15" hubcaps

[Knight Passions]

I'm in process of getting the great replica hubcaps back on the road again.
I invested a lot of money into these and now the production almost stopped, because of material problems.
A special person who also works for the fiberglass company makes them (just like the 'Gullwing " steering wheels) and he tried to solve the problem, but unfortunately without succes.

He's very pigheaded person and it's very difficult to get the mold from him, because it's his work / piece of art.
The fiberglass company is trying to convince him to let me have the mold where I paid big buck for, so I can go to another person with it, then he can try to solve the problem.

I hope this all won't take to long and that the material problem will be solved, so I can take the hubcaps into production again.
Once there is news about this, I will share it here again and on the Knight Passions site.

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[Knight Passions]

To solve the material problem I need some help from everyone. How much heat do the hubcaps need to be resisted to?...any idea? (heat from the summer + braking) = ????

[Newcastle knight]

they would need to be fairly resiliant.  Ive now got a set of all metal hubcaps on my car which is the result of a project by Magnums Moustache here on the forum.  if you touch your rims after you have been driving the car they get a little warm from the hub heating up but not much, the fronts anyway. but leaving a car out on the hot sun will warm them up no end.  I know replica caps have been around a long time and id stay away from fibreglass for them.  maybe having them injection moulded like regular wheel trims would be better instead, so they are very rigid.  you dont want them to flex at all really.

Anyway i think the ultimate solution are these metal caps as they bolt to the special wheel nuts, will never come off, warp etc etc

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[kitt23]

those caps look real nice, just to rich for my blood and they look a little flattish to me, after someone mentioned that to me is when i really noticed

[pbryant_knight]

Having seen them on the car in the flesh they look excellent. I think they only look flattish in the pics due to the high polish but in reality they look identical to the OEM ones. I think they look better than the OEM ones as the edges are really sharp (not cut yourself sharp but crisp looking).

Thats not to say that the Fiberglass ones that Joao makes aren't also excellent because they are. The metal ones are in a totally different league. And they bolt on using existing nuts so no more of this having them fly off when driving down the road (as we've experience MANY times)

Peter

[kitt23]

I agree the concept of the caps with lug nuts holding them in is much much better imo. Genius design, like i said only downfall for is the price at $925 thats too rich for my blood and i dont like to go cheap lol

[Knight Passions]

Making the hubcaps out of metal is a great idea, but it will also be a lot more expensive to create them.

It's not possible to make the hubcaps not flexible at all, because the clips that hook into the rims must be flexible, else you are not able to put it onto the rim or remove it.
The hubcaps are made from one kind of resin, so it must be flexible...but not to much, it must be able to resist a lot of heat aswell.

Personally I'm not a fan of the hubcaps locked with a wheel nut because then you always need to remove the wheel nut to remove the hubcap itself.

The fiberglass company is now looking into it deeply to find a solution.
I really hope they will find one.

[Magnums Moustache]

Hi, Joao, the wheelnuts are not removed to remove a Magnumcap. All five wheelnuts remain in position. The cap is removed by unscrewing three allen bolts and takes just seconds.

I too hope that you are able to resolve your problem. Your caps are admired my many people around the world, myself included. Please keep us updated with any news of progress.

Chris.

[Knight Passions]

I went to the fiberglass company today and they are going to talk to the person who makes the hubcaps.
It’s not someone from the fiberglass company itself.

They have put the hubcaps also into the sun and have seen the problem.
They had another product from a different material, also some kind of plastic and putted it also into the sun and it hold his shape, did not became flexible, so now they are going to talk to the person about this material, or he can fabricate the hubcaps from it.
If he can, then I think the heat problem is solved!!

(More about it soon, and I hope it will be with photos from the new hubcap!!)

[Knight Passions]

Yes, they are back again!

This was a test hubcap to see or the heat problem is solved and it is!!!Layed all afternoon in the sun and it didn't become flexible or changed shape.

Now it stays like it is, hard, but still a little flexible to install it and get it off the rim again.
This would also mean that it can be mounted and you don't have to secure them anymore, now you can always remove them easily when ever you want.


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[kitt23]

how hot was it out that you tested it in?

[Knight Passions]

No idea, but the sun was constantly on it and it was still in the same condition as it was normally.
Also the fiberglass company tested it.

The "old" ones would have been flexible as bottom of a pizza who still had to go into the oven by now!

[kitt23]

I'm glad you got it resolved. when do you expect orders to be accepted?

[pbryant_knight]

Nice, Looks like a quality piece as well.

How are these mounted?

Peter

[Newcastle knight]

Cool man   do they just bash onto the rims like the OEM ones ?

[Knight Passions]

The hubcaps now can be ordered again!

Yes, correct, they mount exactly the same way as the originals.
Many persons said that they are better then the originals.
Personally I totally agree on that, because I have an original set on my car and two hubcaps almost fall off already.

[Newcastle knight]

No doubt man   i had oem caps on my 14" wheels and even though all the mounting tabs were intact they are just plastic, and 30+ year old plastic that gets brittle over time, i cable tied them on there too.

[Knight Passions]

Check out the video a customer made who bought a set of the improved hubcaps made from the new material...

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[saltire knight]

any plans to make 14"caps?

[Knight Passions]

Actually not, because making the mold is very expensive for this small part.
There are to many other parts that are more important for me to take into production.

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