Speedster Portugal (mcp) - 1st doubt - wheels / hubcaps

Dear listers,
After receiving very good advice from Antoine en Astrid (thanks a lot, by the way), I was preparing to adapt my original nipple hubcaps to my 4 lug rims. This is not very important, but I would like to see if there is a solution out there.
Since the ring that holds the hubcaps has a smaller diameter than the hubcaps, adapting them will mean that the inner ring of the hubcap will be visible (something like wheel_mcp.jpg). I saw this 5 lug 5.5" rim in John Steele file section and it fits perfectly the rim. Does anyone know of a supplier out there that has 4 lug 4.5" rims where these hubcaps fit correctly?
Thanks in advance.
Best regards.
Miguel Caldeira Proenca
Lisboa - Portugal
m.caldeira.proenca@mail.telepac.pt

Miguel: Did you solve your hubcap problem yet?

Hi Robert,
Well, I don't know. Mr. Steele told me that all the 4 lug rims look like mine and all have the same problem. It seems I only have 2 solutions:
- getting new hubcaps specifically for these rims; the problem is that these hubcaps have a very large lateral section and usually they look very ugly; I asked him to send me a photo of one of these fitted and I'm waiting for his answer;
- adapting the original hubcap to the rim, by forcing the inner ring of the hubcap in 4 points; the problem is that the inner ring of the hubcap will be visible.
If I receive that photo, I'll share my final decision with you all.
Regards.
Miguel

I've heard somewhere that there's an adapter from 4 lugs to 5 lugs. Is this true? Certainly, a natural consequence would be that the adapter will force the wheel to come out a bit, thus creating the problem of rubbing against the fiber. Does anyone know anything about this solution?
Regards.
Miguel

The wheel photo looks like a Porsche wheel to me. The hubcap fits "inside" the wheel not "Outside" the lug area. If it is a Porsche wheel it is "wide five" or the "small five" pattern of the 356C and 911. I could be incorrect, Im a Fuchs man.

Dale, the wheel_jps.jpg is a 5 lug rim, like an original one, but unfortunately mine is like the wheel_mcp.jpg, a 4 lug rim with the inner ring smaller than the 5 lug. Therefore, I'm asking if there is a solution to make an original nipple hubcap fit perfectly in a 4 lug rim. If I adapt the hubcap to my rims, the sideview in wheel_mcp.jpg shows how it will look like (the inner ring of the hubcap will be visible). I would consider changing the hubcaps, changing the rims or getting 5 lug adapters, but I need to know more information on these solutions.
Regards.
Miguel

yes there is an adapter to go from 4 to wide 5 lug, as well as 4 to porsche 5 lug and any combination there of....

Miguel- It seems from your postings you are very determined to install the crested-style hub caps to your car. If this is the case, just convert your entire car to wide-5 drum brakes. I'm assuming you have access to wide-5 wheels available since you mentioned wheel adapters.
Otherwise, the most cost effective solution would be to use 4 lug chrome dome hub caps which are readily available on your 4 lug wheels

Glenn and Arlin,
Thanks for your replies.
For me the best solution would be 4 lug wheels with 10 holes and the shape to fit the hubcaps correctly. It's weird that we see so many replicas with 4 lug wheels and no one ever though about making rims that look like the original ones. Does any of you know a supplier that has rims like that?
If this is not possible, the next possibility is getting 4 lug nipple hubcaps, even though it's not the ideal solution ... but it's cheap.
Another possibility is getting those adapters from 4 to 5 lugs; do you know any suplliers?
Changing the whole system from 4 to 5 lugs is not an option, because it's certainly very expensive and I'll loose brake efficiency when I change from disks to drums, right?
Can you help? Best. regards.
Miguel Caldeira Proenca
Lisboa - Portugal
m.caldeira.proenca@mail.telepac.pt

You can purchase the 4 lug to wide-5 adapter plates from many companies here in the States. Try contacting Type 1 Only (formerly SoCal Imports) in Long Beach, CA The draw back to these adapters is that they will space out your tire/wheel combo out further towards your fenders.

I May be wrong, But Does not Bugpack offer a nipple hub cap for the Vw rim and it also can be ordered with the Stuggart crest. The bad news is they are aluminum. Not stainless You may want to look into that.

Glenn and Barry,
Thanks for your help. I'll try to get some info on both solutions.
Best regards.
Miguel Caldeira Proenca

FYI,

The original rims are baby moon style(not crested).

Hi Eric,
Your post got me confused. Are you saying that the original 5 lug rims that used baby moons can't use nipple hubcaps?
Best regards.
Miguel Caldeira Proenca