This is my honest review of Rimblades’ Rimsavers wheel protector bands for the Tesla Model 3.
I just spent 6 hours figuring out what people like and dislike about the product to determine whether it’s worth purchasing.
In short, the product adds a sharp look to the Model 3 — and is good enough to protect the rims from curb rash damage.
It has its cons but not many alternatives exists on the market that addresses such cons, leaving Rimblades as the leading brand.
I’ll make sure to update this article if better alternatives pop up.
In the meantime, let’s dive deeper into the different aspects of the product most Tesla owners care about:
- A detailed overview of the installation process
- A word of warning on the major complaints customers expressed
- Insights from actual Tesla owners (and their experiences with the product)
- And much, much more
Let’s get to it.
Tesla Model 3 Rimblades Look & Feel
One of the most compelling offerings from Rimblades is their color availability.
Namely, the wheel protectors come available in 12 different colors:
Regardless of whether you want a color that stands out or one that gives your car a sporty feel, you’ll have options at your disposal.
There are also neutral colors available if you simply want to match your wheels — so the bands go unnoticed.
Looks Are OK, But Does Rimblades Actually Protect The Rims?
Despite being stylish in nature, these wheel bands are also meant to protect your vehicle from curb rash.
They cover up the end of the wheel rims so whenever you hit a curb, a pothole, or other obstructive object, your wheels aren’t damaged.
In the case of an accident or other type of serious damage, however, the bands won’t protect much.
Can they sustain day-to-day abrasion over the longer term?
ShiftingLanes decided to put Rimblades to the test by trying to cut through them:
As you can see, these aren’t your run-of-the-mill bands.
They’re tough.
If a random guy with a Swiss army knife couldn’t damage the wheels, curbs will have little chance of doing so.
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Installing The Wheel Band Protectors
It may surprise you to find out that neither tire removal nor sensor recalibration is required to install the Rimsavers on your Model 3.
The installation comes down to 5 steps — and customers agree that the process is pretty easy and straightforward.
The packages themselves include the tools and instructions you need to get these installed in no time.
You can watch the video below from Rimblades’ YouTube channel to see the company’s suggestions:
You can also see YouTube videos that show Model 3 owners installing these bands, although instructions aren’t as detailed:
Take your time to clean the wheel properly as any dirt, salt, or mud may prevent the adhesive to stick to the surface for the long term.
It takes patience to go through all four wheels but you should be ready to go in less than 10 minutes (after the wheels are properly cleaned).
Aero Wheels or Not, These Can be Used on Your Model 3
Rimblades designed their Rimsavers to fit any wheel up to 24″.
For Model 3 owners this means rim protectors can be installed with or without the Aero Wheels.
The exception to the rule is wheels with recessed features or raised areas that wouldn’t allow the wheel band to adhere to a flat surface.
Unless you have some fancy wheels, you’ll have no problem fitting these bands on your Model 3 — or any other vehicle for that matter.
Dislikes & Complaints
Like any product, customers are bound to find something they dislike.
The major complaints about the Rimsavers fall into one of two categories:
- Performance over the longer term. It’s unclear under what specific circumstances this happened, but a few customers mentioned that their bands failed after several months. It’s possible customers were expecting protection in situations where serious damage was caused. Stripes only offer light to medium impact protection.
- Adhesion. A few customers had their bands come off after installation. (I’d suspect this was due to improper surface cleaning.) While thers customers experienced the opposite and had a hard time removing the bands.
If you envision yourself needing to remove these bands at any point in the short term, I’d honestly suggest you don’t install them in the first place.
Do Customers Rate The Product Positively Overall?
Call me skeptical but seeing Rimblades’ site full of positive reviews makes me wonder if they’re actually accurate.
Amazon reviews are more balanced. 70% of customers have left positive ratings — and the overall product rating is 3.9 stars out of 5.
This is on the low end for my liking.
Unfortunately, however, looking for alternatives, most other brands I found had even worse ratings.
Tesla Model 3 Rimblades Owner Overview
Duf, a 2019 Model 3 owner, went searching for a solution to these already damaged wheels.
He found Rimblades’ Rimsavers, installed them, and gave his thoughts on the video below:
Price Ranges & Where to Buy
You can find them on Rimblades’ website at the same price.
This price tag initially struck me as way too high.
Digging deeper, though, the comparable alternatives (listed below) are actually more expensive —
And the cheaper alternatives have worse ratings across the board.
Product Warranty
Rimblades offers a 1-year satisfaction guarantee.
According to their website’s guarantee page, this includes a full refund within 30 days of purchase —
Or a product replacement if your experience any adhesion, fading, or product defect within the first year.
Alternative Products to Consider
As said above, cheaper alternatives exist but Model 3 owners have had such awful experiences that I digress from recommending such products.
(One particular Model 3 owner bought a cheaper set of wheel band protectors and they flew off while driving at 70 mph on the freeway.)
Dangerous stuff.
This isn’t something I want anyone to experience.
Two Tesla-focused brands do offer decent alternatives, however.
Evannex / RimPro-Tec
Although more expensive, it’s interesting to see the guys from Now You Know recommending RimPro-Tec.
The product comes with “base” and “inner ” stripes. Whether this provides extra protection remains unclear — but this setup does seem to offer better adhesion and durability overall.
WheelBands from Abstract Ocean
Currently out of stock but worth checking out if you’re already familiar with the brand.
The video above showcases Abstract Ocean owner abusing the product intentionally — and, actually, it fared very well.
Tesla Model 3 Rimblades / Rimsavers: Final Thoughts
Overall, Rimblades offers the best bang for your buck. Cheaper alternatives will fail prematurely and more expensive options don’t seem to offer any significant advantage.
You can purchase the Rimsavers in pretty much any color — and give your car an instant visual upgrade.
Since I tend not to care about hitting the road with scratched wheels…
Aesthetics is the only reason I’d personally consider buying these for myself.
But if you also care about protecting your wheels as much as possible, then these wheel band protectors suddenly become a smart choice.
Zac Ludicrous
Mechanical engineer by profession. TSLA shareholder before the hype. EV enthusiast all day long. Zac enjoys learning about the future of battery technology, autonomy, and EVs. He considers Tesla Model 3 the most important vehicle of the 21st century -- and is in a quest to improve the ownership experience of every Model 3 owner he possibly can.These 5 rare tips can save you so much time and stress – and few owners know about them (even after years of ownership). Sign up below to learn more. It's free!
