New Wheel Cover still rubs tire sidewalls -- check your Cybertruck

[HaulingAss]

I checked pressures early morning and don't do towing. I presume towing would add weight to rear wheels. The rubbing occured on the right front wheel. The 4 wear spots were tabs next to each other.

The rubbing only occurred on the right front wheel? And all four wear spots were adjacent to each other? It sounds like that wheel cover either had a manufacturing defect or it was installed incorrectly, as well as being under-inflated. Often times problems like this are caused by the "stacking" of multiple smaller issues, each of which is thought to be insignificant in itself. Others are reporting no problems, so you have to ask yourself, what is different about yours vs. all the people with the same product but different results.

I mentioned towing because towing increases the side loads on the tires, which naturally increases the side displacement of the sidewalls (and far too many people don't run the recommended towing air pressures when towing).

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[QuantMech]

Given the tight clearance (although 1/2” does not look tight in non motion) when the wheel and tire flex during a sever compression event (bad pothole for example) the gap goes to less than zero, the wheel cover jams into the tire. Given the damaged area is localized, four sprockets, i would think it was a severe pothole type of event. Keep in mind i am not blaming the driver, this type event is going to happen no matter how ‘good’ of a driver you are, no matter how ‘good’ the roads are, reality is the cover, tire, wheel, suspension system has to be robust and withstand these types of events as this type of event is common albeit may not be everyday, every week, or even every month the probability is too high to not design that type event into the system. Not to mention this is a truck and is going to be prone to be in difficult terrain, it might be a monthly, weekly or even a daily event.

The visual showing the divot formed in the tire wall should scare the hell out of everyone as sidewalls are one of the weakest points in a tire and are prone to blowout which can be catastrophic at speed.

in my opinion these covers should be removed immediately due to safety concerns and a redesign or alteration be put in place immediately. It is not worth a fender bender much less someone’s life especially over a wheel cover.

These are the often occurring issues that happen for new products especially something as complicated a an automobile. Recognize it, fix it and move on.

 

[NSCyber]

Hope these photos help.

thanks! Stopped by a delivery center a couple weeks ago on a completely unrelated matter and casually asked when I would get the covers and they kindly checked and saw they had an extra set! Put them on myself and super easy to do but the spokes look like they go up further than yours. Same gap between the rim and the cover but worried they gave me an old one?

 

[HaulingAss]

What vehicle at this price point wears HUB CAPS anyway? Tesla should have never designed these in the first place, but rather had released a better looking factory wheel.

The absolute BEST mod (besides wrapping it) is to replace the garbage wheels. Let's just all call this a fail on Tesla, the wheels and hubcaps look terrible anyway, toss them in the trash.

If you don't like the aesthetics of the Aero wheel covers to begin with, then why are you complaining in the first place? Nobody said you had to use them! I didn't like them much initially, but it's apparent to me that a huge number of Cybertruck owners think the wheel covers really complete the look (and the aesthetics have grown on me, at least a bit, since I first saw them).

Wheel covers aside, the wheels themselves are not "garbage", if you don't like the aesthetics, that's fine, just know that aesthetics are a personal preference. The fact that you don't like the aesthetics doesn't make them "garbage wheels". Those who attempt to force their personal aesthetics on others need to accept that they are not the final arbiter of looks, that's up to each individual (assuming they even care about the aesthetics of the wheels).

The quality of the wheels is easier to judge objectively. Cybertruck's OEM wheels are better than most aftermarket wheels you can buy, as well as most OEM wheels. By that I mean the manufacturing tolerances and the strength to weight ratios. Light and strong is good.

Sure, they are not fully forged wheels, but OEM wheels never are. In fact, most trucks come with very cheap and heavy wheels. We are lucky Tesla gives us some of the best OEM wheels in the business.

More importantly, nobody is forcing you to buy a truck with wheels you don't like, maybe check out the wheels you can get on a Ford Lightning. If you don't like those, check out the Sierra or Silverado or Hummer wheels. They may be more to your liking.

But I have to assume Tesla is doing something right, the Cybertruck will likely outsell all of those trucks put together! And I am one of many who actually like the OEM wheels, with or without wheel covers. Don't take it personally.

 

[kpg81]

If you don't like the aesthetics of the Aero wheel covers to begin with, then why are you complaining in the first place? Nobody said you had to use them! I didn't like them much initially, but it's apparent to me that a huge number of Cybertruck owners think the wheel covers really complete the look (and the aesthetics have grown on me, at least a bit, since I first saw them).

Wheel covers aside, the wheels themselves are not "garbage", if you don't like the aesthetics, that's fine, just know that aesthetics are a personal preference. The fact that you don't like the aesthetics doesn't make them "garbage wheels". Those who attempt to force their personal aesthetics on others need to accept that they are not the final arbiter of looks, that's up to each individual (assuming they even care about the aesthetics of the wheels).

