Aero hub caps

[Otto]

1. Put a grease cap on your hub, or the bearings may be starved of lubrication. While you're at it, prolly a good idea to re-lube the bearings, which may already be dry-ish.

2. Consider shorter valve stems, so you don't need to drill a hole in each pizza pan. Motorcycle valve stems? (At least, the ones on my bikes are shorter than those on my cars, but unsure if the hole in the wheel is the same.)

3. I would not drill into the steel wheel for fear of causing a weak spot, corrosion pathway, or imbalance. Rather, how about researching use of the balancing weight clips as mounting points. 3 holes, screws flush mounted by countersinking the holes in the pizza pans, or making dimples. Stainless steel screws. That said, you may have corrosion due to electrolysis between different types of metal with alu pans and ss screws. Anybody here know about this?

4. Velcro? If the pans fit snugly just over or inside the lip of the steel wheel, maybe adhesive-backed Velcro all around the rim would work. No rattles!

5. With pizza pans mounted, can the wheels still be balanced on a high speed machine? If so, you're balancing the whole package, much better than just the wheel/tire without the pan. Stick-on weights on inner surface of wheel should work.

6. What size wheels are those? Exactly how wide are the pizza pans? Fit just inside of just over the wheel rim lip?

[Weather Spotter]

The wheels are 16" so are the Pizza pans. that said, there is a nice gap of about 1/2" all the way around the pizza pan (I could not find 17" at a good price (under $12 each)).

I have looked at the wheel clip idea before, I do not think it will work for me.

Why should I add a grease hub when there is none on the car to start with? The bearings are all internal to the drive assembly.

Why I wanted holes for the valve stems was to check the air without having to remove the covers (the stems fit under the pan just fine)

[Otto]

Originally Posted by Weather Spotter

The wheels are 16" so are the Pizza pans. that said, there is a nice gap of about 1/2" all the way around the pizza pan (I could not find 17" at a good price (under $12 each)).

I have looked at the wheel clip idea before, I do not think it will work for me.

Why should I add a grease hub when there is none on the car to start with? The bearings are all internal to the drive assembly.

Sounds like grease caps not a problem. One less thing to worry about.

Sounds like pizza pans fit inside the outer lips of wheels, i.e., pizza pans have 16" diameter vs. ~17" lip diameter of wheels. Does the inner radiused ring of the wheel protrude far enough outboard that the pizza pan will be flush against it? If so, and if the Velcro idea works, maybe put the Velcro there, with corresponding Velcro on inner surface of pans. I'm only speculating here about Velcro. Ideally, the outer edge of the pizza pans would fit just a bit snuggly inside the lip of the wheel rim, such that when you hit a bump, the wheel rim carries the load of the pizza pan, and the Velcro holds it down snug from flying off at highway speed. This idea a red herring if Velcro is a non-starter. Worth a shot? Thoughts?

The balancing weight shown in your wheel picture can be replaced with a stick-on type, leaving the rim uniform all around.

[Weather Spotter]

Here is how they look held in place:



Current:


the lip of the pizza pan just comes to the flat spot on the outer edge of the rim. there is less than a 1/4" overlap, not enough to do anything with. I think that the idea of Velcro is nice, but what ever I do will have to be with the ridge in the middle.

How bad would 3 bolts on the ridge be for rim integrity?

[Otto]

Originally Posted by Weather Spotter

Here is how they look held in place:



Current:


the lip of the pizza pan just comes to the flat spot on the outer edge of the rim. there is less than a 1/4" overlap, not enough to do anything with. I think that the idea of Velcro is nice, but what ever I do will have to be with the ridge in the middle.

How bad would 3 bolts on the ridge be for rim integrity?

I'd worry about messing with the wheel itself, for fear of compromising it's structural integrity now or after any corrosion of holes drilled. But, let's hear from others more experienced in such matters.

I've not yet done any of this, but have an eye out for aluminum pizza pans for my Ford Econoline van with factory aluminum wheels. I'm hoping to find some to fit snugly just inside the rim lip, or perhaps just over it, to be self-centering. Just inside the rim prolly best, so when it hits a bump, the vertical load on the pizza pan is directly absorbed and contained by the rim lip, rather than side-stressing the pizza pan mounts.

[Patrick]

I had the holes in my rims for 5+ years and had no issues. You're only removing about 1/18th of the metal in that area (circumference-wise). Compare how much metal you will have left in the ridge versus the area that has the pre-punched holes in it. I think the ridge has more, therefore, IMO it's a non-issue.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by Otto

4. Velcro?

I wouldn't even want to try it.
When even the metal spring-type wheel covers won't always stay on (I've lost 2 while driving) , velcro really won't stand much of a chance .

[Weather Spotter]

I lost one of my OEM hub caps, and two others from having the clips not stay on.

[Soulster]

I would doubt that velcro would hold with the crazy bumps in Michigan's roads (they are rather crappppppy!)

That being said, the pans are only $3...so it really wouldn't hurt to try!

As for drilling, I really would doubt that the holes would really damage the integrity of the wheel, so go for it.

[Weather Spotter]

I just might need to get my drill and tap out. I think I will try 3 bolts @ 120 degrees apart. That should hold well, while not drilling much out.