Another car for MetroMPG: convertible 1991 Pontiac Firefly (Geo Metro)

[Christ]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

You mean a top that went up and down via something like a window crank?

I don't know of one.

Yeah, that's what I meant. Thinking about it, that was the crank-type moon roofs I was thinking about.

[MetroMPG]

Bought some eco-bling for the 'vert today: the same kind of 14 inch wheels as on this one (OEM Suzuki GTi 7-spokers):



How am I justifying them as eco-bling?

Because they'll hold my future Bridgestone Potenza RE92 14 inch tires. And they're light: around 10 lbs. The 165 width RE92's + alloys are a couple of lbs lighter each than 155's on 13 inch steelies.

Also, they look purdy (though the ones I'm getting aren't painted like this, and need to be refinished).

And being interchangeable between the ECOnvertible (woo, just made that up), the Flea and the ForkenSwift, I'm sure they'll spend time on each vehicle.

[Christ]

I like those wheels. They're not "out there", but still look somewhat racy. And they're light. Woot.

I'm looking for a ~10lb wheel for the Golf. I'm still seriously considering just putting trailer tires on it. LOL.

[Turbo Dan-O]

Nice! Yea, I would KEEP the stripes at all costs!

Dan-o

[MetroMPG]

Nooooooo! Stripes be gone!

One of these days I'll get a few pics of the car so you can see them in their full hideousness. That may not even be a word.

Originally Posted by Christ

I like those wheels. They're not "out there", but still look somewhat racy.

I'll have to figure out a way to do wheel discs for highway / competition use though. These will be multipurpose wheels! Conventionally purdy at times, smooth at others. But always light and wearing glidey LRR tires. Maybe lexan discs, like on some of the efficient show cars?

I'm looking for a ~10lb wheel for the Golf.

13 or 14? You can stick ~9 lb VX rims on there, no? HX rims if you want 14's.

[Christ]

I can use HX/VX wheels, or even the 13" CRX Si wheels from the 1985 Si (only year that had the particular wheels I'm thinking of), but finding them, then affording them, is always the issue.

Every time I see HX wheels around here, they're always either insanely overpriced, or badly damaged. Of course, if I'd bought all the damaged sets, I'd probably have one full set with a couple spares by now, but I'd also be into them nearly $1,000.

As far as your wheel covers go, you could check into getting another set of center caps for the wheels, OE or not, and drilling/tapping 4 holes at their perimeter to screw a wheel cover into, if you think they'd hold. If not, you may be able to drill/tap the end of the axle stub with a single stud that is only long enough to allow the center cap back on, then when you want your wheel covers on, remove center cap, and install covers with a screw that has one of those sleeve nuts on the end, and use some silicone sealant on the threads to make it stick enough that it won't wobble off, but you can still remove it with a socket or a screwdriver.

You could also drill and tap the lip of the rim, or get it balanced by a shop you know that will let you put 4 .25oz weights evenly spaced before they balance it, then drill/tap the weights when they're done... not sure how well that would hold up, though, because it's just lead you'd be tapping into. I'm sure you'd have to replace the weights after taking the wheel covers on and off a few times.

[Christ]

A slightly more elegant, potentially less simple to apply, and definitely more annoying feature would be to install washers which sit in the larger ID behind where the center caps lock, and weld carriage bolts to the washers. You then get some pan head inside screws (good luck finding those) and use them to install the caps.

The downside is that you probably won't be able to find those inside threaded screws, and the washers with the bolts welded to them would have to be installed/removed in order to keep the OE appearance.

[Piwoslaw]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

I'll have to figure out a way to do wheel discs for highway / competition use though. These will be multipurpose wheels! Purdy at times, smooth at others. But always light and wearing glidey LRR tires.

Are smooth wheel covers not purdy?

[MetroMPG]

Definitely. Different kind of purdy though!

I'll be making a couple of uncharacteristic (for me) concessions to appearance over ultimate efficiency with this car.

Topher: thanks for the wheel disc attachment ideas. Someone at GGP just velcroed a set on his Insight alloys and said they've been fine - did you see that? It was the hybrid battery rebuilder guy.

I wouldn't go the velcro route though... since there's velcro left behind when the discs are off.

[Christ]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Definitely. Different kind of purdy though!

I'll be making a couple of uncharacteristic (for me) concessions to appearance over ultimate efficiency with this car.

Topher: thanks for the wheel disc attachment ideas. Someone at GGP just velcroed a set on his Insight alloys and said they've been fine - did you see that? It was the hybrid battery rebuilder guy.

I wouldn't go the velcro route though... since there's velcro left behind when the discs are off.

Darin -

I didn't see that, that I'm aware of. I must have missed several things that day, I'm sure. First timer, ya know.

Regarding the Velcro, what would be bad about mounting the hook strips (the hard stuff) to the area of the rim behind the spokes? Then the pile strips (fabric ones) could be mounted to metal tabs JB-WELD'd to the wheel disc cover in such a way that when fastened, they held the wheel cover as though someone were pulling it against the wheel from the back side.

Better yet! Fasten some straps to your wheel covers, and make some S-pieces out of flat stock. Install the S-pieces between the tire bead and wheel lip, and you can leave them there. When you want to install the discs, you fasten the straps to the hooks with (elastic?)... When you want them off, you remove them and noone is the wiser!