Transforming a set of cheap wheels
 

Hi there. So when I bought my FRS back in Oct 13' one of the first things I did was buy a new set of wheels/tires. I did this for several reasons, 1) The OEM wheel/tire combo looked very skinny and didn't provide the stance I desired, 2) The OEM tires are summer tires and with winter around the corner I knew I'd need new tires soon, and 3) I wanted a tire that would perform well in a variety of conditions while delivering great performance and providing me with a nicer stance. That being said, I went with some Continental ExtremeContact DWS tires. To this point they've been great.

However, being that I was just looking to buy a universal setup that worked for all seasons I did skimp on wheels. I actually spent quite a bit less on wheels than I did on tires. I opted to go with some XXR 531's because they do look nice and they're affordable, but the center caps they came with are HORRENDOUS!!! :barf: That being said, I decided to rock my wheels without any center caps, until lately. Today my dad and I took a long stroll through the junk yard and noticed all the wheels without center caps lying around. After awhile I started finding random center caps in the mud and all over the place. Then I came across an old late 90's/early 2000's Volvo that had center caps. I pulled out my caliper, took measurements, verified correct size, and proceeded to pop them out and put em' in my pocket. After a few modifications they fit perfectly and I think they actually look pretty damn good. Buying new center caps for wheels can get out of hand, so I'm pretty stoked I was able to make this find and have them work out the way they did.

What do you guys think?

With NO Center Caps
Attachment 64241
With the VOLVO Center Caps
Attachment 64242
With a strip of Tape on the VOLVO Center Caps
Attachment 64243

Total cost: $0.00:bellyroll:

So they gave them to you for free??

The caps the wheels came with looked worse than a stripe of blue painters tape?

Yes.

Lol. Yeah I don't get this either.

Yes, the original caps are hideous. They are large, they protrude out way too much and they are cheap chrome plastic. They take away from the wheel.

The tape I used is actually light blue electrical tape. I have a slightly darker blue shade, but yes I do know this color resembles painters tape, but it's much more durable. I could use any color of tape I want to be honest. I have white, blue, black, red, orange, yellow, light blue, and royal blue.

I like these Volvo Center Caps much better than the XXR 531 ones because they don't protrude outward and lay clean and flush against the hub. Seeing as cropped and blew these photos up it may look more obvious that I put tape on the caps, but I can assure you that it looks pretty legit when standing a couple feet away from the car. You would think they were stock caps.

Not a bad idea, but I'd go with black tape to blend better or red to match the lugs. Trim the tape a little thinner so that you aren't blocking any of the chrome half circles in the Volvo logo.

Finally, some constructive criticism. Thank you.

To everyone else on this forum that just wishes to post a bunch of unhelpful BS, just don't waste your time please. I literally just picked these center caps up today, I picked up two of them out of a muddy puddle of water and the other 2 were still, thankfully, in their wheels. The fact that they fit and look better than the ghastly ones that came on these XXR's makes finding them a huge WIN.

Now I can do whatever I want with them, whether that be paint them, use different tape, whatever............just wanted to share my experience with everyone.

plasti dip

Sand off centercaps, respray black. Or if you're the creative type, after respraying them make FRS logo stickers and put them on.

That's a good idea. After reading one of the recommendations from this post I researched plasti-dip and I'm thinking that might be a good idea. I might have to make a trip to Harbor Freight tomorrow and get a can of black plasti-dip and see how that looks. If I feel like being creative I might get two cans of plasti-dip and create a stencil and make a red 86 logo in the middle of them for the finishing touch.

I never intended to sell my current Volvo center caps as being the greatest thing ever, but a lot of people out there that actually have the same wheels I do know how ugly the center caps are. I really like how flush these Volvo ones mount.

Oh, I think I misread your post. The studs look short because these are longer, racing, lug nuts. Unlike standard lug nuts that use a socket, these actually have a hex bit that gets inserted into the end of them so there needs to be ample room for the bit to enter. The threaded portion of the lug nut is fairly long and it screws down entirely into the lug bolt so I know their nice and tight.

Hopefully that clears things up.

Why not just paint the center cap?

Ok so you have some centre caps with a CF finish, why don't you try removing the clear coat to see whether or not the volvo logo is paint or not, if it is you could probably get it off the CF fairly easy and then you can just clear coat over it, or even put a scion sticker under the clear coat…

I'm not a style expert or anything but using tape in a cosmetic way on a car should only be temporary

[EDIT] never mind the CF finish, i'm blind but flat black looks nice anyway so plastidip could be your best friend if you want the easy route