... and the award for "Most Off-Topic Thread" goes to:







This thread!

 

Great looking SUV.

 

Very Nice. Techarts look amazing on the cayenne.

 

Bea-utiful!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

wow , that looks perfect.

 

Could you let me know what you think of the quality of the Boothe No Turn Caps. I talked with him today on the phone and I wanted him to make me a set of black ones for both sets of my wheels (I have a black truck with 22" Kahns in silver and soon the 20" Sport Technos for the winter).

I hope the black centers will "pop" nicely and not look odd since they won't be on black rims.

Let me know what you think about the Boothe caps.

Thanks,
Steve

 

The centercaps are very high quality pieces. Whether or not they are worth the $600 is debateable. Most of the accessories for Porsche vehicles are overpriced IMHO, but since most of us (myself included) are willing to pay that premium, I guess the price is a moot point. The finish on the centercaps is great. The paint/gold plating on the porsche crest is holding up perfectly and doesnt show any signs of wear even with the weekly washings.
I have encountered 2 problems with the centercaps since ive had them. The first issue was encountered during installation. The centercaps are produced with very tight tolerances and apparently the tigh tolerance on the centercaps exceeds that of the Techart wheels. As a result, the wheel had to be clearanced slightly so that the centercap would slide into place. It was nothing a few minutes with a dremel couldnt fix.
The second problem occured a few months later and was a result of too much pressure being applied to the centercap (either by the detailer during a regular wash or by somebody "playing" with them aggressively while the car was parked downtown one evening). There is a small amount of runout in the bearing mechanism in the centercap and when a heavy force is applied inward on the centercap it can get stuck and prevent the centercap from rotating freely. This probelm was solved (according to the wheel shop) by removing the wheel, dissasembling the centercap (a 'delicate' procedure according to the wheelshop) and installing a thin steel washer between the bearing the face of the centercap. I have had zero problems with this wheel since the washer was installed and none of the other wheels have had this problem either.
One final point worth noting is that (again a result of the tight tolerance on the centercaps) when your wheels become dirty with brakedust and other grit the centercaps will not spin as freely because dirt becomes lodged between the centercap and wheel. If you keep your wheels clean this will never be an issue but I noticed on a couple of the roadtrips where the brakedust built up on the front and rear wheels that some of the centercaps would not "float" properly when driving. Simply washing the wheels with normal soap and water and hosing them off has always eliminated this.

I know it seems like ive only listed the bad but thats what really matters most when you are going to spend $600 on a small item like wheel centercaps. If I could do it all over again, I would still buy the centercaps without hesitation. Here is a quick summary of the pros and cons of these centercaps:
Here are the PROS of these centercaps:

• Nobody in your neighborhood will have them.
• They look really good
• They turn heads ALL the time when driving.
• They make great conversation pieces
• They cant be stolen unless the wheel is removed the vehicle
• Nobody in your neighborhood will have them.

And the CONS:

• If forced inward, the wheel needs to be removed and the centercap fixed
• They do not work perfectly when your wheels are excessively dirty
• They turn heads ALL the time when driving (can be scary when you are on the freeway driving 75-80mph and the guy next to you stops watching the road and stares at your wheels.)

 

For starters, thank you for your details.
I will mention the potential washer install toi Mr. Boothe, since he will be making a set for me. Also, do you think the bearings need any lubrication at some point? Black center cap on silver wheel - wrong, right, or slammin'?

And by the way, your Cayenne is so sweet!!

 

Its hard to say about the black centercap. Its one of those things you would have to see in person before being able to make a decision. If you are adventurous you could give one of your factory centercaps a quick rattle-can black paint job and see what it looks like against the black wheels. I think it has the potential to look really good and very unique.
As for talking to Boothe about the washers, it will be interesting to see what he has to say. I know the wheel shop i use said that it isnt a problem on all of the no-turn caps they have installed and as a result they only modify them w./ the washer if/when the problem occurs. I dont know about lubrication of the bearing as I havnt physically seen the bearing. I would assume it is a fully shielded bearing and therefore will not need any lubrication. I would ask Mr. Boothe about that as well.