991TurboS

Guys,
I have had my 2014 TTS Coupe for a little over a year now, and I have been wanting to get rid of the gold external emblems on the trunk and the wheel caps. Finally found a frunk emblem I liked and got it for Christmas. Unsuccessfully tried to find an option for a silver/black center lock wheel cap crest, and decided to do something on my own.

You can definitely use standard Porsche silver/black wheel caps if you have 5 lug wheels, but that is not possible with center lock caps, as they are completely unique.

The thing is, the center caps from center lock wheels are completely different from 5 lug wheel center caps. The center lock wheel caps are much smaller in diameter than the 5 lug wheel caps, and they also are basically a plug, with the shape of a short capped cylinder, the crest being the top, with an 0-ring on the circumference of the cylinder. They are completely sealed against the outside, as the centerlock nut has exposed internals that could get damaged with dirt, dust, water, etc getting inside it.

The result of all the above uniqueness, unfortunately, is that no one makes any alternatives regarding looks for the center lock center caps. Porsche makes only one for the TTS Center lock wheels (gold Porsche crest), one for the GT3 CLs, and one for the GT2 CLs. The GT3 and GT2 CL caps just have "GT3" or "GT2" stamped on them.

Porsche 5 lug center caps have a variety of center cap design options from Porsche and aftermarket manufacturers. Also, the 5 lug center caps are usually plastic with plastic retaining clips, and are also more affordable than the CL caps. They also do not completely sealed against the elements, like the CL wheel caps do, since they do not need to be in the first place.

So basically, there are no other options for my TTS CL caps other than the gold crested version, and no aftermarket company makes them either.

The best that I can determine is that the Porsche crest/chromed area on the CL wheel cap is a round piece of stamped metal glued to the top of the otherwise plastic wheel cap. The metal piece goes down the sides of the cap about 1mm the entire circumference of the cap. The crest is just slightly raised metal, a part of the stamped piece, and not a separate sticker. And the gold/red/black of the Porsche crest is applied, and I assume a sealer put over that, and the rest of the cap is chromed.

The stock CL cap crest is one tough mother as well, and was impervious to three different chemical stripping methods. I tried dipping it in auto degreaser, which readily dissolves chrome off plastic parts, and after 20 minutes no change. I also dipped it for 20 minutes in straight lye solution (sodium hydroxide) with no damage to the crest, and a 20 minute dip in pure muriatic acid (slightly dilute hydrochloric acid), again with no effect on the crest.

Manual removal via machine polishing seemed out of the question as well, since the metal cover is so thin and seems so easy to grind down to nothing, destroying the slightly raised metal part of the crest. Beyond my skill to do, at least.

Finally, I decided to just do a black out treatment to the crest, and the solution was incredibly simple. I thought about manually painting the crests, but the crest is so thin, any appreciable thickness of any paint would just fill in the crest and obliterate any details in the crest.

I used a Sharpie Pro Industrial black marker. Ink was the perfect answer, as it applies thin, and did not fill the crest in, just colored it. This ink is temperature resistant to 500 degrees, and is also water and chemical resistant. I consider it an experiment, and we'll see how it does over time. It might need a touch up once in a while, but it was a $3.00 solution for the problem. You need a steady hand to get the outer edge of the crest, and if you get the ink on the chrome, it will not come off. I experimented on the test crest I had, and there is something about the ink that changes the red and gold color of the crest, darkens it, and even after trying lighter fluid and automotive degreaser to remove the Sharpie ink, the gold had darkened, as well as the red, so it will be less visible even if it wears off a bit over time.

Here is a pic of the stock CL cap, then a couple pics of the blackout version on the wheels and some shots of the car. I had to black them out while they were still on the wheel, as it is hard to remove the cap without a special tool available from SunCoast Porsche. I have one on order in case I need it in the future.

I have a GMG exhaust on the car, so the stock exhaust tips are not on the car. Clear brake lights and side markers have also been installed.
Best,
Dave

AndrewP

The tool to remove the center caps is part of the hex-head plastic tool that comes with the car and is designed to loosen the locking nut that springs out to fasten the CL. It pries off the cap with no problem.

PMNewton

Do you mind sharing where you got the frunk emblem? I like the silver/black better.

Thanks,
Patrick

intrepidagent

Patrick:
The hood crest is a brushed nickel plate piece that we refinished for Dave.

Cheers: Jim

991TurboS

Patrick,
Jim's work is excellent. I love mine. I'd recommend this to anyone wanting something a bit different in the hood emblem.
Dave

intrepidagent

Thanks for the kind words about our work Dave. The crest looks great on your TTS.

ecpchris

Never thought to use a Sharpie, but I plasti-dipped mine all black. I left it that way for about a month until realizing I liked looking at the crest more than a blacked out center cap. Instead, I just ordered the black caps with the full color crest. Waiting on those to come in now. Your idea is definitely different and shows the detail of the crest more. I bet it looks better in person
Car looks awesome

991TurboS

I just sent off a request to Porsche Exclusive to see if a black/silver or black/silver/red Porsche Crest center lock cap could be done.
I just want to get rid of the gold. Just doesn't look right with the silver/black trunk emblem.

Mc11

You can also use the caps from 991 GTS, the are original black.

pyramid

They are matte black, haven't install mine.

991TurboS

I contacted Porsche Exclusive about getting a custom set of stock CL caps done minus the gold, but I won't get my hopes up.

intrepidagent

I managed to pick up a set of slightly used centerlock caps today. Once they're in and I have the opportunity to play with them a bit I'll let you know if there are any refinishing options.

Cheers: Jim

991TurboS

Sounds good Jim.....thanks.

intrepidagent

The centerlock caps that I found on eBay came in and I did some exploratory dismemberment with a dremel and a heat gun. I'll post some pics over the weekend. Suffice it to say that the crests on the cap are not "refinishable". They are stamped into the circular metal cap piece and colored. They're literally paper thin and hot glued to the black plastic underneath.

The good news is that the stamped crests measure 30mm wide by 40mm tall and that's the exact same size of a 356 hood handle crest with the older solid PORSCHE lettering at the top. So there is the option of refinishing and mounting those pieces to the caps. I've done this numerous times for Fuchs center caps:

991TurboS

Alright Jim....I told you I'd be your first customer. I'll send you an email.
Dave