know what size to get all you have to do is the size it up with a socket, and if it fits snugly, you’ll have the capacity. Make sure it’s not able to spin freely and fits tightly. Another common lug nut cover size is 1 inches. The same sizing applies with the lug nuts. 33mm lug nuts have hub piloted wheel while 1-inch nuts have a stud piloted wheel. These don’t have flanges at the base.
You can get lug nut covers online or at a truck shop. I found that it’s usually much cheaper online, but it’s up to you. Lug nut covers are sold based on their size, so it doesn’t matter what vehicle you have. As long as you know the size you need you are good to go. However, I would suggest against getting covers that are excessively long as it can prove to be a nuisance to other drivers on the road and you may potentially get into trouble for them. A good rule to follow is that they don’t extend over 1 to 2 inches from your semi-truck’s fender.
Some lug nut covers even come in unique designs such as the flame design I used to have for the longest time. You can also custom order some with plans if you know the right people. Some shops even take custom orders. Ask around for the best deal to enhance the look of your semi-truck.
Regardless of material, the cost for lug nut covers for your semi-truck is usually around $2.50 for each one or even less. They come in sets. You can save some money by getting them in games than buying single lug nut covers. It might be cheaper to get them online.
Installing Lug Nut Covers on Your Semi-Truck
Now that you know lug nut covers can not only enhance the look of your semi-truck but also act as a deterrent for reckless driving as well as provide you cues on your tires let’s go over how to install them. You have the right size, shape, and the color of your choice. Perhaps, you even painted over yours. Good job! Now let’s install them on to your truck.
Good news is you have already done the hard part, choosing the right lug nut covers. You don’t even require tools to install these lug nut covers. Just slide them on to each of the lug nuts one by one and apply a little pressure. You are done, just like that.
They are supposed to stay in place due to the friction, but in reality, they are known to fall off sometimes. However, fret not. You can fix it by using a bit of glue. Some truckers even use a bit of silicone caulk to hold them in place for much longer. Use a bit of it on the inside of the cover before you slid on to the lug nut.
Removing Lug Nut Covers
While lug nut covers, for the most part, are cosmetic used to enhance the look of your semi-truck there are some disadvantages to having them as they cover the lug nuts. Remember when I mentioned it’s important to check tire pressure and trailer alignment before taking off? You have to be mindful that your lug nuts are also appropriately torqued. By covering them with covers you won’t be able to check and make adjustments. So you would have to remove the lug nut covers from time to time.
While they tend to fall off if not glued on, it’s difficult to remove the covers by hand sometimes, especially while on the road. They can be a bit stubborn. You also don’t want to scratch the caps while removing them. Fortunately, there are lug nut cover removers. You can use these tools to remove your lug nut covers safely without scratching them. Without these, if they were stuck there, you might otherwise have to smash the sheets to check the lug nuts as it’s more essential than the lug nut covers.
Push-On Vs. Thread-On Lug Nut Covers
The most common type of lug nut covers is push-on ones like the ones I touched on earlier. However, there is another type of lug nut cover. These are thread-on covers. You figure out if you need thread-on just by taking a look at how much thread you have on the lug nut. If you have at least 1 inch of the thread, you can use a thread-on lug nut covers, anything less than that will require a push-on lug nut cover. You need to consider this when shopping for your lug nut covers.
Where to Buy Lug Nut Caps?
Now you are well equipped to pick out and install lug nut covers for your semi-truck and let it shine. Adding lug nut covers into your semi-truck is a fantastic idea. In the end, you spend a great deal of time on your truck and wouldn’t you’d like it to reflect your personality a little? They are cheap, easy to install and maintain. They don’t interfere with the essentials if you know what you are doing. You don’t even need any tools to fix them and depending on the type of lug nut cover you can also remove without any tools. You can’t go wrong with simplicity like that when it adds so much to the experience.
When I started out no one taught me about lug nut covers, I had to figure it all out on my own. At first, I wasn’t interested in them, but over the years they grew on me and when I realized it’s more than just a decoration my interest in them grew. I started to notice how others on the road behaved around my semi trucks. It made the whole experience more enjoyable. If you are a commercial driver, you are likely to spend months on the way and often away from your family, make the best of it. You can buy semi truck lug nut caps from Amazon.com or 4statetrucks.com.
So, have you decided on what type of lug nut covers you want to get? Shape and style? Color? What about its material? Let me know in the comments below.
