Aero wheel covers on or off?

[Siciliano]

Hey everyone, I figured I'd ask this question and make a poll since I couldn't find any input while searching the forum.

I'm trying to make up my mind on whether or not to remove the aero wheel covers. I actually like them, but they really do have a funky look. I also think it's cool that they give even a slight boost in efficiency. I don't mind that they're essentially a hubcap - when I first saw them I thought they were actual rims.

I'm a fan of darker rims though, so I'm kinda on the fence (if the rims underneath were light, I would 100% just leave the covers on.)

I'm curious to know what everyone's preference is.

 

[Knightshade]

Remove, get the cap kit from Tesla.... ends up with (IMHO) a vastly better looking wheel than the 19/20" factory options.

 

[Siciliano]

Remove, get the cap kit from Tesla.... ends up with (IMHO) a vastly better looking wheel than the 19/20" factory options.

Don't the caps come off the wheel covers??

 

[Malaromane]

Don't the caps come off the wheel covers??

They do not.

 

[Knightshade]

This is the kit to which I'm referring

Model 3 Aero Wheel Cap Kit

 

[Siciliano]

This is the kit to which I'm referring

Model 3 Aero Wheel Cap Kit

Good to know, thanks!

 

[pl8dlikafiddle]

I have a set of caps listed in the for sale thread that nobody wanted.

PM me your address and I’ll mail these to you.

I’m with Knightshade - the 18” Aero Wheels are really good looking. Kind of wish they had it in a 19” version.

 

[twistedspark]

Remove, get the cap kit from Tesla.... ends up with (IMHO) a vastly better looking wheel than the 19/20" factory options.

Or buy them from Amazon for $29 instead of $50.

 

[Knightshade]

Or buy them from Amazon for $29 instead of $50.

AFAIK those are all 3rd party kits, not made by Tesla. I mean, it's plastic, so it's probably fine- but those options didn't even exist back when I bought mine.

 

[Wnuk]

I bought an Amazon kit. Took aero covers off, cleaned the rims, put the caps on. Stood back and looked at the car and put the aero covers back on. To me, it gives the car a very distinct look, almost futuristic.

 

[cypho]

Covers off here. They go back on for road trips though.

 

[21miDay]

I left them on. I have gotten several compliments on the wheels. That has never happened with any other car that I have driven.

 

[ThePlankeEye]

The covers look bad to me in pictures, but great in real life.

 

[aliengar0]

Off except for road trips

 

[Fadiawesome]

I leave them on all the time, but I might just take them off indefinitely and plastidip them black and then only put them on for trips.

 

[GenralSpecific]

You need another option - intermittent both. I’ll go a couple weeks with them on, then I’ll pop off the covers and put the cap kit back on. It’s a free mod that changes to the car’s look quite a bit. I like them both.
Don’t forget to go in to the menu and change the wheel configuration to match your choice too!

 

[SlimJim]

I like the Aerowheels because the Tesla engineers designed them.
They are a piece of Tesla engineering, and not just plastic wheel covers.
People shall admire the Tesla engineering from the glass roof to the Aero wheel covers.
My Tesla Model 3 is the culmination of the leading edge automotive technology.

 

[Neilio]

I like the Aerowheels because the Tesla engineers designed them.
They are a piece of Tesla engineering, and not just plastic wheel covers.
People shall admire the Tesla engineering from the glass roof to the Aero wheel covers.
My Tesla Model 3 is the culmination of the leading edge automotive technology.

They sure as hell are ugly though. Great engineering is all well and good but in a vehicle, it should be supplemented with style too.

The aero wheels scream "functional" but at the cost of form, sadly.

 

[Siciliano]

I bought an Amazon kit. Took aero covers off, cleaned the rims, put the caps on. Stood back and looked at the car and put the aero covers back on. To me, it gives the car a very distinct look, almost futuristic.

It's crazy because every time I take one of the covers off to show someone, 9 out of 10 ppl say something very similar to: "those rims are really nice, but those covers look cooler, more futuristic." And this is without any biased input from me, either way...I make sure to ask without giving my own opinion.

I also agree with others about just swapping back and forth - I guess that's the best of both worlds. It seems like it may be a slight PITA to swap them, but it'd be nice just to know I have the option whenever I want to do it.

 

[Siciliano]

I leave them on all the time, but I might just take them off indefinitely and plastidip them black and then only put them on for trips.

I've seen it a few times on the forum about plastidipping the covers, but I don't get it - the slight color differences IMO are literally what makes them cool, and gives some sense of depth and adds to the design aesthetics. If they are all one color they just look lacking to me.