









I posted this thread over in the Porsche subreddit to show a Centerlock inspired center cap that I designed and printed to replace the boring basic center caps that came on my wheels. I liked the end result but I had no idea just how controversial they would be to the Porsche community. I'm having a pretty good time in the comments.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Porsche/s/16mVuWZvEc
(+2 upvotes, 50+ comments at this time)
Post body:
What started as a "I could 3d print something better than that…" Quickly turned into accidentally reverse engineering a CenterLock nut. My original goal was accomplished, these are much nicer to look at than crappy basic center cap on these wheels.
A few nerdy details:
•The threaded stub and cap are the same M55x3 thread size as real CenterLocks.
•Real CenterLocks are laser etched "CenterLock, <<<Lösen/Remove, 100Nm—–Stop, Anziehen/Tighten>"
•These caps are embossed in the same font and sizing, but say "StarTorque, <<<5×130>, 130Nm/96Duggas"
•The threaded stub is embossed "tighten until crack – 15°"
•I gave up designing clips that would hold snug in the rim without slipping after 10 attempts. I instead did an inner plate that bolts through to the outer threaded stub. It means now you have to use an M6 allen wrench to remove the center caps from the wheel. But I can torque the outer cap tight without the stub rotating too. I also added a 17mm nut indention so if the plastic threads become seized I can put a socket on the backside and use my custom printed CenterLock tool to break it all loose.
•I printed these in ASA, sanded them smooth and tried vapor polishing them with mixed success. In the end I applied a quick, light coat of Krylon's finest gloss black and that was the perfect final look. I'll see how things hold up. I'm already thinking of doing it all over again but adding a bearing And weights to make a floating cap that keeps the emblem always straight up and down.
I've noticed a few funny group mindsets based on reactions in the Facebook group. Which do you fit into?
1.) "The Purists" – People immediately triggered by calling them CenterLock-inspired. Very quick to point out the exposed lugs and how they would never do anything to their base carrera.
2.) "The Premium Pretenders" – people with Real-Fake-Centerlock wheels turning their nose at you. Probably threatened because they spent 200x more money to be insecure about hiding their nuts.
3.) "The Real Ones" – actual GT3 CenterLock guys that don't care because they know I'm not competing on the same level. These guys never comment but I know they're out there.
4.) "The Poors" (it's me, I'm the Poors) – Dudes who can chuckle at the novelty, enjoy the project and can appreciate the details.
5.) "The Norms" – Regular people that would never care or understand why someone would spend 50 hours fixated on a center cap. (My wife and my dad. They're proud of me but they'll never say it.)
Thanks for looking!
by NHaas