Clear Wheel Covers

[AndrzejM]

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[brucey]

OK, the polycarbonate I ordered I got a deal on but I did NOT expect it to take this long to get here. I got a 2'x4' sheet which should give me enough to make the covers. It should be here this week. I'm actually considering using some of it if I have extra for a grill block. As on my current commute the thermostat never even opens and my mileage has been very poor as a result.

Could also use a block heater installed with winter coming up.

[brucey]

Lexan has arrived, however I made a mistake and ordered .030" thickness which I feel would be too flexible for this application. Sucks too, it's very strong/easy to work with.

For the time being I've used it as a grill block. Ordering more in something that is mostly solid disc instead of something paper thin. With the .030 even with 5 mounting points I'm not sure it would stay on the wheel at 45 mph.

How do you guys feel about 1/8" (.118 actual) thickness on these?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-SHEETS-OF-...-/221274905556

Would it be solid or would it be too flexible?

[Vex]

Do these wheel covers cause issues with the brakes cooling?

[minispeed]

When I had the all black coroplast covers on my white kia I got a lot of compliments on them. This probably depends mostly on the colour of your car though, the kia was white so the contrast looked good, the same way a cop car looks good with steelies.

[ShadeTreeMech]

Originally Posted by Vex

Do these wheel covers cause issues with the brakes cooling?

Doubtful considering the person driving it likely barely uses his brakes. I'm sure it would be a problem if someone else were to drive it in the mountains or in city traffic.

[skyking]

solid black would probably look good on the black beetle as well. Hmm........

[brucey]

Alright, lexan is in.

Next step: How to cut a perfectly round circle out of it.

I'm thinking of drilling a hole in the center and using a peg and bar attached to the jigsaw to go around. This will work for the inner one I think since I need to drill out the center anyway to fit between the hub/wheel.

For the outer one, I don't have any good ideas that keeps the disc completely smooth.

[gone-ot]

• MECHANICAL VIBRATION - A suggestion for minimizing the chance of mechanical vibration and rim flexing "breaking" the plastic: use the 'isolated-mounting' technique where you attach the plastic to the rim.

Specifically, place a rubber or neoprene grommet inside each hole, through which the mounting bolt or screw passes; and use a flat washer (between the bolt head and grommet) to spreadout the clamping force onto (first) the grommet and (then) the plastic. Thus, using the grommet as a flexible "vise-grip" to hold the plastic.

[RedDevil]

Say what - I joined the fun!

I bought a 1/2 m by 1 m sheet of 2 mm thick Lexan for my upcoming aero projects, first and foremost of which were my aero wheelhub covers.
The hub covers themselves are nicely curved but have them big holes and dimples that need covering up:

As you can see the sheet of Lexan is covered on both side with a thin blueish protection foil.

We need to carefully pull that off the sheet.
Then drape it over the hub caps (it was just enough for the 4 of them):


Clean the hub caps beforehand and make sure they have double sided sticky tape on the back, like this:


Pull the sheet tight on opposite ends and press it on the sticky tape. Go round the cap pulling the cover evenly flat. Finally trim the excess sheeting so that it does not get in the way when remounting the cap.


The end result. The cover is blueish what corresponds well to the blue accents in the Insights headlights and windows.

Seen in the light of day:


[edit] Well it did look cool for a week or 2. Then it started to rip at the edges. It quickly wears through because the cap rubs on the rim edge. A small piece of rubber found its way though the rim and got locked under the foil, over time it would have grown worse.
It might have worked but was a FAIL.