? about wheel covers (need to preserve access to hub locks) - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

aktacoma · 06-01-2013, 05:11 PM

so I want to do pizza pan covers for my tacoma however in the front to use the 4 wheel drive I have to lock my hubs and that requires access to the front wheels. so has anyone figured out what to use? I want to cut a hole in the pans so i can stick my hand through and lock the hubs but am wondering what i should use to cover the holes and keep my aerodynamic resistance to a minimum??

Rango318 · 06-01-2013, 05:57 PM

Would there be a way to attach the covers to the actual lock so you can turn the pizza pan to lock and unlock the wheels. If so you could just have a small hole, as to use some sort of removable handle in the hole. (sorry i'm not doing the best at describing my ideas)

aktacoma · 06-01-2013, 06:06 PM

No I understand however I want to make sure that the hubs don't lock in without me knowing because that can screw up your front drive components if like one was locked in and one was not. The tool idea is good but sometimes I'm on the road and I need the hubs so I jump out quickly and fumbling with a tool at -30F is not my idea of fun haha

Rusty94cx · 06-01-2013, 06:29 PM

Why not tiny holes and zip toes to hold the pans on. Always carry extra zip ties and presto.

aktacoma · 06-01-2013, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rusty94cx

Why not tiny holes and zip toes to hold the pans on. Always carry extra zip ties and presto.

no thats what i plan on doing but i dont want to have to yank the whole pan off when i need to lock the hubs each time I need the 4 wheel drive

NachtRitter · 06-01-2013, 08:02 PM

Rubber grommet?

Get one with a small hole in the middle (I've also seen some with "pizza slice" cuts) so you can get a grip on the grommet to pull it out when you need to... the small hole would have essentially no effect on the FE.

One of the papers linked to on here also indicated that having "donut" shaped wheel covers (that is, a ring with a hole in the middle) has minimal disadvantage compared to a solid wheel cover... meaning you could just leave the hole uncovered and still gain nearly all the effect of a solid cover. Unfortunately I couldn't tell you which thread this information was in.

aktacoma · 06-01-2013, 08:12 PM

thats exactly what i was thinking except i didnt know the exact name for them!! where did you find solid ones though??

Sven7 · 06-01-2013, 08:20 PM

You could mount the covers onto snap-on autozone wheel covers, and pull the things off when you need to get in there. Or you could buy two flat-faced wheels for the front and forget about wheel covers.

NachtRitter · 06-01-2013, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aktacoma

thats exactly what i was thinking except i didnt know the exact name for them!! where did you find solid ones though??

Google-y...

Searched for "rubber grommets" and then looked at the images to find what I thought would work. The image I linked was from here: Suttle SAE-GMT8 Rubber Grommet Kit (8 pack) - HomeTech Solutions

Another thought is to use the metal grommets such as this:

That one I found at Lowe's on-line.

Rokeby · 06-01-2013, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NachtRitter

...One of the papers linked to on here also indicated that having "donut" shaped wheel covers (that is, a ring with a hole in the middle) has minimal disadvantage compared to a solid wheel cover... meaning you could just leave the hole uncovered and still gain nearly all the effect of a solid cover. Unfortunately I couldn't tell you which thread this information was in.

Is this the one?
Drag Reduction Through Wheel Design