Racing discs-worth it?

[Bror Jace]

Thanks cfg83, but I never go to automated car washes.

[jthistle]

Looks good. The silver was a bit much for me so I painted mine with Dupli-Color's Graphite wheel coating. Unfortunately the spray can is not very even. I have read that epoxy paint can be brushed and even out very nicely, so I think I will repaint.

[cfg83]

jthistle -

Originally Posted by jthistle

Looks good. The silver was a bit much for me so I painted mine with Dupli-Color's Graphite wheel coating. Unfortunately the spray can is not very even. I have read that epoxy paint can be brushed and even out very nicely, so I think I will repaint.

Powder coating is also an option, but that's more $$.

CarloSW2

[rjacob]

Hey Bror Jace, have you seen any FE improvement on your Civic? I would be looking at putting em on my 2000 Civic.

[Bror Jace]

rjacob, I've only had them on for 4 days now ... give me some time.

But there was someone else here that did testing of smooth wheel covers and got a 4.6% improvement. Thread isn't that old ... maybe a week or so.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by Bror Jace

Wow, all of a sudden, my hum-drum Civic is getting noticed by others on the road.

I can see why. Something about the shape/colour of your car goes really well with those wheel covers. I like it a lot.

[Bror Jace]

Well, I've had my discs on for a couple of weeks. Not noticeable gains in fuel economy ... but I don't have any apples-to-apples comparisons to make. I did just take a 320 mile trip (about 38.8mpg so far) on Saturday but the air temp was about 60F compared to my July 4th trip when the ambient temp was at least 80F (42.7mpg). I drove a bit faster ... and there was some city mileage mixed into that as well. I also won't be able to show any gains as the temps go down throughout this month and next. If my mileage merely stays consistent for the next 2+ months, I will feel I've accomplished some gains.

One serendipitous effect of the covers is the tremendous cosmetic appeal the car now has. I get people staring at me, other cars slow down to take a better look, people ask why I put them on, etc ... My ho-hum Civic has become a conversation piece.

One weird side effect is that at low speeds and with the windows open, I can hear a tick, tick, tick sound as the wheels go around. Oh, and the day after my 320 mile trip, I went around and found they had loosened just a hair. Minor points ... but worth mentioning.

[thebrad]

Originally Posted by Bror Jace

Well, I've had my discs on for a couple of weeks. Not noticeable gains in fuel economy ... but I don't have any apples-to-apples comparisons to make. I did just take a 320 mile trip (about 38.8mpg so far) on Saturday but the air temp was about 60F compared to my July 4th trip when the ambient temp was at least 80F (42.7mpg). I drove a bit faster ... and there was some city mileage mixed into that as well. I also won't be able to show any gains as the temps go down throughout this month and next. If my mileage merely stays consistent for the next 2+ months, I will feel I've accomplished some gains.

One serendipitous effect of the covers is the tremendous cosmetic appeal the car now has. I get people staring at me, other cars slow down to take a better look, people ask why I put them on, etc ... My ho-hum Civic has become a conversation piece.

One weird side effect is that at low speeds and with the windows open, I can hear a tick, tick, tick sound as the wheels go around. Oh, and the day after my 320 mile trip, I went around and found they had loosened just a hair. Minor points ... but worth mentioning.

They want to see their distorted reflection.

[donee]

Hi Bror,

The difference in air density (directly proportional to aero drag) was about 5 percent (80 F versus 65 F). So, your drop in mileage by 9 percent cannot be completely explained by the temperature change.

Aero effects are so small, one needs to do a side-by-side evaluation.

[whokilledthejams]

Originally Posted by Bror Jace

One weird side effect is that at low speeds and with the windows open, I can hear a tick, tick, tick sound as the wheels go around. Oh, and the day after my 320 mile trip, I went around and found they had loosened just a hair. Minor points ... but worth mentioning.

I've had my Moon discs since February, and on this saturday morning, I finally got around to fixing that noise. Get the cheapest tube of caulk you can if you don't already have some lying around the house, and run a bead around both sides of the teeth. The noise won't be 100% gone, but it'll be so quiet that you'd have to be listening for it to notice much.

I have no idea why I took so long to getting around to fixing this. It was the best $7.50 I ever spent (I had to buy a caulk gun along with the caulk).

If I remember, I'll pry one off and take a picture tomorrow.