specialone70

i am thinking about removing my hubcaps. i have a very dark blue 92 accord lx with steel wheels and stock hubcaps. they are rotating and unsprung mass, they dont do me any good, and i can easily put them back on if i feel like it. my only concern is that they would look pretty ghetto if i took them off. i would like to get some other opinions. what do you think? should i take them off? alternatives?

Aradin

I took my hubcaps off before I got wheels. After I took them off I scrubbed each wheel really good to remove all the built up brake dust/surface rust, then spray painted them with a rust resistant black paint I found in my dads shop. I don't run the steelies anymore, but the paint is still holding up after 4 years. Looked decent for steelies. Just make sure you tape off tire before you start painting if you go that route.

specialone70

i had thought about painting the steel wheels, but i probably wouldnt leave them completely black. maybe paint around the outer edge of the wheel with some red. idk yet

smkelly1

bump/

hondamark35

meh... negligable.
yeah, i never liked the look of wheel covers. they can also be a nuisance if you do your own rotations and brake work.

Like Aradin mentioned, pull them off, scrub the wheels really well and paint them. i used wheel paint on several that I've done because it won't discolor as much from the heat of the brakes. i like the looks. a few more tips for painting them: tape works well for the valve stems but i like to use index cards or something similar around the rim to mask the tires. just wedge them into the joint, tape them together and drape a drop cloth or newspaper over the rest of the tire. and like anything else, several light coats to prevent runs. and if you can find them, there are center "H" caps out there.

specialone70

@hondamark35 i realize it isn't a whole lot of mass, but it cant hurt to get rid of it.
that wheel looks pretty good for steel. that is probably what will happen when i find the time to paint them. for now i think i will just take em off.