OZ Wheel Cap replacement Option

[Phantasm]

So my OZ Lotus branded Wheels caps are dented, faded and all around sad looking on the wheels. I have been searching for a cheap replacement option that is also of some quality. Amazon and Ebay dissapointed, and after some deeper hunting eventually settled on this:
http://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/7765 ... 7923597807
The price for all 4 ($9.45 US shipped) was way cheaper than I budgeted for and the quality exceeded my expectations. The decal is 3D with the chrome raised -I presue an Aluminum sticker. The cap plastic feels good and has a good friction fit to the wheel's bore but doesn't index the notch like the original as it isn't deep enough. I will use some type of adhesive (thinking gasket sealant) to ensure it doesn't pop out on the bumps. Only time will tell how well it resists fading.

The logo on the disc has a bigger OD than the wheel and sticks out a bit from the plane of the wheel, so not OEM to say the least, but to the casual onlooker - not notable and looks well situated as it does lay flat against the wheel (see photo).

New one on the left, original on the right.


You can see how it sticks out here but finishes nicely against the wheel:


I will probably properly install them after the full respray in August and I do something to clean up the wheels (thinking Plasti-dip) so every thing looks new at once.

[amarshall]

Looks promising, but two small points

1) are you sure that's fitted correctly ? IIRC the centre caps fit from the back (inside) of the wheel and there are two possible locating rings for them. That one looks like it's sitting in the forward ring rather than the rear.

2) Genuine 50mm OZ wheel centres are still available from the usual suspects at around £5 for silver or £10 for the badged version, each.

That said, when I wanted to do a quick and cheap refurb, I got some domed Lotus badges from ebay and used them to replace the old ones on my original centres.

[Phantasm]

It does not fit the same as the original. In fact, it is quite different when you get down to it. It attaches from the front not from inside, so they can be installed/removed with the wheel attached. The friction clips on the back do hold on their own, but do not lock in to anything, thus I will use some type of mild adhesive to ensure they stay in place -that or dremel some grooves in to the wheels inside the hubs to aid in security, or both!

The 5-10 pounds each for all 4 plus shipping out of country for caps seemed rather steep to me vs. <$10 (US) for all 4 for something aesthetic (particularly before BREXIT - when I started this process). I noted they do not fit like the originals, but they satisfy my requirements.

I couldn't find a domed lotus badge in Aluminum at the right dimension to fit the original caps. If I had that would have been the closest OEM solution for sure. It's not perfect, but it gets the desired effect.

[kkv444v]

Hmmm, I have recently fitted the proper type that Angus mentions at a total cost of about 32 quid from Paul Matty's. They replaced incorrect badges that were actually from an Elise, which looked wrong on the OZs, but which would cost twenty quid each (they look similar to those pictured above, in fact). So under forty quid for a proper set posted to you isn't really that expensive.
My wheels look much better than before and I now have the bonus of spare caps for my Elise!

[Phantasm]

Keep in mind your 32 Quid is around $42 US today; $51 pre Brexit when I started all this - plus VAT and shipping yeesh, that's not chump change for 4 plastic caps.

So with all that, I did change up a bit and went back to using the original caps. I found these aluminum badges for a bargain and put some gasket adhesive underneath them to ensure they don't come loose. The emblem had an adhesive back as well which fits ON the rim of the center cap virtually eliminating the black ring that appeared between the Lotus emblem and the wheel previously.
I also painted the wheels which made them a sight better to look at.

And I made no effort to align the Flag with the Lotus embossing, the paint was still setting up when I popped them in. maybe someday.



New vs. Old