Ideas for smooth wheel cover on spoked alloy wheel

[freebeard]

It can [apparently] be done: www.motortrend.com: 200mph 600hp VW Beetle - Warp Bubble

One-off 15x5.5-inch alloy wheels fitted with classic Moon racing caps for better aerodynamics are shod with Goodyear Eagle 24-inch diameter drag racing rubber rated to 300 mph!

Dzus Fastened MOON Disc - MOONEYES
MOON WHEEL DISCS DZUS made in USA Material: Spun Aluminum Finish: Sun Ray Finish Various sizes available. Custom sizes by special order are also possible. Price is for one Moon Disc. DZUS Fastened MOON Discs are ideal for quick release, removal and remounting. This is important and works great at Bonneville!

[j-c-c]

How about using a proper grade and overly long stud, then use a typical lug nut and use the outer exposed unused threaded stud as your attachment point?

Or use a stud with a normal length, with a long lug nut, and attach to the unused female threads in the long lug nut?

[Piotrsko]

Would need a stop nut on the inside under the disc, or some other form of spacer. Then we would return to my comment about the carbon fiber composite failing from resultant flexure around the attaching bolt.

All in all, cf is not necessarily a ideal material here.

[j-c-c]

The amount of flexure potential in this application would likely be due to wind buffeting/turbulence, (or significant wheel imbalance) and that would be at speed, and might be offset somewhat by the inherent centrifugal forces of the wheel's high rpms. Catastrophic CF could be mitigated by a layer or two of Kelvar fabric in the layup, allowing likely some visible indication of CF failure before any CF lamination total failure.

[freebeard]

That's a lot of work. Compare just buying Moon disks. I got these four for five dollars.

The mounting holes were wallowed out.

[j-c-c]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

Would need a stop nut on the inside under the disc, or some other form of spacer. Then we would return to my comment about the carbon fiber composite failing from resultant flexure around the attaching bolt.

All in all, cf is not necessarily a ideal material here.

The flexure in this application is not a given, nor is it enough of a proven concern to be sufficient to cause CF failure properly fabricated.

If my personal choice was to be between a 1950's moon alum covers pictured above vs a flat CF cover, aesthetics alone would be for CF, but that is me.

[freebeard]

That's a lot of work. Compare just buying Moon disks pizza pans.

.

[bandit86]

Long studs like threaded rod with short nuts welded in middle, could be used as wheel bolts

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by freebeard

That's a lot of work. Compare just buying Moon disks. I got these four for five dollars.

The mounting holes were wallowed out.

This happened with Spindletop. Honda's 13-inch. pressed-steel wheels deformed enough during driving to eat away at the six fastening holes, with 6mm hex-cap screws, drilled and tapped into the rim, penetrating into the tire bead.
I wasn't comfortable drilling and tapping the 14" forged-aluminum wheels.
So they just hang from the rafters, along with the 15" knock-on 'MOONs', which couldn't stay on 'Spirit' either.

[j-c-c]

Wheels flex, it's in their nature, and why OEM typical hubcaps have metal spring retention. Fastening near the center of the wheel cover removes wheel flex from the table, but you can still lead a horse to water, but you can't force them to drink.