My Journey To The Right Wheel Covers
When I ordered the MY I decided to go with the most comfortable and efficient setup, so I chose the LR with geminis. I don’t mind the design of the wheels or covers, but I really wanted them to be black. At the time there were no aftermarket options for covers and I didn’t want to paint my stock covers. I also had an issue with the stock covers making the infamous creaking sound (at the time I didn’t know to just trim the plastic nubs) The only black covers available were Chinese replicas from eBay. I decided to order the replicas. They are much flimsier/lighter than the stock covers, but not enough to worry me. Unfortunately though, upon arrival, I immediately noticed that the surface was very scratched up. I also realized that the gloss wasn't for me and I wanted a matte look. This is where my long journey to laminar covers started…
I decided that the best way forward would be to paint the aftermarket covers. At this point I kind of wished that I had just painted my stock covers. Still, I figured that I already had the aftermarket covers and if I messed up I would still have the stock covers.
Round 1 - PlastiDip
My first attempt was with Plasti Dip and it looked great on the first few coats, but then it started to splatter. It looked fine for the most part after drying except for up close - it looked slightly bumpy in some spots. Then after driving a bit, something hit the wheel and left a chip. Between the texture and the chip, I was starting to dislike the covers. I’m a bit picky too, so I used wd-40 (to loosen the PlastiDip) and a pressure washer to remove it and start over. I'm going to skip the pictures for both PlastiDip attempts so I don't post too many pics in one post (and because you have probably seen a ton of them already that turned out better anyway).
Round 2 - PlastiDip
The second run was better planned - I warmed the cans longer than before (in warm water), used a better spray gun attachment (can trigger), and took my time with prep (sanding). It looked much better, but I still wasn’t thrilled and there were a few small blemishes. No one would have noticed but me most likely. It still bothered me.
Round 3 - Paint
Ready for round three? Removal process repeated, ready to re-spray. But this time I chose paint - Rustoleum universal advanced flat paint/primer in one (spray can). Everything went well and it looked great when it was dry.
So now I had my black covers and they looked fine. I didn’t love the silver edge of the wheel showing, but I could live with it (or paint/buy a rim guard later). Somehow I still wasn’t pleased with the look and they were really hard to keep clean (maybe something with a less matte/dry finish would have been better for this). I ended up removing the covers for winter and was debating whether they would be worth putting back on in spring. I got the wheel cap kit from Tesla since the covers were off. The kit is very cheap and all plastic, but it works and looks ok, so no regrets. I sure did miss having black wheels though.
Here is a picture of the painted replica covers: (looks the same as the PlastiDip did at this distance and very similar up close, but it turned out better/was easier to apply.) Note: these are not the laminars (obviously)
Round 4 - Laminar Review
After this long process of painting, repainting, and repeated mediocre results, I saw that Rimetrix had the Laminar covers available. I love the look, especially that they cover the edge of the wheel. They also don’t negatively affect range versus the stock covers and include foam to prevent noise/damage. I pulled the trigger and ordered a set. They arrived quickly - I ordered on 2/3 (at night) and they arrived on 2/7.
They feel much more solid/rigid versus the stock or replica covers. The Laminars snap in with a bit more reassuring pop than the stock covers. You will know they are secure from the feel. Same with the center caps (The center caps from Tesla came out so easily I’m shocked I never lost one. The foam strip was very easy to install and maybe took 10 minutes to finish all four. And the look… the design is great and the wheels look larger now. They also seem like they will be easy to keep clean. I’m very happy with this decision, even if it was a long journey to get here. I would definitely recommend them for anyone who wants the geminis, but also wants black wheels that appear slightly larger.
Pictures below include both sides of the cover and the foam strip that they give you (each cover uses 7 pieces of foam - enough to fully surround each edge - very easy to apply). Sorry that it's so dirty, but the weather in NJ has not been kind - lots of wet, snow, and salt.
Summary (TLDR)
The Laminar wheel covers are well worth it IMO for anyone who wants to keep the efficiency of the geminis, but also wants to change the appearance to a larger looking black wheel.. They feel solid, look great, and arrived fast.
