Anyone running wheel dust shields?

[BigDaddy13440]

I remember way back in the day I saw a couple of cars that had plastic shields inside their wheels, to keep brake dust from getting all over their new, shiny wheels. Today, I saw a bright red F150 that had color-matched ones, and I can say it looked sharp.

So it got me thinking.... and here's what I found, by a company called Kleen Wheels:


Now, I'm not going to get them, and color match them to my truck. The dark Metallic Blue might as well be black. I'm going to have a buddy machine up a set in 2.5mm carbon fiber, and bolt them between the wheel spacers and the wheels. He has a full CNC machine shop for his company making World-class RC cars - http://www.pembertonraceworks.com/

These are the 20" wheels I picked up for $160 a couple of weeks ago. Going to paint them a Hammered Metallic Gray (Rustoleum spray paint), and probably go with Treadwright's Claw II in a 35x12.5 on them.









This is a set of Grabber ATII's on the same wheels. Too bad they are "only" 305/50's, otherwise I just might have gotten them. Only $1000 locally on Craigslist, less than 2k on them.



Thoughts?

 

[05Single]

I was planning on getting these as soon as I get bigger wheels.
I don't have a problem with brake dust but I think it gives a clean look and gives 100% focus on the wheels.
I was gonna color match mine, even with the dark blue it would look black then boom when the light hits it you see blue.
Nice score on the wheels. Always wonder what those look like without the chrome cladding....are those even cladded?

 

[Rocket Man]

Get better brake pads that don't dust your wheels. Those shields look cheesy to me.

 

[05Single]

Just saying we like them, nothing wrong with our pads lol

But why not smooth instead of hammered look?

 

[Rocket Man]

Ha asked for thoughts!

 

[ScottyBoy]

I personally don't like the idea. Plus I believe that those covers would also keep the brakes a lot hotter. They can not cool off as easily with the covers on them. And if brake dust is a huge concern, try to go with a low dusting brake pad. I have Wagner Thermoquiet Ceramic pads and they have almost no dust. In fact, I can go a whole month without washing my truck and the wheels still won't be covered in dust. Now my wife's Altima on the other hand, that sumbitch gets dirty wheels just a day or two after washing it. LOL

 

[ScottyBoy]

And as far as the hammered grey color choice, I do like the Grey but not the hammered look. If I saw that on a set of wheels, I would honestly think that the wheels were all corroded and pitted, and that's why they were painted Grey. IMO a smooth Grey wheel would look far better. But its your wheels, do what you want. Go for it.

 

[sumo]

Brother has them on his 03 pathfinder. They keep the wheels clean. There are a little pain in the ass when rotating tires due to the fact you can't see the studs looking through the rim. Kinda have to look straight on and align holes and studs. Kind sucks to do with these big heavy wheels

 

[BigDaddy13440]

Points noted!

1) I believe they are PVD cladded, and can be sandblasted without them pitting horribly.

2) As far as brakes, I have Posi-met pads and premium rotors from the supplier to Advanced Auto - a buddy is a manager locally, I get his discount. Might pick up a set of EBC Greenstuff pads and rotors and keep them for when the brakes go on this, but I JUST put them on about 2 months ago. http://utica.craigslist.org/pts/5862119542.html

3) I agree, the plastic inserts make it look like the wheels themselves are hubcaps. I've seen steel ones on E-bay, but I can have my buddy make some with a heavy carbon fiber weave.

4) Smooth vs hammered.... in case there is any minor pitting, I think the hammered paint will hide it that much better. And at $3 a can.... I have 13 cans.

5) I will be running 1 1/2" spacers in the front, and 2 1/2" in the rear - should have more than enough airflow around the brakes to keep cool.

6) Stud alignment - I don't think that'll be a problem, as I think I'm going to have them made about 1/4" less diameter than the actual dimension of the inside of the wheel. It's basically going to be like I have a huge washer I'm putting on (all six of) the studs, and it'll move and float with the wheels.

And lastly, it's going to be a fairly cheap experiment. Less than $100 in materials for all four. If I don't like them, I can probably sell them on Craigslist or E-bay for close to that, if not more.

 

[05Single]

Yes It would keep the heat in,....but let's face it we're not driving g F-1 carts , they won't get hot enough to do any damage. I don't think it'll make that much of a difference on a stock normal truck. But when towing I can see it getting pretty hot and that would worry me a little, but I personally don't plan on towing ever with mine either.
Maybe have your buddy mill in some slots to create some sort of extra air flow. Could line them up behind the spokes so they're somewhat hidden too.

And the pic you posted is the worst lol. These look like crap with those wheels and those colors. I've seen them look good before. I saw one with chrome shields and painted wheels and it looked good. Seen them with painted designs and patterns too.