Orbital Wheel Covers

[Mr X]

Ok, just because you said please. Here's a few more.

View attachment 667505View attachment 667506View attachment 667507

Thanks!


Are those the Rimetrix center caps? Where'd you get those Red T's from?

 

[The_Observer]

Thanks!


Are those the Rimetrix center caps? Where'd you get those Red T's from?

Yes, they are Rimetrix center caps. I bought some 56mm emblem stickers from here to place it over the center caps: TESLA 3d car wheel center cap emblems stickers decals :: Red logo/Black background :: ― Online shop 3D wheel center caps

I couldn't found them anywhere on ebay, amazon, etc, they were the only place that I found them at. They shop from Ukraine which is rather strange, it took a while to ship, but it did come to my mailbox in about 3-4 weeks. It's been holding up for about 2 months now, and they seem to work fine.

 

[djrodtc]

I just put the center caps!

https://imgur.com/a/L11byAe

 

[Amped412]

Loving the new wheel covers

 

[Rothgarr]

So I'll start by saying that I absolutely love the ways these look on my car (black Orbitals on my White Model 3).

But after having them on for three to four weeks I do have some concerns:

1. They are loud and chatter. Like, rolling out of my garage it sounds like something is wrong with the car. Tried moving them to different wheels when I got them and also tried letting them "settle" to no avail. Every bump and pothole they make noise. And last week while driving to Lime Rock race track I had to drive a few miles on a road that was milled in preparation of resurfacing -- it sounded like a drum roll the whole time.
   
   
2. I took one off today and the wheel was absolutely filthy underneath. I've never seen them this dirty. Way more so than with the factory aero covers on for the same amount of time. You don't see the dirt and grime with the Orbitals on, but I wonder if this is bad for the wheels, etc.
   
   
3. I can feel what appears to be some pitting around the perimeter of the wheel's finish that I don't believe was there before I put the Orbitals on. I suspect this is from the constant rattling combined with the dirt that gets trapped behind the Orbitals.
   
   
4. These are pretty difficult to remove. That center cap gets wedged in there really well. Trying to pry them off with a screwdriver (using a towel to protect the Orbital) seems much more difficult than it should be.

That being said, today I tried putting weather-stripping around the entire perimeter of one of the Orbitals as was demonstrated in the video earlier. Since there is some load on the Orbital, it no longer rattles when I tap it with my fingers. And I suspect no dirt will get between the Orbitals and the perimeter of the wheel so I suspect this will prevent any pitting. Still don't know if they will be any quieter, I'll see if I can tell the difference in that one wheel when I drive tomorrow.

I'd like to keep the Orbitals, so I'm hoping the weather-stripping fix does the job. But the items I listed above are of real concern to me.

 

[SeaM3White2021]

Curious if you have an update on the three methods you tried. I was thinking of putting the weatherstripping all around... (seems simpler to me.)

So far no issues with the method I used of cutting small pieces and covering the point of contact ridges.

Also I scraped one slightly against a curb and I can barely notice. Much better than without a cover.

So far I'm still very happy with them but I recommend the weatherstrip fix.

 

[SeaM3White2021]

So I'll start by saying that I absolutely love the ways these look on my car (black Orbitals on my White Model 3).

But after having them on for three to four weeks I do have some concerns:

1. They are loud and chatter. Like, rolling out of my garage it sounds like something is wrong with the car. Tried moving them to different wheels when I got them and also tried letting them "settle" to no avail. Every bump and pothole they make noise. And last week while driving to Lime Rock race track I had to drive a few miles on a road that was milled in preparation of resurfacing -- it sounded like a drum roll the whole time.
   
   
2. I took one off today and the wheel was absolutely filthy underneath. I've never seen them this dirty. Way more so than with the factory aero covers on for the same amount of time. You don't see the dirt and grime with the Orbitals on, but I wonder if this is bad for the wheels, etc.
   
   
3. I can feel what appears to be some pitting around the perimeter of the wheel's finish that I don't believe was there before I put the Orbitals on. I suspect this is from the constant rattling combined with the dirt that gets trapped behind the Orbitals.
   
   
4. These are pretty difficult to remove. That center cap gets wedged in there really well. Trying to pry them off with a screwdriver (using a towel to protect the Orbital) seems much more difficult than it should be.

That being said, today I tried putting weather-stripping around the entire perimeter of one of the Orbitals as was demonstrated in the video earlier. Since there is some load on the Orbital, it no longer rattles when I tap it with my fingers. And I suspect no dirt will get between the Orbitals and the perimeter of the wheel so I suspect this will prevent any pitting. Still don't know if they will be any quieter, I'll see if I can tell the difference in that one wheel when I drive tomorrow.

