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Center caps for steel wheels?
Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2013 2:18 pm
by KozmoNaut
I've got 15" steel wheels with winter tyres on my 406 currently and I'm a bit bothered about the steel wheels+hubcaps look, they look painfully like fake wannabe alloys, since that's basically what they are! I really want to get rid of the cheap hubcaps and run the black steel wheels loud and proud with some kind of small center cover to protect the hub and spindle. I know cars used to come with these kinds of covers on steel wheels. They're not full hubcaps, but rather something that just covers the hub itself and the bolts. Chrome ones like on US cop cars would be an option as well.
Something like this, although obviously I would need it in the 4x108 bolt pattern and preferably with a Peugeot lion on it
I've scoured Google and the like with no luck. I know a bunch of other cars like the Ford Focus and Fiesta and a number of 80s Audis came with the 4x108 bolt pattern, but I just can't seem to find anything.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Re: Center caps for steel wheels?
Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2013 4:34 pm
by RobTurbo
Re: Center caps for steel wheels?
Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2013 5:48 pm
by lozz
Just paint the steel wheels, Job done,
White looks good on Steelies, seen alot of cars around with steel wheels sprayed with Domestic white gloss,
look better than alloys,

Re: Center caps for steel wheels?
Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2013 6:25 pm
by KozmoNaut
I'm going to sand and repaint the wheels, probably give them a good coat of hammerite or something similar. I'll probably keep them black, I like black wheels on a silver car. But I need something to cover the spindle in the middle to keep it from getting too dirty.
Those are pretty much ideal, but "LISTING IS FOR 1 CAP ONLY" is a bit cheeky, considering there's only one left and at £8 apiece, I'd be paying £32 for plastic caps

Re: Center caps for steel wheels?
Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2013 7:02 pm
by DaiRees
Got a set of these in my garage Kosmo.
You're welcome to them for the price of postage if they're any good to you? I know they're branded Vauxhall but you can always file that off. Only problem I can see is that the Nova they came off (nearly 20 years ago

) had a PCD of 4X100 whereas the 406 is 4X108, so they won't fit properly, you'd have to bodge it somehow...
Re: Center caps for steel wheels?
Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2013 7:43 pm
by RobTurbo
That ebay listing was just an example, I'm sure you could get a set from a breakers for peanuts.
Re: Center caps for steel wheels?
Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 10:23 am
by KozmoNaut
Thanks for the offer Dai, but I'll pass. It's roaring lion or nothing, else I'll just put a set of generic hubcaps on that don't look like sorry excuses for alloys :-)
I've been looking around at breakers, they either don't have any ("not worth saving") or seem to think parts like that are made from solid gold.
Actually, now that I've been thinking about my options, I might just put a set of these on, painted black as I abhor silver-painted plastic:
I think a silver car will all-black wheels could look pretty good.
Re: Center caps for steel wheels?
Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 8:20 pm
by Bailes1992
Re: Center caps for steel wheels?
Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 8:35 pm
by DaiRees
Re: Center caps for steel wheels?
Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 8:38 pm
by lozz
Re: Center caps for steel wheels?
Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 5:17 pm
by KozmoNaut
The stock Peugeot hubcaps are all relatively inoffensive, but lately I've come to terms with the fact that I have a severe loathing of silver-painted plastic.
It's just tacky and tries to make plastic into something it isn't. Why are all hubcaps silver? Because they try to imitate alloy wheels, which they fail badly at.
So yeah, it's just a completely personal thing, and the reason I'm currently painting a set of hubcaps plain black. Incidentally, they were the only hubcaps I could find that weren't desperately trying to be alloys or had ridiculous skeumorphic features such as fake plastic lug nuts.