The spinner on automobile wheels historically refers to knock-off hub nuts or center caps. They may be the actual, or intended to simulate, the design used on antique vehicles or vintage

sports car A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...

s. A "spinner wheel" in contemporary usage is a type of

hubcap A hubcap or hub cap is a decorative disk on an automobile wheel that covers at minimum the central portion of the wheel, called the hub. An automobile hubcap is used to cover the wheel hub and the wheel fasteners to reduce the accumulation of ...

or inner wheel ornament, that spins independently inside of a wheel itself when the vehicle is in motion, and continues to spin once the vehicle has come to a stop.

Original use

1967 AMC Marlin white with red interior 07

The spinner or "knock-off" originated with

Rudge-Whitworth Rudge Whitworth Cycles was a British bicycle, bicycle saddle, motorcycle and sports car wheel manufacturer that resulted from the merger of two bicycle manufacturers in 1894, Whitworth Cycle Co. of Birmingham, founded by Charles Henry Pug ...

centerlock

wire wheels Wire wheels, wire-spoked wheels, tension-spoked wheels, or "suspension" wheels are wheels whose rims connect to their hubs by wire spokes. Although these wires are generally stiffer than a typical wire rope, they function mechanically the same ...

and hubs, which were first patented in 1908. The spinner was a threaded, winged nut designed to keep the wheel fastened to the hub. They were screwed on and "knocked on tightly" using a hammer, hence the name "knock-offs". Most setups will feature right-hand threads on the left side of the vehicle, and left-hand threads (rotate clockwise to remove) on the vehicle's right side so the screw-on spinner would stay tightened as the auto was in forward motion. This style of "knock-off" wheel was common on road cars until the development of the

lug nut A lug nut or wheel nut is a fastener, specifically a nut, used to secure a wheel on a vehicle. Typically, lug nuts are found on automobiles, trucks (lorries), and other large vehicles using rubber tires. Design A lug nut is a nut fastener ...

method attaching the wheel.

Spinner hubcaps

The spinner hubcap was introduced into the commercial vehicle and passenger automobile market in the 1930s. Automotive designer

Harley Earl Harley Jarvis Earl (November 22, 1893 – April 10, 1969) was an American automotive designer and business executive. He was the initial designated head of design at General Motors, later becoming vice president, the first top executive ever ...

expressed a brash philosophy behind his 1950s automobiles that included "glittering spinner hubcaps." During the 1950s and 1960s automobile manufacturers offered simulated wire wheel covers for a look of luxury that featured criss-crossing spokes designed to look like the real wire wheels that were used on vehicles in the 1920s and 1930s. These "spinner-wheel covers" were available on standard as well as featured on custom cars, and lowriders quickly adapted them for their own vehicles. During the early-1960s, the simulated wire wheel covers returned, but with new look designed to emphasize sportiness with their radiating spokes and center "spinner caps." These classic center spinner caps feature a rigidly mounted propeller-like center element, usually with two or three projecting "blades." They were intended to simulate the knock-off hubs that were used on vintage racing vehicles and classic

s where a hammer or special wrench was used on the spinner to release or tighten the wheel to the hub. These spinner hubcaps were most often an optional appearance upgrade to the standard equipment

s or full wheel covers that attached to stamped steel wheels. Top trim models sometimes included spinner wheel covers as standard equipment to appeal to youthful customers. In the late 1960s, U.S. Federal safety standards banned the use of protruding bar spinners on automobiles.

Other uses

The mid-1950s Dodge four-bladed "spinner" wheel covers became an icons for the era and also became an item popular to owners to customize their cars. Spinners were add on accessory marketed during the 1950s to decorate regular wheel covers for a custom look. Center spinner hubcaps were also available as original equipment from automakers. Custom wheels for

lowrider A lowrider or low rider is a customized car with a lowered body. These customized vehicles are generally individually painted with intricate, colorful designs, rolling on wire-spoke wheels with whitewall tires. Lowrider rims are generally smalle ...

s also used naked ladies on wheel covers and these were the first to feature a floating or spinner-type wheel device. A bracket was used to mount to the spindle so while the lady stood still the wheel spun around. Similarly, the

Rolls-Royce Phantom Rolls-Royce has used the Phantom name on full-sized luxury cars over the past century: *Rolls-Royce Phantom I, 1925–1931 *Rolls-Royce Phantom II, 1929–1936 *Rolls-Royce Phantom III, 1936–1939 *Rolls-Royce Phantom IV, 1950&ndash ...

has anti-spinners — the "RR" logo in the center of the hub is mounted on a spinner with an offset weight designed to ensure that the logo is always the right way up when the car is parked. The

hubometer A hubometer (''hub'', center of a wheel + ''-ometer'', measure of), or hubodometer or simply hubo, is a device mounted on the axle of an automobile or other land vehicle that measures distance traveled. The whole device rotates with the wheel ...

s used on large trucks, buses, and trailers that appear to be stationary while the wheel is turning to accurately measure the actual distance covered. They are actually enclosed and float in a liquid with anti-freeze as to be functional in severe low temperatures without freezing.

Modern concept

The modern spinner device is a decorative kinetic attachment to the wheel of an automobile. The spinner covers the center of a car's wheel and is designed to independently rotate by using one or more

roller bearing In mechanical engineering, a rolling-element bearing, also known as a rolling bearing, is a bearing which carries a load by placing rolling elements (such as balls or rollers) between two concentric, grooved rings called races. The relative m ...

s to isolate the spinner from the wheel, enabling it to turn while the wheel is at rest. Legislative bills were proposed in several US states to ban spinner type wheels and hubcaps that simulate movement even when a vehicle is stopped because they could be disconcerting to other motorists and present a safety hazard. Spinners were popular during the early-2000s within the hip-hop community of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Since the mid-2000s, they are gradually fading out of vogue in popular culture.

Music

The spinner-type automobile hubcaps were the inspiration for a Detroit-area R&B/

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

group, The Domingoes, to rename themselves The Spinners in the late 1950s. In 1960, Pat Davis recorded the song "Spinner Hub Caps". "Weird Al" Yankovic's song White & Nerdy contains the lines "My rims never spin to the contrary / You'll find that they're quite stationary"

References