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Orbital Wheel Covers
- Thread starter JasonR67
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- aero covers
SeaM3White2021
model 3 LR 18 white/white ordered 1/21/21
I will be doing a very long trip (WA to Ohio) in the next week and I capture my data on teslafi so if anyone is interested in the wh/mile info from the trip or anything else that I can provide, let me know and I'll do my best to capture and share.
im interested in you wh/mi numbers with the orbitals. are you planning on switching out the covers part way through or do you have some good longer term wh/mi numbers for your aero covers and without covers?
So there's no metal clips? If it's just plastic, this thing is done-zo after some real world use. Metal clips are used in the OEM covers to prevent creep effect. The plastic will suffer permanent deformations without metal components. No matter what resin type is used, it's not going to hold up over time without metal retention components. Just be aware.
It'll work fine at first, but there's a reason that every wheel cover/hub cap/aero cover/wheel insert that's OEM developed uses either metal clips, a wire in the middle, a wire ring around the edge, or is held on by the metal lug nuts. Unfortunately, plastic deforms, and the heat from your brakes/ambient speed it up. They would have been better off having it held on by the lugs. It's a pain to get it off, but would be longer lasting product.
The problem with kickstarter/aftermarket products is they don't have the financial capability to create the tooling necessary to make custom metal retention components like OEM suppliers do.
Either way, if you like the way they look, no harm done. At worst, they fly off and you either buy more or just go back to OEM.
Yuri_G
Member
I'd be surprised if there are any long-term issues. The plastic clamps are super tight on the wheel and the center cap locks onto the center cap hole, as well.
delfonique
Member
I doubt they will fly off. I also have them on my SR+ and even without the center cap locked they seem to be very secure. Also they are not made of plastic I don't think. They are made of a special polymer. If you are on the fence and have questions on the material that they used to make them, I suggest you email them at [email protected]
They are certainly made of plastic. Again, all I'm saying is look at literally any piece of OEM sourced wheel cover/insert/large center cap and they will all either have plastic retention features supported by metal components or are attached via the wheel lug nuts. Even on something like a Nissan Altima...it doesn't matter how cheap the vehicle is, they all have it. There's no harm here, so if you like the appearance better than go for it.
I'm sure glad you posted this! I took the Orbital wheel covers off my Model 3 last night to inspect. They had only been on for about 200 miles but I found the wheel paint scuffed/scratched on the rim edges. I can see where it would get bad over time. I know the original Aero covers leave deep scratches so this isn't a surprise. The Orbital scratches are superficial but I'm glad I caught it before it got worse.
I'm thinking that a small bead of black RTV sealant around the edge of the Orbital wheel cover would probably prevent this type of wheel damage. The outer lip of the wheel cover is slightly curved inwards and would hide it nicely. I will try it this weekend.
some scratches on the outer edge of the rim, under the Orbitals. OP said he has driven about 3k miles since having them.
I'll go check mine but honestly, my rim edges were already so bad from curb rashing, this may help create a uniform look
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