Wheel cover retention apparatus

In a vehicle having a wheel mounted thereon by a number of lug nuts, a wheel cover assembly comprising:

• said lug nuts each having a flange and a central axis;
• a wheel cover having a decorative front face for covering said lug nuts and the central portion of said wheel, said wheel cover further having a plurality of elongated tubular extensions for attaching said wheel cover to said lug nuts, each elongated tubular extension having a plurality of slots extending axially from said wheel cover, said slots defining a plurality of cantilevered fingers adapted for engaging said flange of a respective lug nut to retain the wheel cover to the wheel;
• a one-piece wire band retainer disposed within said wheel cover, said wire band retainer having a plurality of concave sections, each concave section aligned with a portion of a respective one of each of said elongated tubular extensions, said wire band retainer being configured to radially support some of said cantilevered fingers and to bias a portion of at least one of said plurality of cantilevered fingers into engagement with at least one of said lug nuts;
• and
• means for locating said wire band retainer, said means for locating extending from a rear face of said wheel cover and disposed between said plurality of elongated tubular extensions;
• whereby said wheel cover is snap-fit attached to said wheel by axially forcing the cover toward the wheel as the cantilevered fingers flex radially outward as they pass over the flange of the respective lug nuts and said one piece wire band retainer maintains a bias in a direction towards said central axis of said lug nut on said portion of said at least one of said plurality of cantilevered fingers such that said wheel cover is removable from said wheel without removal of the lug nuts.

In a vehicle having a wheel mounted thereon by a number of lug nuts, a wheel cover retention system comprising:

• said lug nuts each having a flange and a central axis;
• a wheel cover having a decorative front face covering said lug nuts and the central portion of said wheel, said wheel cover further having a plurality of elongated tubular extensions for attaching the wheel cover to the lug nuts of said wheel, each said elongated tubular extension having a plurality of slots extending axially from said wheel cover, said plurality of slots defining a plurality of cantilevered fingers adapted for engaging said flange of a respective lug nut to retain said wheel cover to said wheel, each said cantilevered finger having an bulbous portion for engaging said lug nut and for flexing said finger radially outward as said wheel cover moves axially towards said wheel, each said bulbous portion having an upper shoulder for engaging said flange of said lug nut thereby providing a positive axial location of said wheel cover to said wheel;
• a plurality of integral ribs extending axially from a rear face of said wheel cover, said plurality of ribs being disposed between said plurality of elongated tubular extensions;
• and
• a one-piece wire band retainer located by said plurality of ribs, said one-piece wire band retainer having a plurality of concave sections, each concave section aligned with a portion of a respective one of each of said elongated tubular extensions, said wire band retainer being configured to minimize inward radial movement of some of said cantilevered fingers due to heat creep;
• whereby said wheel cover is snap-fit attached to said wheel by axially forcing the cover toward the wheel as the cantilevered fingers flex radially outward as they pass over the flange of the respective lug nuts and said one-piece wire band retainer maintaining a bias in a direction towards said central axis of said lug nut such that said wheel cover is removable from said wheel without removal of the lug nuts.