Are wire wheel covers supposed to fit next to the wheel when on or should there be a quarter inch gap between the wheel cover and the wheel? I have fourteen inch wire wheel covers and fourteen inch tires and wheels, but I am starting to think the wheel is not correct, The standard cover fits perfict but the wire seems to be a little bigger. The shoulder will not fit into the wheel. They fit on very tight but I am not sure what will happen when I go around cornners. Thx

 

My feeling is that they should be flush against the wheel. Even original hub caps on Mustangs fit flush against the wheel, no space. You should be able to bend the tabs that fit into the wheel. Maybe they need to be bent in a little in order for the cover to go in more.
If they are aftermarket wheel covers, you may have to do some adjustments.

 

My 14" wire wheels, for my convertible, do have a minor (1/8 or 1/4) gap. They are designed to come OFF. Some wire wheels are made for 15" wheels that came on Galaxies. 15" have a larger chrome lip.13" were also available, but the wires are very close to each other. It is hard to say what you have without seeing them.

Use long blackzip ties to secure them through the rim (wheel) holes/openings. I feed the zip tie through the front of the wire wheel and the rim. Come back through the rear and another opening of the rim. Loop around 2 or 3 spokes and connect the zip tie. Secure the zip tie and cut the excess off.

I use two zip ties per wheel andI set them at opposite sides. One at 12 location and one at 6 location (or 9 and 3).

 

Bending the tabs on a wire wheel is not a good idea. It will make them come off easily even when you hit a bump. When you remove them you need to pry them off at an even pace and just a little at a time. The worst thing is to pry them off with one push (like most tire places do). They will need to fit tight to stay on.