MCD Innovations

Wheel Covers

In addition to the many sunscreen and privacy shade products made, MCD also fabricates custom wheel covers. The sun's rays can really do some serious damage to your RV's tires. Tires are designed to be run, not parked. Within the tire's plies are natural lubricants that protect the tire. In order to work these lubricants through the tire we need to drive the coach to allow them to work to the surface. Not driving the coach means no new lubricants are released and the lubricant that is left in the tire's surface is subject to exposure to the elements. The sun's UV rays dry these lubricants out. When the lubricants are gone, the tire begins to lose its pliability and dry out. Eventually the work will crack rather than flex and the longer this goes on, the deeper those cracks become, and the tire eventually becomes unsafe and susceptible to a blowout from a sidewall failure. Most RV tires never wear out, but die from old age, which typically happens around 6-7 years in most environments.

The best way to combat this premature ageing and to extend your tire's life is to protect it from the environment. This includes keeping the tire clean and shielding it from the sun's harmful rays. There are tire dressings that can be applied but the vast majority of them utilize petroleum based products and may make your tires look good but it won't protect them. In fact, it'll harm them. If you do find a tire dressing that is not harmful to your tires you'll still have to deal with the messy application of it as well as the slinging when driving. Plus, it doesn't last that long. The best way to protect them is to go hide them with a set of tire and wheel covers.

In the following section I'll detail the actual process used to install MCD's wheel covers on our 2007 Allegro Bus.

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Product Overview

Our Allegro Bus with MCD Wheel Covers Installed

MCD's wheel covers are not the typical bag that gets hung over the tire nor are they the ugly panels that attach to the side of the motorhome with snap buttons, leaving a bunch of unsightly snaps to look at once the wheel covers have been removed. MCD uses an exclusive Glide-Trac technology to attach the wheel covers to the coach. These tracks mount to the inside lip of the fender well and the wheel covers easily slide right into the tracks. It's a simple task to install or remove your MCD wheel covers using this system and the tracks are practically invisible when the wheel covers are not in use, making for a nice clean look to your coach exterior. MCD has a large number of wheel well patterns on hand for most every RV so you can be assured that your wheel covers will be a nice precise fit.

MCD Wheel Covers use a high quality 8 way stretch hi-tech vinyl that gives a nice clean look to your coach with a pleasing satin black finish.

Installing the Glide-Trac Mounting Rails

Installing the Mounting Track

The first step is to thoroughly clean the inner lip of the fender wells. After any dirt has been washed away it's important to wipe the surface with rubbing alcohol to allow the self-adhesive material on the back of the Glide-Trac to bond to the fender lip. Before removing the protective film from the backside of the track, bend the track into a gradual arch, being careful to hold it at the very ends to prevent kinking the track. Hold the track in place in the fender well and center it. Mark the end of the track with a piece of tape or removable marker so that you know where to start.

Adding the Mounting Screws

Next, remove the protective film from the 3M VHV dual sided tape on the backside of the track. Then take the precut track for that particular wheel position and carefully position it at your starting mark and stick it to the fender lip, being careful to work from one end to eliminate any wrinkles. Hold it away from the surface until ready to apply or else the sticky adhesive won't work very well.

Once the track has been properly placed, press in an even motion to ensure that it is firmly attached around the entire circumference of the fender. Next, install one screw at each end of the track to provide additional holding strength.

Adjusting the Height

Backside of Wheel Cover

MCD wheel covers are adjustable for height. When parked, the actual height will vary, depending on how level the ground is where the coach is parked and how far the coach was raised during the leveling process. Steel bars are included to weigh down the wheel covers and prevent them from blowing around when it gets windy. These bars slide into a series of slots sewn into the backside of the wheel covers. The wheel covers are plenty tall to allow for a coach that is raised up fairly high. Insert a steel bar into the slot on the backside of the wheel cover. Then install your wheel cover into the mounting track. Once it's in place and centered fold up the remaining flap of material and attach it to the backside of the wheel cover using the provided Velcro attachment points.

Installing the Wheel Covers

Sliding the Wheel Covers into the Mounting Track

The Glide Tracks make it easy to install your wheel covers. Simply grab the wheel cover by a top corner and slide the top hem into the Glide Trac. Continue feeding the wheel cover into the track until it has completely rotated into position and it's nice and level.

For complete details on how to install MCD wheel covers check out the Wheel Cover Installation Manual in the next chapter.

Mark Quasius - "Cruzer"

Index