# Whatever happened to those (godawful) spinning rims? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 24, 2013, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-those-godawful-spinning-rims/659274 "2013-05-24T23:09:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-those-godawful-spinning-rims/659274/1 "2013-05-24T23:09:39Z")
You know, the ones young, ahem, _‘urban’_ guys used to have on their cars. It seems like they disappeared as fast as they appeared. The only place I ever see them now is in a parody of something. I know some localities made them illegal (they made a stopped car look like it was still moving) but was there a larger ban on them passed everywhere? Or did the idiots who bought them just come to their senses?! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-those-godawful-spinning-rims/659274/2 "2013-05-24T23:25:48Z")
Setting aside the stupidity of them, I believe the manufacturers experienced insurance/liability issues. Apparently there were some instances of the “spinners” becoming detached. At this point they became very dangerous. All this said, acquiring product liability insurance became problematic. Good thing. FYI, they weren’t cheap. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-those-godawful-spinning-rims/659274/3 "2013-05-24T23:41:42Z")
The first time I saw those things, I was all: “Holy shit! That dude’s wheels are still spinning! WTF!!” The next time, I was all hip, going, “Oh yeah, you got the spinning hubcaps, I saw those yesterday.” But you are right, OP, I don’t see them anymore. (When mine finally arrive, I am most definitely NOT putting them on my car.) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-those-godawful-spinning-rims/659274/4 "2013-05-24T23:43:30Z")
I saw a pair a couple of months ago. On a minivan. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-those-godawful-spinning-rims/659274/5 "2013-05-24T23:56:08Z")
Spinners are out of fashion. Behold the LED Wheel [![](http://www.motorworldhype.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/led_wheels_like_a_boss.jpg) ](http://www.motorworldhype.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/led_wheels_like_a_boss.jpg) I saw one on the road a few weeks ago. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-those-godawful-spinning-rims/659274/6 "2013-05-25T00:15:15Z")
Whatever happened to white-wall tires? Oh dear! Am I showing my age? ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-those-godawful-spinning-rims/659274/7 "2013-05-25T00:32:45Z")
I fucking HATE them. As a motorcyclist, wheels are one of the things I look for to tell if someone is creeping forward in front of me. Spinners make it look like they are pulling into my path. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-those-godawful-spinning-rims/659274/8 "2013-05-25T02:17:07Z")
I love them. As a bored motorist looking for any kind of distraction I find them well above mildly entertaining. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-those-godawful-spinning-rims/659274/9 "2013-05-25T03:05:40Z")
The next thing in wheel decoration will be a variant of this: [Visual Poi](http://devour.com/video/visual-poi-light-dance/). ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-those-godawful-spinning-rims/659274/10 "2013-05-25T03:11:37Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > The next thing in wheel decoration will be a variant of this: [Visual Poi](http://devour.com/video/visual-poi-light-dance/). They already have them [for bicycles.](http://www.monkeylectric.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-those-godawful-spinning-rims/659274/11 "2013-05-25T03:12:28Z")
They were a faddish fashion thing and therefore only cool while novel. I’ve seen the same thing happen with those undercar spotlight things, and the next one I think will be matte black paint jobs (this one is being helped along by the many homemade attempts, which are generally awful). ---
**Author:** ![Terry\_Kennedy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@Terry\_Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terry_Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-those-godawful-spinning-rims/659274/12 "2013-05-25T03:56:57Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Spinners are out of fashion. Anti-spinners are still in - at least if you have a Rolls-Royce Phantom where the RR logo on the center hub stays upright as the wheel turns. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-those-godawful-spinning-rims/659274/13 "2013-05-25T04:14:42Z")
Spinners always made me laugh, just like those giant wind-up keys people used to put on their VW bugs. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-those-godawful-spinning-rims/659274/14 "2013-05-25T04:24:45Z")
[**Keen!**](http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h253/davecfprez/dingleball.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-those-godawful-spinning-rims/659274/15 "2013-05-25T12:17:58Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > They were a faddish fashion thing and therefore only cool while novel. > > I’ve seen the same thing happen with those undercar spotlight things, and the next one I think will be matte black paint jobs (this one is being helped along by the many homemade attempts, which are generally awful). that’s because it’s apparently a thing to use Plasti-Dip to get a matte finish. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-those-godawful-spinning-rims/659274/16 "2013-05-25T23:51:04Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > They were a faddish fashion thing and therefore only cool while novel. > > I’ve seen the same thing happen with those undercar spotlight things, and the next one I think will be matte black paint jobs (this one is being helped along by the many homemade attempts, which are generally awful). Yeah know, I first saw a car painted like that because it had a stabilized camera/crane thing mounted on it for filming around & alongside moving vehicles. It’s painted flat black to minimize seeing reflections of it in the filmed vehicles. But when I saw it I also thought to myself “Some moron kid is gonna see this and think it’s cool and wanna do it…” ---
**Author:** ![goldmund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a4c791/32.png) [@goldmund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/goldmund)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2013, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-those-godawful-spinning-rims/659274/17 "2013-05-26T00:07:48Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > It’s painted flat black to minimize seeing reflections of it in the filmed vehicles. But when I saw it I also thought to myself “Some moron kid is gonna see this and think it’s cool and wanna do it…” Matte black aready is a thing. It’s called “[murdered out](http://www.complex.com/rides/2012/11/murdered-out-50-menacing-matte-black-cars/)”. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2013, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-those-godawful-spinning-rims/659274/18 "2013-05-26T00:18:37Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > You know, the ones young, ahem, _‘urban’_ guys used to have on their cars. Do you mean black guys? I bet you mean black guys. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2013, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-those-godawful-spinning-rims/659274/19 "2013-05-26T00:30:14Z")
> [@goldmund](#): > > Matte black aready is a thing. It’s called “[murdered out](http://www.complex.com/rides/2012/11/murdered-out-50-menacing-matte-black-cars/)”. Yeah, but it was several years ago when I first saw a piece [about the company that does this…](http://www.crane-fly.com/archives/portfolio/item/ml-55)