Lacks Industries, Inc.

Eldean Weidmayer

Gregory R Hauler

Lee A Chase

Garry Van Houten

A vehicle wheel and overlay assembly having an overlay that extends radially outward to cover substantially the entire outboard surface of the wheel, without wrapping around the periphery of the wheel. The assembly includes a wheel having a flangeless or minimum functional flange height rim flange or alternatively a truncated rim flange that terminates in a flange lip having a radially outermost edge. An overlay is attached to and closely contours the wheel outboard surface and radially terminates in a peripheral flange that has a peripheral lip with a radially outermost edge that is aligned with the outermost edge of the wheel flange lip within a predetermined circumferential margin so that the peripheral flange covers at least a portion of the wheel flange lip. This configuration gives the visible impression that this is a one-piece wheel, where the outboard surface of the overlay appears to be the outboard surface of the wheel, and not a separate component.

Vehicle wheel rim flange and overlay assembly

A composite wheel assembly includes a wheel having a trim ring, a cladding, and a hubcap attached to the wheel. The wheel includes a disc and a rim flange circumscribing the disc with the disc and rim flange defining an outboard surface of the wheel. A trim ring mounts to and radially locates with respect to the rim flange and radially extends inward toward the disc. The cladding mounts to and radially locates with respect to the disc and radially extends outward toward the rim flange. The cladding overlaps the trim ring so that a continuous bright appearance extends across the entire outboard surface of the composite wheel assembly and so that any radial dimensional variation in the trim ring and cladding is taken up by the overlapping relationship therebetween.

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Alto, MI, United States of America

Eldean Weidmayer