I'd like to keep the Orbitals, so I'm hoping the weather-stripping fix does the job. But the items I listed above are of real concern to me.

Let us know how it works for you. I'll still take mine off every few months and clean underneath for reasons you state.

 

[Rothgarr]

Let us know how it works for you. I'll still take mine off every few months and clean underneath for reasons you state.

I'll do an update now!

 

[Rothgarr]

A quick follow-up to the full weather-stripping I did to one wheel.

What a huge difference! Night and day. As I mentioned above, I only did one wheel as a test (front/driver-side, as that's the one I could hear all the time). And I did the weather-stripping around the entire perimeter (seemed so much easier than cutting strips, and I wasn't sure if it would help keep dirt out).

There was immediately no more creaking pulling out of my garage and I no longer hear any banging going over bumps/potholes.

I'm now starting to think it was just the one wheel that was making all the noise, but I'm still going to do the remaining three wheels with weather stripping as a precaution to prevent any pitting from happening.

 

[travis3000]

Rimetrix just emailed me saying my covers have shipped. Should be arriving in a week or so. Thanks for the tips with the weather stripping. I will 100% do this.

What type of weather stripping did you guys use , if you dont mind me asking? This stuff is pretty foreign to me haha.

 

[Rothgarr]

Rimetrix just emailed me saying my covers have shipped. Should be arriving in a week or so. Thanks for the tips with the weather stripping. I will 100% do this.

What type of weather stripping did you guys use , if you dont mind me asking? This stuff is pretty foreign to me haha.

I used this stuff:

And put it all the way around (it looks compressed because I just took it off the wheel).

Keep in mind that it's harder to put the wheel back on (snap into splace) with the weather-stripping since it's a much tighter fit.

 

[travis3000]

^ I just ordered the exact same brand off Amazon. Thanks again for the help

 

[Rothgarr]

^ I just ordered the exact same brand off Amazon. Thanks again for the help

Nice. I only did one wheel so far, but if my calculations are correct, I think two packages will be needed to do all four covers.

And Home Depot had two versions of it -- one was white and the other was black (dark grey, really) -- I got the dark grey so that it would blend better

 

[Rothgarr]

Anybody know what cleaning stuff should (or should not) be applied to these Orbitals? I'm also curious if anyone put ceramic on their wheels (I think I have some left over...) or anything else to protect them.

 

[travis3000]

My auto/detail guy is going to help me install them and he suggested ceramic coating them as they will have a better shine and repel dirt/rain easier. They shipped out on Tuesday so not sure how long they will take to get to Canada. I've had orders from the US come in 3 days, while other companies take 2 months. Will be interesting.

 

[Rothgarr]

Now all four of my Orbitals have weather stripping all around. SO much better than before. No creaks or rattles anywhere.

 

[travis3000]

Now all four of my Orbitals have weather stripping all around. SO much better than before. No creaks or rattles anywhere.

I bought 2 packs of that weather stripping, also bought the suction cups from Amazon to remove the inside logo piece. Don't want no scratch marks from the screwdriver haha. Calipers are painted and now I am just awaiting on the Orbitals to arrive. Can't wait to test them out.

 

[SeaM3White2021]

^ I just ordered the exact same brand off Amazon. Thanks again for the help

I used rubber all weather stripping rather than foam with a thought it would hold up longer.

Weather Stripping Seal Strip for Doors/Windows 26 Feet, Self-Adhesive Backing Seals Large Gap， Easy Cut to Size (26 Feet) (Black) - - Amazon.com

Weather Stripping Seal Strip for Doors/Windows 26 Feet, Self-Adhesive Backing Seals Large Gap， Easy Cut to Size (26 Feet) (Black) - - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

 

[SeaM3White2021]

I bought 2 packs of that weather stripping, also bought the suction cups from Amazon to remove the inside logo piece. Don't want no scratch marks from the screwdriver haha. Calipers are painted and now I am just awaiting on the Orbitals to arrive. Can't wait to test them out.

Note that a plastic trim removal tool works fine too. Just be sure to get behind the center caps when prying.

 

[SeaM3White2021]

Anybody know what cleaning stuff should (or should not) be applied to these Orbitals? I'm also curious if anyone put ceramic on their wheels (I think I have some left over...) or anything else to protect them.

I have had them now for a few months and find they are super easy to clean. They handle the curb rash pretty well too... Much less noticable than the rims