The quality of the wheels is easier to judge objectively. Cybertruck's OEM wheels are better than most aftermarket wheels you can buy, as well as most OEM wheels. By that I mean the manufacturing tolerances and the strength to weight ratios. Light and strong is good.

Sure, they are not fully forged wheels, but OEM wheels never are. In fact, most trucks come with very cheap and heavy wheels. We are lucky Tesla gives us some of the best OEM wheels in the business.

More importantly, nobody is forcing you to buy a truck with wheels you don't like, maybe check out the wheels you can get on a Ford Lightning. If you don't like those, check out the Sierra or Silverado or Hummer wheels. They may be more to your liking.

But I have to assume Tesla is doing something right, the Cybertruck will likely outsell all of those trucks put together! And I am one of many who actually like the OEM wheels, with or without wheel covers. Don't take it personally.

 

[CybertruckCovers]

thanks! Stopped by a delivery center a couple weeks ago on a completely unrelated matter and casually asked when I would get the covers and they kindly checked and saw they had an extra set! Put them on myself and super easy to do but the spokes look like they go up further than yours. Same gap between the rim and the cover but worried they gave me an old one?

Those covers do seem a little closer to the tires and slightly higher up.

 

[CybertruckCovers]

This picture is of the best case scenario. The top of the tire is where there's at least amount of load and the tire will be flexing less. The wear is going to happen at the bottom where the tire is compressed and bulging outwards. I'm not saying that yours touch at the bottom I'm just saying that's where they're most likely to touch.

Here is a picture of the same wheel taken from the lowest position of the tire looking up. The clearance is still pretty good.

 

[carsly]

I wonder if a piece of foam tape on the back of each nub would solve it by distributing whatever force occurs over a larger surface area on the tire. Eventually, with enough force the hard rubber nubs will eat through the foam, but maybe running the tires at +2psi plus adding the foam strips could manage it.

 

[HaulingAss]

If you don't like reading long posts, then don't read long posts. I get it, a lot of millennials want everything to fit on a phone screen, they like ideas to be memes, without any real depth beyond a simple idea. That's fine. Stick to the short stuff that doesn't challenge your brain or change your existing preconceptions.

Be happy.

Don't worry.

 

[kpg81]

If you don't like reading long posts, then don't read long posts. I get it, a lot of millennials want everything to fit on a phone screen, they like ideas to be memes, without any real depth beyond a simple idea. That's fine. Stick to the short stuff that doesn't challenge your brain or change your existing preconceptions.

Be happy.

Don't worry.

🥱

 

[kappaknight]

Roads are good. I did one trip 8 miles at very slow speed on forest service road that has some pot holes that I am pretty good at missing most of the time. Since no one else seems to be seeing this as well on their trucks, I am thinking it may be that Tesla just didn't install that front cover correctly.

Make sure you pop the center in. When I re-did mine at delivery, I hit the side clips but had the hit the center in as well.

That may not be the issue, but doesn’t hurt to do it.

 

[flyinglow]

The covers give a pretty small aero benefit per independent wind tunnel and CFD tests - don't remember the actual number but I think it was in the 1% or less range. If my math isn't messed up, the savings with the wheel covers is less than 50 cents per full charge so it would take 600 or more 100% charges to recover the $300 credit. $ wise the credit makes more sense.

There was a thread on the forum with a wind tunnel test of the truck and another with the CFD study.

 

[65SoYoLO]

If you don't like reading long posts, then don't read long posts. I get it, a lot of millennials want everything to fit on a phone screen, they like ideas to be memes, without any real depth beyond a simple idea. That's fine. Stick to the short stuff that doesn't challenge your brain or change your existing preconceptions.

Be happy.

Don't worry.

You should be happy and don't worry. That pic is funny as hell.

 

[65SoYoLO]

The covers give a pretty small aero benefit per independent wind tunnel and CFD tests - don't remember the actual number but I think it was in the 1% or less range. If my math isn't messed up, the savings with the wheel covers is less than 50 cents per full charge so it would take 600 or more 100% charges to recover the $300 credit. $ wise the credit makes more sense.

There was a thread on the forum with a wind tunnel test of the truck and another with the CFD study.

I thought it was 10% ... But I'm not going to swear on it, could have been before the truck was released and that was an estimate.

 

[WHIZZARD OF OZ]

I have 575 miles on my Cyberbeast. It was the first delivered (8/19/24) in Raleigh SC that they had seen that had the new wheel covers installed for delivery.

I removed them today to adjust my AT tire pressure for colder weather. I was surprised to see that they also are rubbing the surface of the tires. The picture shows what has happened so far with just 575 miles on my truck.

Updated with more info:


Tire pressure was 47 on two tires, 48 on two others before adding air to bring it up to 50 on all tires. The wear was present on right front tire. The others seem to be ok, so it may be that some of the covers are defective. I have done no launches or even put it in beast mode and have done around town driving and one trip to a cabin I have on a forest service road. Tire pressures have never been low on any tires.

What's the worst that could happen?
Give me my cybertruck Elon, NOW!

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