MPP Mega Mesh Prepreg Carbon Aero Covers

Description Our carbon fiber aero cover design is finally ready for sale! These may be our most anticipated product ever, so we’re very excited to finally have them available! Our carbon aero covers will set your Model 3 apart from just about anything else on the road, while improving efficiency at the same time. If you’re going after an aggressive motorsport look, these aero covers are just what you need. Note: Our MPP Mega Mesh Aero Covers are compatible ONLY with MPP Mega Mesh wheels. There are some compromises when using these aero covers, so please read this product page carefully! Concept And Design: Our goal with the Mega Mesh wheels was to offer bolting faces to allow the use of different accessories. The first accessory we have available are these prepreg carbon fiber aero discs. These covers are not totally flat – but instead designed with an aerodynamic shape that works to help manage the airflow across the face of the wheel. We’ve always thought that aero covers that focus their area primarily on the outer edges of the wheel would be more effective both aerodynamically and visually. The air flowing around the tire has an opportunity to smooth out and then “jump” the face of the wheel to the other side of the aero cover. This also shows off more of the design of the wheel itself rather than having a central cover that blocks everything other than the outer spokes. So from that, the idea was to create an aesthetically pleasing cover that gave our Mega Mesh wheels a prototype-inspired motorsport look – something that merged the idea of an aero cover for efficiency along with the desire for maximum performance. We designed the cover specifically to blend with the design of the Mega Mesh wheel. If you look carefully you’ll notice that the inside radius cover cover ends exactly perpendicular with the outer spoke arc. This terminates the outer spoke beautifully – the curve of the wheel doesn’t look cut off, and there also isn’t a small amount of “straight” section of spoke that would otherwise be abruptly cut off. Starting with blank covers, we wanted to add a little bit of style and shape as a second option. Slots were developed that matched the size and style of the complete wheel assembly, and we feel they do a great job of accenting both the cover and the wheel design. An oval is cut out in the cover allowing easy access to the Schrader valve for tire pressure adjustments. The wheels can be easily removed and re-installed without the aero covers being removed, Special aluminum inserts were developed to ensure the expansion rate of the wheel matched that of the aero cover. These inserts can be installed in two positions as well – with one position spacing the cover away from the wheel slightly to reduce the amount of rubbing between the cover and the wheel. Efficiency: The aero covers will have a notable effect on both efficiency and wind noise. The total impact of the covers isn’t massive, and if you have a very low offset setup (such as with our 10.5″ wheels), the air is already so turbulent from hitting the front of the tire that the aero cover isn’t in a position to be able to offer much help. However, if your wheels are mostly inboard of the body, the aero covers will yield close to a 6% improvement in efficiency at 120km/h. The main thing that was noticeable to us in our testing was the reduction in wind noise. The airflow across the side of the car was notably smoothed (again, talking about the 9.5″ wheel) and the “churning” the wheel normally did through the air was significantly reduced, lowering the noise and drag. Don’t expect to match the OEM wheel and tire setup efficiency if you have sporty wide tires with our wheels just because you added these covers. They make a difference and look cool, but they can’t perform magic! A low rolling resistance tire on an OE wheel that is sunk inside the body will always outperform a very flush wheel with a sticky tire – NO MATTER the weight or shape of the wheel (despite what some wheel companies might have you believe). The Downsides: The downside is that, as with any cover, there is contact on the wheel face itself. This means that if you use these aero covers, your Mega Mesh wheels will get some scratches down the road. To help reduce this, we’ve developed special PPF cutouts that can be optionally applied to the wheels. This ensures that any dirt or rocks that find their way between the aero cover and the wheel will damage the PPF before they damage the wheel itself. Now, if you’re planning on having the covers on just about all the time, then you likely aren’t too concerned with some superficial damage under the covers. BUT – we need to make this abundantly clear because we want you to know what you’re getting before you buy – as with all MPP products! The aero covers are also not designed to be used in a motorsport environment. They contain brake heat and would lead to the brake system overheating faster than an open-face wheel. In addition, most racing series will not allow you to use a bolted-on cover for liability reasons. If you use these on the track – you do so at your own risk!   Understanding Different Types Of Carbon Fiber: There are some ridiculous names for Carbon Fiber in the automotive aftermarket. You may have heard terms such as “Wet Carbon” and “Dry Carbon.” In our industry, “Wet” carbon is typically referred to as a part that is made entirely of fiberglass with a polyester resin, finished with one layer of carbon on the visible surface for aesthetics only. Dry carbon, on the other hand, is usually what our industry calls “Prepreg”. Prepreg is pre-impregnated carbon fiber. What this means is that the rolls of carbon fiber have the resin already built into the fabric, and only by heating the fabric to a high temperature does this resin flow out through the part. Prepreg is the lightest and strongest way to make carbon fiber parts because: You’re not making a part out of weak materials with a single layer of carbon for appearance only You don’t have a weaker resin such as polyester which isn’t nearly as strong as epoxy You don’t have excessive resin in the part, which adds weight and no additional strength You achieve the ideal carbon/resin mix There’s a reason why all high-end structural and weight-conscious carbon fiber products are made using epoxy-based prepreg. Formula 1, aerospace, lightweight racing bikes, etc. However, it’s not all good news. Making prepreg epoxy-based carbon parts look good is MUCH more difficult than the “fake” fiberglass/polyester carbon approach. And yes, we’re going to call it fake because it is not real carbon fiber unless it’s ALL carbon fiber. Some of the downsides and challenges with an epoxy-based prepreg part are: Potential for yellowing due to UV exposure over the long term Possibility to get “pinholes” in the part where there are minor areas where the resin doesn’t quite flow to the surface Increased cost Most motorsport parts will suffer from the above downsides. We are working very hard to address all of the downsides above by using the highest and best quality sealers and clear coats (the same finishes used by Singer, makers of the finest Porsche restorations in the world), working diligently with our prepreg suppliers to ensure we have materials that result in zero pinholes, while also optimizing for cost by not using more carbon than the part needs. That being said, as we are still very new to carbon fiber production many of our parts will have imperfections. What’s Included: 2x Prepreg Carbon Aero Covers Anodized Aluminum inserts Black stainless steel Torx hardware (Optional) PPF pre-cut for MPP Mega Mesh wheel faces Installation Details: Installation is straightforward, however care needs to be taken to first clean the threads of your MPP Mega Mesh wheels with a thread chaser. You then install the aero covers with the inserts in either of the desired positions using the supplied hardware and blue or red loctite. You may also epoxy the inserts to the covers on installation if you so choose – this is useful if you’ll be installing/removing the covers regularly.