Rim protection idea against curb rash (Aero wheels only...)

[m3guy]

I am going to get my Model 3 next week if everything wents good.

I am a careful driver, but like everybody else I am prone to mistakes as well. I rashed my rims on my other car probably 3 - 4 times in 3 years so I am worried about the same thing gonna happen to my new Model 3.

I was exploring the options out there for how to protect it. I stumbled upon several products that claimed to be good protection. But as far as the reviews on Amazon, all of of them are seems to be junk. One example: https://www.amazon.com/GoBadges-RB0...qid=1535804871&sr=8-4&keywords=rim+protectors

So I kept exploring and got an idea when I saw this product: https://www.amazon.com/MATCC-Guards...35804913&sr=1-4&keywords=car+door+edge+guards

It has good reviews against door edges. So it might also work to cover the edges of Aero wheel cover to create a buffer spacing that might help to migitate or at least minimize the damage against curb rashes. It looks like its pretty tight to fit and kept secure in place but the pressure between the Aero wheel and cover should also give extra force to keep it in place so you might not need to use a glue or adhesive to adhere it as well.

I am going to experiment it when I got my car next week. I will let you know if it works out.

 

[carlg]

I was doing research on this problem also. I am wondering if anyone has tried these British AlloyGator vinyl alloy wheel edge protectors. After watching this installation video, I am thinking this might be a good investment, but am wondering if there are any issues associated with installing them. Concerned that they may cause a slow air leak or void warranty from Tesla. Also not sure if they can cause other problems or issues I haven't even thought of. Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

[gaswalla]

ha.. I have viewed the aero covers as the rim protectors themselves

 

[Glamisduner]

My wheel got damaged from being towed, the strap for the dolly rubbed the paint near the edge, and on the inside of the wheel.

 

[carlg]

@gaswalla.
Sadly the Aero wheel covers won't protect the alloy wheel rim which protrudes out farther than the plastic wheel cover. I already discovered that when my wife damaged both wheels on the passenger side while cutting a right turn too close in a parking lot.

 

[R1Fast]

Alloy Gators and the like do not hold up between a metal wheel w/2000 lbs of force behind it and a cement curb. The only exception being if you just barely graze the curb. Even in that case, damage to the rim is still likely if not nearly unavoidable. Been there, done that!

Also, wheel bands IMO create more danger and risk of damage than they solve. I've tried a few different brands and every single one of them has had one of the bands detach from the wheel over time. In the worst case it was within a few weeks of install. In the best case the set lasted about 3 months before they started to fail due to weather/wear and sheer centrifugal force. One eventually snapped at the 'joint' and started whipping around on the freeway @ 70mph, damaged the fender like Zorro on sterroids and flew off into traffic behind me.

Definitely not worth the money or false sense of security if you ask me.

 

[carlg]

@R1Fast
Thank you so much for your feedback!! I sort of suspected your comments would be the case for most of the options I have been reading reviews on. I am still intrigued by this particular AlloyGator solution after watching the installation video that I provided as a link in my original post earlier today. It seems that wedging the wheel band between the rim and the tire bead would be a lot more secure that just sticking it on the outside edge of the wheel with some adhesive tape. However I am concerned that this may jeopardize the integrity of the airtight seal between the tire bead and the rim. Have you watched the video for this particular model or actually tried them out? I do agree that any piece of plastic is not going to afford much protection for anything but a very slow and slight graze of the curb - that is the type of damage I am concerned about (as in parallel parking).
Assuming you don't use any type of wheel rim protection, what do you recommend doing about the damage when it occurs? I have not had any issues with curb rash after 46,000 miles on my Model S, but my wife has already got some on the two passenger wheels on her Model 3 after less than 1,000 miles. I have noticed that the Model 3 has a longer distance between front and rear axles, and this causes the car to cut corners more sharply unless you compensate by taking wider turns.
Thanks again. Appreciate any suggestions or follow-up to your earlier comments.

