Question : Wheel covers that rub front tires - ( dangers of)

[Cd]

User Arcosine ( if I got the spelling right ) had some wheel covers on his Saturn SC1.
They worked beautifully, and had minimal extra frontal area, since they didn't extend far from the body.
He just used heavy rubber / plastic bathtub liner, and some heavy duty rubber bungee cords to keep the covers flush against the body.
The tires would rub against the shower liner in turns, instead of the usual method of using assembly line wheels.

Could I do something similar using aluminum sheet riveted to the back of the wheel cover ?
I'm worried that though slick, the metal would heat much faster than the shower liner and blow out my tire.

[freebeard]

I blew out a sidewall, but I had to slide sideways into a curb at 30MPH to do it.

Maybe -- if you drove in a circle. Most turns are momentary.

Rather than sheet aluminum, maybe Derlin:

https://www.mcmaster.com › acetal › material~delrin-acetal-plastic
Delrin | McMaster-Carr
Delrin® Acetal AF Resin Sheets and Strips The addition of PTFE provides a more slippery, wear-resistant surface than standard Delrin® acetal resin. It's commonly fabricated into pump components, gears, and bearings. Slippery Wear-Resistant Easy-to-Machine Delrin® Acetal AF Resin Tubes

[Ecky]

Basjoos used aluminum conveyer belt rollers attached to the inside of the wheel covers on Aerocivic. There was no frictional surface, the rollers simply rolled along the sidewall when turning, though the rollers he used were the less expensive ones (without bearings) so they're a bit noisy.

[Cd]

Thanks Freebeard. This is the first I have read of this material.
I notice some plastics are really slick, and thought of using some like your suggestion.

The thing is, is that I have a roll of leftover aluminum sheeting from years ago.

I'll go ahead and try using it and report back.
I posted mainly in case any of you knew for certain that it wouldn't work due to friction.
I know of coarse that it WILL heat the tire in the area it makes contact.
I'm not too concerned, since I will only be making a few turns that have at most 10 -15 seconds of contact.
However, this will be on an already warm tire.

I'm just trying to think of all the issues before they arise.

[freebeard]

On one side you could buff the nibs and lettering off the sidewall, or load up the tire with Armour-All for testing.

[oil pan 4]

Originally Posted by Ecky

Basjoos used aluminum conveyer belt rollers attached to the inside of the wheel covers on Aerocivic. There was no frictional surface, the rollers simply rolled along the sidewall when turning, though the rollers he used were the less expensive ones (without bearings) so they're a bit noisy.

It appeared to work.

[freebeard]

I'll go ahead and try using it and report back.

Will you hinge or four-bar the skirts?

[Cd]

Four bar ? Is that the design that swings up, instead of out ?
I like that design, but am unsure how I would make it work around the edges.
With a hinged design, I just have to create a rigid arch attached to the lip.
I'm trying to avoid air, and especially water, from getting in between the cover and and the wheel and ripping it off.
I'm still curious how the 4bar design works.
I'll try again to find some videos showing it in action

[freebeard]

I should/could redo this. In 2014 all I had was Wings 3D to work with.



The key point is the top bars are connected. This is to prevent racking movement.

A possible improvement would be a flexible gap filler at the front.

[Cd]

It appears as though it would swing outward first, and then continue it's arc upwards.