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In the photography world we have step-up rings to make a, say, 58mm filter fit a 62mm lens (I know about vignetting but light isn't an issue with center caps!) - I wonder if some enterprising engineer could make a 57mm to 67mm step-up center cap adaptor?
In the photography world we have step-up rings to make a, say, 58mm filter fit a 62mm lens (I know about vignetting but light isn't an issue with center caps!) - I wonder if some enterprising engineer could make a 57mm to 67mm step-up center cap adaptor?
If one had the equipment to drill a 52 mm hole into the VS center cap, a design is possible for an OEM cap to just snap in.
1. Grind off rivets on back of VS cap and remove backing plate (with tangs).
2. Drill or machine 52mm hole in VS cap and backing plate.
3. Bond backing plate back in place.
4. Insert OEM cap into VS donut and snap whole assembly into the wheel.
Great idea Lance. Could be tricky to get this done though...
Punching would be a relatively safe way of doing this, but your shop would need a straight 52mm punch and die. I have a set of manual hole punches (as shown below), but they they use a "serrated" male punch and I would think that would warp the VS cap.
A flat punch, as is used with a hydraulic press, would work best.
A drill would tear the cap into shards... too thin to hold onto. Using a lathe or milling machine would be a good bet, but either way the biggest challenge would be holding the delicate piece in place while you machine out 95% of the metal. I have done this wrong and ended up with a twisted piece of garbage, and it is really dangerous when it pulls out of the chuck.
...what about simply cutting off the tabs from the back of the original caps and using 3M double-sided tape to adhere them to the VS caps? There is a lot of cheap double-sided tape out there, but the heavy-duty 3M stuff is gold. I have used it on a number of pieces on my SRT8, and all have held for years. My CNC-milled rear emblem has been in place for 8-years
...taking the wheels into the shop today, for installation Monday. Good thing I have the Town & Country, or I would be making four trips for the wheels alone! I had the tires drop-shipped.
Quick Edit: The first link I posted above (JXHDKJ-W005-R...) is actually for replacing snap-in center caps in OEM wheels. Even though the description says "sticker", the backs have tabs, not a flat adhesive surface. ...ask me how I know
I may use these on the OEM wheels I am removing, and grind down the OEM center caps to adhere to the new wheels (don't have a belt sander though...)
Quick Edit: The first link I posted above (JXHDKJ-W005-R...) is actually for replacing snap-in center caps in OEM wheels. Even though the description says "sticker", the backs have tabs, not a flat adhesive surface. ...ask me how I know
I may use these on the OEM wheels I am removing, and grind down the OEM center caps to adhere to the new wheels (don't have a belt sander though...)
your idea may be the best, but I’m too damn cheap to sacrifice an expensive set of OEM caps. Still, I might do it anyway.
A 6mm spacer I had available provides more than adequate clearance.When I get the car home, I will take measurements and see what the minimum spacer size is that we can get away with. I am concerned with the 6 mm spacer that there may be outside tire Rub. In for alignment right now. Thank you Brutal for the alignment spec tweaks.
A 6mm spacer I had available provides more than adequate clearance.When I get the car home, I will take measurements and see what the minimum spacer size is that we can get away with. I am concerned with the 6 mm spacer that there may be outside tire Rub. In for alignment right now. Thank you Brutal for the alignment spec tweaks.
My VS02 20x9.5 ET43 cleared the big brakes with room to spare. What is the ET of your VS03?
Lance,
Thanks for the info. When you get a moment, can you take a side view photo of your car so both sets of wheels can be seen. Looking for overall views. Thanks.
I wonder how Tork Monster will make out with his 21's?
Lance,
Thanks for the info. When you get a moment, can you take a side view photo of your car so both sets of wheels can be seen. Looking for overall views. Thanks.
I wonder how Tork Monster will make out with his 21's?
I purposefully didn’t offer up a complete side shot until I got the car on level ground and the center caps installed. I’ll get that done tomorrow. The car got out of the shop after dark.
The tire guy was having a fit with syncing the TPMS sensors until I convinced him that the car would handle the last step of the procedure. Sure enough, it took less than 5 miles for everything to work again. Until then the tire warning light was lit and the front sensors were reading 1 psi and the rear 33 psi even though all tires were set at 37 psi. Every thing is reading accurately now.
Lance, Thanks for the info. When you get a moment, can you take a side view photo of your car so both sets of wheels can be seen. Looking for overall views. Thanks.
I wonder how Tork Monster will make out with his 21's?
Looks good so far! Tires are mounted and balanced, and on the car... however, the shop was also installing a new front strut which was damaged during the earlier installation of the AP springs. Jaguar sent the wrong strut... so now the car is waiting for more parts. I think I will be picking it up tomorrow morning regardless. The replacement part is supposed to be here in 2-3 days, but that always takes longer...
Lance- how did you like those center caps? They use spring steel for the tabs and a a real PITA to install. The shop asked me if I wanted to leave them off... I told them to do their best. It is a lot easier to install them when the wheels are off the car. All went well.
Lance- how did you like those center caps? They use spring steel for the tabs and a a real PITA to install. The shop asked me if I wanted to leave them off... I told them to do their best. It is a lot easier to install them when the wheels are off the car. All went well.
I gently adjusted the tabs inward with needle nose pliers to allow reasonable installation without damaging the wheel. Removing the center cap again still required a small hammer and soft material drift pin.
Everything fits well, and I am pleased with the offsets and overall setup. The car doesn’t ride any rougher with these 21” Michelin’s compared to the 20” Pirellis
I want to say "Thank you, again" to Lance for setting this up. I am very pleased with the wheels and I would not have found this supplier, or this great deal, but for your background work.
I want to say "Thank you, again" to Lance for setting this up. I am very pleased with the wheels and I would not have found this supplier, or this great deal, but for your background work.
@ Tork Monster, I have to say both your and Lance's cars look great. Is yours lowered on springs? I already bought the 20 inch 265/305 MP4S, so no going back now. Just need to decide on the color.
@Lance; +1 on request for final spec. Also, are you finding any issues with your tire/wheel setup given that your car is lowered?
Thanks to you both for seeing this through (and others who contributed their VS Forged photos, etc.).