 

[Glamisduner]

@R1Fast
Thank you so much for your feedback!! I sort of suspected your comments would be the case for most of the options I have been reading reviews on. I am still intrigued by this particular AlloyGator solution after watching the installation video that I provided as a link in my original post earlier today. It seems that wedging the wheel band between the rim and the tire bead would be a lot more secure that just sticking it on the outside edge of the wheel with some adhesive tape. However I am concerned that this may jeopardize the integrity of the airtight seal between the tire bead and the rim. Have you watched the video for this particular model or actually tried them out? I do agree that any piece of plastic is not going to afford much protection for anything but a very slow and slight graze of the curb - that is the type of damage I am concerned about (as in parallel parking).
Assuming you don't use any type of wheel rim protection, what do you recommend doing about the damage when it occurs? I have not had any issues with curb rash after 46,000 miles on my Model S, but my wife has already got some on the two passenger wheels on her Model 3 after less than 1,000 miles. I have noticed that the Model 3 has a longer distance between front and rear axles, and this causes the car to cut corners more sharply unless you compensate by taking wider turns.
Thanks again. Appreciate any suggestions or follow-up to your earlier comments.

Your wife isn't alone, seems to be an epidemic. I'm thinking wider tires might help with the issue, but haven't really seen any pictures of anyone who has tried this. I also wonder if the aero wheels lip sticks out more than usual. Or maybe it's just more noticeable on the darker wheels?

 

[mrpetrov]

Had my model 3 for a week, already rashed the rims on two of the wheels.

What tricked me is that the rear camera's white lines which indicate the edges of the car aren't actually set at the edge - I hit the edge of a curb when the camera white line wasn't quite touching the curb.

 

[RCWtristan]

"...]the rear camera's white lines which indicate the edges of the car aren't actually set at the edge[..."
Actually, the white lines are not intended to show the edge of the vehicle. At least not on my 'S'. The white lines are perfectly indicating the middles of the two rear tires. If I keep the white line about 4" for the curb when backing, I will be almost perfectly on the concrete curb (maybe even too close). Good idea for new owners is to familiarize yourself with that the camera portrays by backing up several times at an object's edge and repeatedly getting out to check the result. MY wife's VW, completely different. My prior Ford hybrid, completely different.

 

[gzerninplatz]

Wheel bands. easy to apply, easy to repair. Had them 4 years on my S and now on my 3. go directly to wheel bands company and they will sell you a whole second kit cheaply to use for repairs...

 

[cwerdna]

It would've been nice if Tesla offered a system similar to Around View Monitor on Nissans (and by other names on vehicles from many other automakers). I LOVE the feature on my '13 Leaf SV w/premium package and have been enjoying it since end of July 2013 (1st on a leased '13 Leaf and now an on owned '13 Leaf). It gives you a virtual overhead view and pushing on the camera button a few times switches you to a view of the right side (skip to 0:47 of

) so you can see how close you are to the curb. I didn't cause any curb rash on my 2 year leased Leaf and I don't think I added any to the used '13 Leaf I've had since July 2015.

Some other automakers have much fancier versions (see 2nd link below). I test drove a Rav4 and Camry at a local auto show earlier this year and both of them had fancier implementations than Nissan, including a view of the left AND right curbs, the ability to zoom in and a virtual fly around view (simulating something orbiting the car). See

(note, this video is from 2016). They show zoom at 2:25 and left and right views at 2:35.

My '19 Bolt Premier has GM's "Surround Vision" system which has the virtual overhead view + front and back cameras but the picture quality sucks vs. my '13 Leaf and it doesn't have the curb views nor zoom. I can kinda guess the distance from the curb via the overhead view.

The topic's come up a bunch of times before like at the below:
What's the value of 360º bird's eye view?
360 camera view and hotspot

 

[kev1n]

why do people think some plastic will help protect your wheel from curb rash? none of these junk are going to actually protect your wheel when you hit a curb. the only instance i see this working is if youre going at walking pace at the correct angle. save your money.

instead of researching for ways to protect your wheels, do some research on how to become better at parking

 

[Clearphish]

I suspect that the Model 3's tires and rims may be part of the problem. Curb rash hasThey also claim to fairly silent due to a flexible side wall. Maybe that will protect the rims as well never been a thing for me before we acquired our wonderful M3 SR+. Curb rash wasn't anything I was even aware of with our 2001 & 2011 (used) Prius. It could be that the wider Tesla with 42 + PSI are part of the problem. I could be wrong but I suspect that the sidewalls extend beyond the rims on our other vehicles.

I am tempted to go with Nokian all weather tires to see how that works out. They come in the right dimensions and are extra load as well as being rated for winter driving with the snowflake & all. Thus only one set of rims is required. They also claim to have noise reducing flexible sidewalls. Maybe that will be enough to protect the rims. As an old guy I don't have a commute so one set of tires should last fairly long as well. What I have read here leads me to want to try my solution and if that works I'll take the risk of repairing the rims only if they stop getting scraped.

