Experiment: smooth wheel discs tested A-B-A - 4.6% mpg improvement @ 65 mph - Page 16 - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

Christ · 12-14-2009, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BamZipPow

Giving this some more thought...maybe one could use this as a platform to screw/fasten/secure the cover to...

Time to make a run to Discount Tire and see if they will give me 16 old wheel weights...

I actually thought about it some more, and I honestly don't remember if the clips will actaully stick to the rim once you've removed the lead... I actually thinmk for some reason that the back of the lead is part of the holding mechanism.

However, lead is dense enough that you could use it to retain the screw heads, as well. You'd have to clip the weights on and have an understanding shop balance the wheel so they didnt' get removed, though.

Weather Spotter · 12-22-2009, 06:12 PM

I went to a hub cap store near me yesterday, they did not have an equivalent oem to replace my missing one. I explained what I was trying to do with the pizza pans and the owner started looking through his thousands of hub caps. I ended up with a set of these:

What do you think of these all by them selves?

would you mod them to cover the holes?

what do you think of the overall look on the car?

cfg83 · 12-22-2009, 06:26 PM

Weather Spotter -

I like the design, but I'm not into chrome wheels. But that's a personal thing. Since your car is silver, chrome wheels are ok.

CarloSW2

Weather Spotter · 12-22-2009, 06:30 PM

I am not a big fan of chrome wheels myself, if I painted them what color would go well with the car?

cfg83 · 12-22-2009, 09:00 PM

Weather Spotter -

Quote:

Originally Posted by Weather Spotter

I am not a big fan of chrome wheels myself, if I painted them what color would go well with the car?

Probably silver to match the car. I wonder if you could "dull-coat" the hubcaps to make them less shiny. Then they would look like alloy wheels (right?!?!?!?).

CarloSW2

Christ · 12-22-2009, 10:23 PM

If you have the time and patience, you can give chrome a brushed stainless look (sort of).

You have to have a way to spin the wheel cover, and you hold emery cloth against it, working from inside out, back in, back out, etc. Stop when you like the look.

Don't swirl the emery cloth around, it will mess up the look.

NeilBlanchard · 12-22-2009, 10:37 PM

Hi,

It should help lower the drag a little to cover the holes.

Weather Spotter · 12-22-2009, 10:57 PM

I think it is a fake chrome coating, two of the hub caps are in 98+% the others are at 90% with some flaking. I do not think I could get the brushed steel look.

I may try covering the holes, how would you do it and still keep access to the air ports?

Christ · 12-22-2009, 11:00 PM

Ew... if you can scrape the chrome off, you should be able to paint them fairly decently.

Are they plastic or metal?

To cover the holes, If it were me, I'd cut some pieces of tin, and add some nice evenly spaced rivets to the silver line that's just inside the black line. Drill a hole in one of the tin pieces for the air thingy to come out of.

Weather Spotter · 12-22-2009, 11:08 PM

I am not sure if they are plastic or metal, they have metal clips and feel heaver then the oem plastic ones, tomorrow I will go out and check. tomorrow is also my day for doing the mods as I have a CHRISTmas trip planned (640 miles round trip).
I like the rivets except I do not have any rivets or a riveter

Would tape work?

I could epoxy in all but the valve stem hole, and just leave that one open, suggestions?