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Gemini Wheel Cover plastic noise
- Thread starter L3KTR1K
- Start date
TomServo
Active Member
I pulled mine today (with 510 miles on my car). Two observations, all my wheels have “nicks/marks” in them from where the Aero Covers snap on to the wheel spokes, and the amount of brake dust on the wheels was significant, far more than I would have expected given I configured my braking mode to Standard/Hold even before we drove it off the lot. It seems given that finding owners who NEVER remove the Aero Covers could have a real mess on their hands.
mrbulk
Member
The marks on my wheels are where the tiny bumps hit the outer rim, not the clips.
mackgriggs
Member
Yeah, those are where my marks are as well.
I think he means...was that it was just a clarification that its not the clips that are the problem, its the small nubs close to the clips. Not in "addition" to the clips.
Anyway....one idea is to sand down those nubs a bit. I'm just worried that they are acting as a counterforce to keep the clips tight though. I don't want to have a aero cover fly off on the freeway.
Even if the rims do get marked up...I don't mind that much because I want black rims. If I decide to take the aero covers off permanently in the future, I'm either going to plastidip the rims (like I did my covers) or just buy new black rims.
TomServo
Active Member
Each of my wheels has at least one of these marks
I also have small chips as others have shown. I won't be using the Aero Caps again. Tesla needs to redesign them and replace or fix them for free.
I also have small chips as others have shown. I won't be using the Aero Caps again. Tesla needs to redesign them and replace or fix them for free.
We just finished a 5481 mile trip. I put Door Ease stainless lube on all of the wheel cover contact points at 500 miles. No noise! Averaged 289 WH/M with the wheel covers on. I don’t plan to repeat the trip without the wheel covers to test the aero effect, or remove the covers to inspect for rub marks. They look fine and don’t make noise.
Perfect! Door Ease is a nice “stick” lube to work with.
Perfect! Door Ease is a nice “stick” lube to work with.
Maybe I didn't use enough, but door ease didn't work for me. How much of a stick/how many sticks did you use?
This thread has video of an SA trimming down the tabs that contact the outer edge of the rims to eliminate the sound: Fixed: Gemini Wheel Cover Noise
Has anyone else tried this? If so, have you noticed any ill effects as a result of removing the tabs?
Has anyone else tried this? If so, have you noticed any ill effects as a result of removing the tabs?
Skeewiz
New Member
I had a Tesla technician come to the house and he knew exactly what causes it. When the hubcaps are injection molded, there are runners/sprues that rubs against the wheels. The technician used a pair of diagonal cutters to remove them all. There is about 20 per hubcap.
The noise is created by deformations in the cover...those tabs are intended to be the contact point with the wheel (sets the datum - notice the pads on the wheel where the tabs contact). Essentially, as your wheel turns, the cover slightly deforms, which causes the tabs to lose contact with the wheel, and re-contact later, creating the noise. Removing the tabs effects the aero cover positioning, causing it to sit lower in the wheel. It does increase the contact area, but you're going to have ill effects later on. It's not a permanent solution, you'd be better off adding material at the same height as the rib to increase contact, but in the end, the covers are relatively cheap and easy to replace, so no real harm either way.
If people are reporting it to the service centers, then Tesla knows about it, and it will eventually be fixed on new vehicles.
If people are reporting it to the service centers, then Tesla knows about it, and it will eventually be fixed on new vehicles.
You are likely correct here. Removing the tabs causes the cover to sit lower in the wheel, meaning less clip engagement. Doesn't mean it's going to fly off, but it does mean it wasn't validated to prove that it won't. Driving through water, snow, ect...could have the greatest effect. The retention on those covers is really robust, though, so you'll probably be OK in the end. Maybe eventually, through creep effect, you might lose enough force for the cover to disengage.
Just had a technician come by for a door trim that was loose, and I mentioned the crackling sound with my Gemini's. He confirmed it's a known issue, confirmed it is those tiny plastic tabs near the edges of the wheel covers, and that one "unofficial" fix was to cut those tabs. However, he did say that service technicians are being urged to escalate this, in the hopes that Tesla will get someone in engineering involved to implement an official fix, whether it is a redesign of the wheel covers, or if cutting the tabs will end up being the official fix.
twc
Member
Yep, its the tabs, would of used duck tap, but this was experimental. So I doubled up on blue painters tape. Like magic the sound is gone!
Attachments
Quick update. I just received a voicemail from Tesla asking me to set an appointment, as the service center had received further direction on how to address the wheel noise, namely, that the wheels and wheel covers would be replaced altogether. I expect to speak with the advisor tomorrow, so I hope I’ll get more information at that time.
I just spoke with the local service center, and it was explained to me that the technician who worked on my car back in April did escalate this, such that the engineering department in Fremont now wants my wheels and wheel covers so they can investigate this further. In turn, they will give me new wheels and wheel covers (they will put my existing tires on the new wheels), and I was told the wheel covers will be modified so they will not crackle. While the person I spoke with was not 100% sure, he seemed to suggest the plastic tabs would simply be cut off.
In other words, Tesla has not implemented an "official" fix, and it sounds like the company is offering to replace my wheels so the engineering department can look into it further.
While it's always nice to get new wheels and wheel covers, is this necessary? While the crackling noise does not bother me that much, I could also just cut the tabs myself without the inconvenience of having to drop the car off at the service center. Also, doesn't the engineering department have wheels they can test out?
