- The Hybrid 2004 Toyota Prius -
- My hubcap project -

Since my previous hubcaps were stolen ( I took that as a complement ),
I made new, "22nd Century" ones... This is how my Prius looks now...
Így néz ki most az új dísztárcsákkal...

Concerns about ventillation / heat...

Here is the webpage I created to design the look...




This is how the "last" version looks.
I used stainless steel allen bolts to replace the below wires.
Not as stealthy, but definitely sturdier.
Here is a link which describes the process quite well...
Lecseréltem a drótokat csavarokra...

Since the original "untreated" version rusted quite a bit,
I painted them with some industrial strength silver:


First I had to get rid of all the rust:


Before painting the final silver, I primed them:

The first pictures on this webpage show the final results...

Here is the "wired" version :

It took me about 1.5 hours to make one of these.
( Altough the first one was about 6 hours due to experimenting )
Kb. 1.5 órai munkám van egy darab elöállításában...

Here is the creation process :

All the tools and materials :
- 15.9" G&S Pizza Pan I picked up in K-Mart ( $6 )
- 9 ft 1/16" steel rope wire ( $1.6 )
- 3/16" Box Type Wire Rope Clamp ( $2 )



Mark & drill 6 pairs of holes...



Start threading the steel wire...



...around the original rings steel frame...



Using the rope clamp to tie the ends...



Pull the clamp inside with threading the remaining wire around...



Done. This is how it looks inside...



... and outside, before the wires are flattened a bit...




...quite a funny coincidence...


About heating / ventillation :

Needless to say, I was concerned if the brakes over-heat...
There are several reasons I deem'd this safe ( for now ) :
- My commute is only 2 miles. When I drive in the city
and drive/brake a lot, I remove the caps.
- Based on the brakepad wear/tear on my last checkup,
brakepad usage is minimal. Regen is awesome...
- Even after leaving the hubcaps on and driving/breaking
excessively to "test" the over-heating, it was
amazingly luke-warm only.
So yes, I am convinced that this is safe... ;-)





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