 

[carlg]

I am finally convinced that the Model 3 has a design flaw that every new owner should be made aware of when they are first introduced to their bright shiny new car - the car has a longer wheelbase than normal and requires a wider turning radius on the passenger side than a normal sedan. This is further exacerbated by alloy wheels which are wider than the sidewalls of the tires, so the rims are totally exposed / unprotected.
If you want proof, next time you are at a Supercharger, check out the wheel rims on the passenger side of any Model 3 being charged, including new ones with temporary license tags. Literally everyone I have talked with says they damaged the passenger side wheel rim edges within the first 200 miles after getting the car!!. This is a serious design flaw!!

 

[Clearphish]

Prior to owning a very fine M3 SR+ we have been driving a 2001 Classic Prius for 13 yeas followed by a used 2011 Prius which is going to be around one more winter as a backup while we get used to an EV in low temperatures. With these vehicles rim or curb rash has never been a thing for us. The Tesla is an inch or more wider but I wonder if the rims on our other vehicles were protected by the tire side walls which may have extended beyond the rims.

Reading all your replies also leads me to wonder if changing tires might be good since rim protectors don't have a very strong recommendation. My candidate is the Nokian WR G4 It comes in the right size & is extra load with flexible noise-reducing side walls. It's an all year tire rated for winter with the snowflake logo on the side and it also supposedly handles well in the summer. Maybe there is enough sidewall bulge to protect the rims. At any rate since I don't have a daily commute to worry about, the tires should last long enough and a second set of rims would be unnecessary.

I won't worry about the rims until I see if this strategy provides any protection. And if it does, then we'll refinish the rims I guess. (This is my second version since I couldn't seem to find a way of editing the first one and have no idea where it went).

 

[Clearphish]

I am finally convinced that the Model 3 has a design flaw that every new owner should be made aware of when they are first introduced to their bright shiny new car - the car has a longer wheelbase than normal and requires a wider turning radius on the passenger side than a normal sedan. This is further exacerbated by alloy wheels which are wider than the sidewalls of the tires, so the rims are totally exposed / unprotected.
If you want proof, next time you are at a Supercharger, check out the wheel rims on the passenger side of any Model 3 being charged, including new ones with temporary license tags. Literally everyone I have talked with says they damaged the passenger side wheel rim edges within the first 200 miles after getting the car!!. This is a serious design flaw!!

Yep I concur. However I have also managed to scrape the driver's side as well. lol

 

[chinnam3]

I am finally convinced that the Model 3 has a design flaw that every new owner should be made aware of when they are first introduced to their bright shiny new car - the car has a longer wheelbase than normal and requires a wider turning radius on the passenger side than a normal sedan. This is further exacerbated by alloy wheels which are wider than the sidewalls of the tires, so the rims are totally exposed / unprotected.
If you want proof, next time you are at a Supercharger, check out the wheel rims on the passenger side of any Model 3 being charged, including new ones with temporary license tags. Literally everyone I have talked with says they damaged the passenger side wheel rim edges within the first 200 miles after getting the car!!. This is a serious design flaw!!

I wouldn't call it a design flaw. Ofcourse Model 3 has long wheel base (close to a minivan wheel base) to accommodate battery, motor, differential etc with good handling. Longer the wheel base, more stable, and comfortable the car is going to be in addition to providing more space for battery and other components between axles. Also back seat does not have wheel wells protruding because of longer wheel base.

About Rim lips being wider than tire, it is it improve aerodynamics. But I agree that the gain must be very limited based on similar test conducted with/without wheel covers. (may be 1-2% improvement at most).
I was thinking next time I change tire, I will go with my favorite tire Continental PureContact LS with 245 profile which might reduce unwanted scratches(atleast hoping).

 

[Johnstac]

Sadly, I have had my wheel guy repair the outside edge of my rims 3 separate times at $125 per wheel. I am just obsessive about not having road rash. But on my 20” (or are they 21”, idk). All I know is wheel damage is unavoidable if I touch a curb in the slightest.

 

[boshunter]

I had wheelband on my last car. It looks great until you actually curb your rim.
All I can say is, it didn't work.
The plastic lift right off and the rim still got scratch.

My wife curb the Model 3 rim last weekend.
I ended up just sanding and smoothing out the damage and painting it.
All it takes is 30min and looks brand new.