Good Practical Robust Flat Wheel Covers - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

NeilBlanchard · 05-24-2014, 06:04 PM

Yesterday, one of my flat wheel covers fell off. This is getting maddening - I have tried stainless dome covers (the springs are not stainless, so they rust and fail) and pizza pans riveted to plastic covers (too heavy to stay one with only one spring, and eventually they fall off with two springs), and this latest one was fabric and glue and paint over a plastic cover with 2 springs - and it came off, as well.

So what does a determined ecomodder do?

ABS plastic fatigues, as do steel springs. How do we make a secure mechanical connection to hold a flat cover in place on a car wheel? It obviously has to let us fill the tire, and to change the wheel; either with holes, or by coming off relatively easily.

Is there something new and better for smooth flat wheel covers?

oil pan 4 · 05-24-2014, 07:15 PM

They posted some other idea on here:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...eel-22003.html

I always figured the best way would be to get a fairly flat cover and alter it a bit. That way you always start off with something makes a good connection to the wheel.

Frank Lee · 05-24-2014, 08:58 PM

Agreed- with some investigating, good flat and smooth stock covers can be found that we know will stay on and last. I've mentioned before that many '80s cars had nice candidates.

backpacker3 · 05-24-2014, 11:29 PM

This is a thread I started when I found an idea on instructables about taking the stock plastic wheel covers stretching a piece of fabric over them and using an epoxy if I remember right to harden them. There is a link to the page with full instructions in that thread but if you find he smoothest covers you can the it should give you a pretty flat surface and there's not a huge chance of them going anywhere.

Here is the link
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...dea-28207.html

skyking · 05-25-2014, 01:48 AM

my beetles have alloy wheels that won't hold a factory type cover, so I have other ideas.
They use bolts instead of lug nuts, and I can braze a nut onto the end of the bolt so I can use screws to hang the covers.
The factory bolt has a recess in the end to facilitate this.

meebo001 · 05-25-2014, 03:43 AM

I picked up a set of Stanley rubber chair feet from Walmart. The insides area a hexagon pattern and match my lugnuts. I cut the ends and then re-glued the bulbus end back on but rotated it so the inner pattern was offset and would grip between the rim and the taper of the lugnut. On the other end I removed the felt pad and made a hole for an M6 10mm stainless steel bolt to poke outward. The rubber cup is held onto the lugnut with a gear clamp/ hose clamp/ circular clamp, whatever you want to call it. The aluminum pan has 4 holes for the bolts to pass through and is held on with a stainless steel washer and lock nut. You just need to pick a bolt length that will clear the rim so it will fit and look nice.
I've had them on for about 3000 km through winter and rough roads and the highway. No problems except a little bit of rust on the bolt I rubbed off with a brass brush.

meebo001 · 05-25-2014, 03:50 AM

1752-Flexi-Felt-Tubular-Leg-Tip-S849-242 | Stanley Hardware These ones.

backpacker3 · 05-25-2014, 10:18 AM

I can't believe I didn't think of this before but on the lugnuts I have there are external threads like this one.

Perhaps if you used something like that you could find a way to utilize the external threads to hold the cover on?

oil pan 4 · 05-25-2014, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skyking

my beetles have alloy wheels that won't hold a factory type cover, so I have other ideas.
They use bolts instead of lug nuts, and I can braze a nut onto the end of the bolt so I can use screws to hang the covers.
The factory bolt has a recess in the end to facilitate this.

Careful there, all that heating will ruin the heat treatment on the bolt.
If you wanted to add a nut like that it should be tack welded with a mig welder and then dunked in water after each tack to get rid of the heat before it gets to the shoulder of the bolt.

NeilBlanchard · 05-25-2014, 11:37 PM

Fabric over cheap plastic wheel covers is the best - so far - but even when I buy 8 and double up on the springs in each, they fall off. I know that wheel covers in general fall off, and that's why I think we need a mechanical fastener. Welding a Dzus nut, or a regular threaded nut to the wheel, and fastening them with 3 around the perimeter seems close to ideal.