Flat hubcaps?

[DaX]

Anyone ever thought of fabbing up their own smooth wheel hubcaps like the Progress/Vortech landspeed civic? Would this be worth the time?

[Matt Timion]

There was a fellow on an insight message board that wanted to do this. he wanted to make the insight SUPER aerodynamic. Here was his photoshopped proposal for his car:



Someone pointed out however that there needs to be some air to cool the brakes or else they will overheat and break.

I've considered putting wheel skirts on my rear two wheels though like the insight. I'm not sure how much work is involved in something like that, but it would be pretty cool if you ask me

[SVOboy]

I still say your can do the rear wheel covers easily if you just fab up some fiber glass.

[chromejunks]

http://www.hubcapmike.com/racing_disc_wheelcovers.html

yes i am looking into this heres a link not the expensive. you would also like to lower the car so that the wheel fills up the wheel opening more to keep air from piling up in the wheel well

[SVOboy]

Damn, not bad, I'm tempted to make some myself though, it'd take some damn fiberglass to my wheels. Good stuff though, really not that expensive.

EDIT: Welcome to the site, junks. :-)

[gene]

I just put a set of smooth hubcaps on my escort. I will be watching my mpg's to see if there's an increase. It's hard to find any data on them. I know they use them on experimental cars striving for mileage and also on racing bicycles so I can't help but to think they help, but how much I have no idea.

[Matt Timion]

Originally Posted by gene

I just put a set of smooth hubcaps on my escort. I will be watching my mpg's to see if there's an increase. It's hard to find any data on them. I know they use them on experimental cars striving for mileage and also on racing bicycles so I can't help but to think they help, but how much I have no idea.

Heya gene. Do you have any pictures? I'd like to see the hubcaps in action.

[Compaq888]

Originally Posted by chromejunks

http://www.hubcapmike.com/racing_disc_wheelcovers.html

yes i am looking into this heres a link not the expensive. you would also like to lower the car so that the wheel fills up the wheel opening more to keep air from piling up in the wheel well

I don't know about those. There is a reason that wheels have holes in their design. You need to cool the brakes. If you cover up the wheel like that you better find an alternative way to cool down the brakes.

Lowering the car and using a wind diffuser will give a better mileage gain. Just using the wind diffuser will give a really small gain but the diffuser with a lower car combined will save some money on fuel, not only that but the car will be faster.

[kickflipjr]

They can't help enough to notice. Maybee a few hundreths of a mpg. My wheels are relativly flat already.

[JanGeo]

I just drove my Ocean Drive run the other way and when I got back I found ice buildup on the leading edge (when they travel forward on the top of the rotation) of the rear wheel hubcap spokes. Seems to me if they are catching ice from the spray from the front wheel or for that matter any flying around from the rear wheel that they have to present some air drag. My Geo had rather smooth hubcaps with oval holes near the outter edge which I like for aerodynamics and am thinking of some simular ones for the xB.

[JanGeo]

Just had a crazy idea - I have some shipping stretch wrap big enough to cover the entire hubcap - would make it smoother and protect it from dirt, mud and snow and be clear enough to see through. hummmm...

[MetroMPG]

that would work!

the '95 and up metros have hubcaps that are quite "domed" if you know what i mean.

on cars with the skinny 155/80/13 tires like mine, the hubcap protrudes noticibly further into the airflow than the tire sidewall, with the result that any car driven regularly at higher speeds (especially with winter salt & grit) gets the finish sandblasted off the exposed portion of the hubcaps! over the years, of course.

they were like that on firefly #1. i repainted them when i got the car.

i have an idea for making smooth wheel covers this summer. black. maybe use an old set of hubcaps as a base, then attach a flat plastic disc.

i don't think we need to worry much about brake cooling unless you live in a mountainous area, or stop repeatedly from high speed. truly efficient drivers barely use their brakes enough to get them warm, let alone hot.

[krousdb]

Or you could do this:

http://www.vassfamily.net/ToyotaPrius/rimscaps/RimsCaps.html

http://www.vfaq.net/mods/Hubcaps.html

[JanGeo]

Yeah mine had the domes ones and I made the mistake of power washing them from about 3 feet away - as soon as the water spray hit them the paint came off - another one got scratched pretty bad when I backed up along a curb and sank into a storm drain dip - the curb was half way up the tire. I have 145/80R12 tires on my 94Geo!

[SVOboy]

I actually saw a normal (or so I assumed) person with these the other day. I doubt brake fade would be that much of an issue. Always a good time to practice engine braking, uses 0 gas too,

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by krousdb

Or you could do this:

haha! yes, i've seen that site before. pizza pans. resourceful.

dedicated too - he spent 6 hrs making the first "prototype".

<img src="http://www.vassfamily.net/ToyotaPrius/rimscaps/MHC2_MyPrius.jpg" width="350">