When I ordered the MY I decided to go with the most comfortable and efficient setup, so I chose the LR with geminis. I don’t mind the design of the wheels or covers, but I really wanted them to be black. At the time there were no aftermarket options for covers and I didn’t want to paint my stock covers. I also had an issue with the stock covers making the infamous creaking sound (at the time I didn’t know to just trim the plastic nubs) The only black covers available were Chinese replicas from eBay. I decided to order the replicas. They are much flimsier/lighter than the stock covers, but not enough to worry me. Unfortunately though, upon arrival, I immediately noticed that the surface was very scratched up. I also realized that the gloss wasn't for me and I wanted a matte look. This is where my long journey to laminar covers started…
I decided that the best way forward would be to paint the aftermarket covers. At this point I kind of wished that I had just painted my stock covers. Still, I figured that I already had the aftermarket covers and if I messed up I would still have the stock covers.
Round 1 - PlastiDip
My first attempt was with Plasti Dip and it looked great on the first few coats, but then it started to splatter. It looked fine for the most part after drying except for up close - it looked slightly bumpy in some spots. Then after driving a bit, something hit the wheel and left a chip. Between the texture and the chip, I was starting to dislike the covers. I’m a bit picky too, so I used wd-40 (to loosen the PlastiDip) and a pressure washer to remove it and start over. I'm going to skip the pictures for both PlastiDip attempts so I don't post too many pics in one post (and because you have probably seen a ton of them already that turned out better anyway).
Round 2 - PlastiDip
The second run was better planned - I warmed the cans longer than before (in warm water), used a better spray gun attachment (can trigger), and took my time with prep (sanding). It looked much better, but I still wasn’t thrilled and there were a few small blemishes. No one would have noticed but me most likely. It still bothered me.
Round 3 - Paint
Ready for round three? Removal process repeated, ready to re-spray. But this time I chose paint - Rustoleum universal advanced flat paint/primer in one (spray can). Everything went well and it looked great when it was dry.
So now I had my black covers and they looked fine. I didn’t love the silver edge of the wheel showing, but I could live with it (or paint/buy a rim guard later). Somehow I still wasn’t pleased with the look and they were really hard to keep clean (maybe something with a less matte/dry finish would have been better for this). I ended up removing the covers for winter and was debating whether they would be worth putting back on in spring. I got the wheel cap kit from Tesla since the covers were off. The kit is very cheap and all plastic, but it works and looks ok, so no regrets. I sure did miss having black wheels though.
Here is a picture of the painted replica covers: (looks the same as the PlastiDip did at this distance and very similar up close, but it turned out better/was easier to apply.) Note: these are not the laminars (obviously)
Round 4 - Laminar Review
After this long process of painting, repainting, and repeated mediocre results, I saw that Rimetrix had the Laminar covers available. I love the look, especially that they cover the edge of the wheel. They also don’t negatively affect range versus the stock covers and include foam to prevent noise/damage. I pulled the trigger and ordered a set. They arrived quickly - I ordered on 2/3 (at night) and they arrived on 2/7.
They feel much more solid/rigid versus the stock or replica covers. The Laminars snap in with a bit more reassuring pop than the stock covers. You will know they are secure from the feel. Same with the center caps (The center caps from Tesla came out so easily I’m shocked I never lost one. The foam strip was very easy to install and maybe took 10 minutes to finish all four. And the look… the design is great and the wheels look larger now. They also seem like they will be easy to keep clean. I’m very happy with this decision, even if it was a long journey to get here. I would definitely recommend them for anyone who wants the geminis, but also wants black wheels that appear slightly larger.
Pictures below include both sides of the cover and the foam strip that they give you (each cover uses 7 pieces of foam - enough to fully surround each edge - very easy to apply). Sorry that it's so dirty, but the weather in NJ has not been kind - lots of wet, snow, and salt.
Summary (TLDR)
The Laminar wheel covers are well worth it IMO for anyone who wants to keep the efficiency of the geminis, but also wants to change the appearance to a larger looking black wheel.. They feel solid, look great, and arrived fast.
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