We are Rimetrix. We are environmental enthusiasts, performance oriented designers, doers.    

Orbital was born at the intersection of performance and style. If you are like us, you like options. You appreciate your 18 inch Aero wheel covers but would love to have the option to quickly change the look of your Model 3 without sacrificing performance. And it’s not just the Aero wheel covers. The 18 inch Aero base alloy wheel has so much going for it too – smooth ride, low risk of pot hole tire damage, low risk of curb rash rim damage, all season stock tires, low initial cost, low cost of replacement tires, and efficiency.  There are so many advantages with the 18 inch wheel but just one option in wheel covers. Time to change that. Introducing Orbital wheel covers.

Before we dig into the features, let’s set the record straight. The Orbital wheel covers are only compatible with the Tesla Model 3 18 inch Aero base alloy wheel. They are designed only for this wheel and they will not work with any other wheel. OK.

Appearance

Let’s talk looks. Wheels have a great impact on the overall appearance of the car. While looks are subjective, there are some things that we can all agree on.

First, size. They say size doesn’t matter – but it sure does in this case. A larger wheel tends to look better, inspire performance, and somehow pull a trick on your eyes and make the car look sexier. We designed the Orbital wheel covers with size in mind. They are larger than the Aero wheel covers since they extend all the way to the tire, thus covering the outer rim. 

Second, a clean look is easy on the eyes – so we kept it clean and eliminated seams and gaps.    

Curb Rash Protection

Curb rash! If you have it, it’s okay. We don’t judge. By extending all the way to the tire, the Orbital wheel covers hide existing curb rash damage and prevent future damage of the rim. 

Colors

We decided on two options: silver and black. Other suggestions? We are all ears.

Range

So how do they compare to the Aero wheel covers when it comes to range? We thought you’d never ask. We did our homework and it paid out. We simulated and designed and simulated and tested until we got a similar wh/mi performance to the Aero wheel covers.

 Installation

Orbital wheel covers are easy to install. It literally takes seconds. 

Remove the stock Aero wheel covers, if you have them installed, by pulling each spoke one by one out until the cover snaps out. Now install the Orbital wheel covers. Align the wheel cover center and valve stem slot with the wheel center hub and valve stem, respectively, ensure the center of the wheel cover starts to enter the center hub of the wheel. Every other spoke has a clamp on the back. Find a spoke with the clamp, lightly press on the wheel cover where the clamp is until you feel the clamp snapped to the wheel, then proceed with the other four. Now that the wheel cover is secured onto the wheel it is time to lock it in place. Insert the center cap in the center of the wheel cover and push it lightly in place until it is completely seated. You should feel it snap in place. The center cup end engages with the center hub of the wheel cover, effectively locking the wheel cover to the wheel. That’s it.

To remove the Orbital wheel covers, use a suction cup to pull the center cap out. Once the center cap is out, the wheel cover can be removed by pulling the spokes that have the clamps, one by one, until the wheel cover is free from the alloy wheel. 

Rewards

The MSRP for one Orbital wheel cover is $87, or $348 for a full set of four. We figured you need four. And we very much appreciate your early support so we are offering a 50% and 30% off for the super early bird and early bird supporters, respectively, and 20% off for all Kickstarter supporters. Big thank you there! 

What is included in a set:

• Orbital Wheel Covers – 4 pcs.
• Orbital Center Caps – 4 pcs.

Additional Styling Options

The center cap comes standard with the Rimetrix “R” logo debossed in the center surface but it is also designed to accept an optional 2.2 inch (56 mm) diameter self adhesive polyurethane logo decal should you fancy a color accent or a custom logo. We are offering a red “R” on silver decal, like shown in image below, and a red “R” on black decal, both at 20% off the retail price of $15 for a set of 4 pcs. Thank you!

Once the campaign is over, and if our goal if met, we would kick off the tooling, which is the major cost with the project. This includes molds to make the thermoplastic substrate, quality control gage tooling, painting racks and other fixtures necessary in the process. We would then perform a DFM (Design for Manufacturing) with the tool house and ensure the part design meets best practice for molding and painting. Small tweaks to the design may be needed. Next, the tool would be manufactured and sampled once completed. Once fit and function is approved and the samples pass dimensional PPAP (Production Part Approval Process), the painting process would begin. Once approved, the PPAP would be complete and we can enter production and fulfillment.

Credits:

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