Flat Metal Wheel Covers

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't we establish there was improvement with the cover on the inside of the wheel?

Danika Patrick's Indycar had flush carbon fiber surfaces,with integral ram-air brake-cooling ducting on the insides of her car.And Bonneville lakesters often times run them.They don't worry about the brakes,as the drag chutes do the initial deceleration,then they've literally got miles to burn off speed before they have to turn off the course.
On a road vehicle it would be good to engineer for brake cooling.On your own you might compensate,but any dimwit could force you into a panic braking scenario,and you don't want fade,or warped rotors.Stopping from 75-mph on an Interstate's,8% downhill grade could be problematic.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

I would settle for flat aluminum disks, but I am hoping for manufactured stainless units.

I believe that John Shinella's wind tunnel testing of wheel covers on the 1983,Pontiac Trans Am Firebird demonstrated the lowest drag with a convex,MOON type cover.They were his secret weapon to get below Cd 0.30.
Also,the dished surface will not 'oilcan' as a flat surface would,unless the flat disc were a thicker wall section,or had stiffeners on the inside surface.Southwest Airlines chooses them over a 'flat' wheel cover.

[freebeard]

I'm thinking again about the disks I posted in #3. I [almost] have a car I would use them on now, but it has 12' wheels.

If I could chuck them up in something and spin them, I might could trim them down and roll a new lip.