# Rimbands for alloys



## footfistart (Dec 2, 2013)

Not sure if this was right place to post but Has anyone used theses? Basically a big rubber band to place just on the inside lip of your alloy. Meant to help with curbing? 
Alloy wheel rim protectors; more commonly known as Rim bands, are a stretchy band of high strength tear resistant silicone rubber which fit around the edge of alloy wheel rims to add a stylish edge which also helps protect the wheels surface from damage often caused by hitting kerbs whilst parking and going over potholes.

Rim bands have an extensive tail section that sits right into the barrel of the wheel and are designed to have the correct amount of stretch to ensure a tight fit. They also feature 5 gripping ribs which stop them from slipping out while driving.

Made from a silicone rubber, Rim bands totally seal around the wheel with great tyre can grip which allows no risk of air loss, which makes Rim bands the safest type of rim protector available. Rim bands are coated during production in a special Flurobond sealant, which protects the rubber from brake dust prolonging it’s life span. As Rim bands are made from rubber, they will not damage the wheel surface.


Very similar to alloy gators. 

Hopefully someone with experience will come along before I spend money 

Ryan


----------



## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

This has been discussed elsewhere. 

They will only save you from a minor rub against a kerb. Anything more than that you'll still hit the kerb. 

A couple of people also had issues with them coming loose. One of them whipped up and did some damage to the wing. 

I've not tried them, but I'm not convinced that they are that useful.


----------



## TonyH38 (Apr 7, 2013)

They are useful but if you have a puncture repairers will not replace the band.


----------



## gatecrasher3 (Jul 21, 2006)

Not sure if they are similar to Alloygators?

If so not only do they look horrendous they also interfere with the sealing of the tyre bead which is surely asking for trouble.


----------



## packard (Jun 8, 2009)

I'd off set the costs of them vs cost,of a single repair and look and issues raised above.


----------



## nbray67 (Mar 22, 2012)

gatecrasher3 said:


> Not sure if they are similar to Alloygators?
> 
> If so not only do they look horrendous they also interfere with the sealing of the tyre bead which is surely asking for trouble.


I'd echo this.

Why would you want some awful looking plastic wrapped around the outside of your beaut alloys?

They sit proud of the alloy and just look wrong, especially if they are a different colour to the alloy itself. Once they are scuffed, they also look worse than your alloy would, then you'd have to replace it because of your OCD and the cost would be similar to an alloy repair!

On a previous thread when these were discussed, I knew a mobile tyre fitter who was fitting them as they were promoting them at the time, approx 2 yrs ago. He hated them, especially when they'd come loose after the wheels had taken a jolt, over potholes etc..... They'd cause more damage than clipping a kerb if they came loose.


----------



## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

They look awful.

i've just got michelin tyres with a rim protector built in. It basically sticks out a cm. Saved me from a 30mph scrape to the kerb after an emergency manoeuvre involiving a silly child so I'd go with decent tyres

Another option is to just park a foot away from the kerb like you're supposed to park instead of squeezing up against it. kerbing usually happens due to moving back and forth in a space trying to get it as close to the kerb as possible, or riding onto pavements without full lock


----------



## blackS2000 (Aug 4, 2010)

Right, I've used them .

I've used the RimBlades - stick on for wheels with a slight curve on the rim .

I've used the RimScuffs - stick on for wheels with a flat face on the rim ( diamond cut )

And the RimBands - requires breaking the bead of the tyre and re-fitting over the Rimband to hold it on .

The first I used ( Rim blade ) as my wife managed to curb a wheel on her brand new A Class within 2 weeks of buying it .

Not knowing the difference between the different types ( the website then was not explicit ) I went for the Rimblades as they where stick on but sticking a curved item to a flat (diamond cut) wheel was a bit hit and miss and when the same wheel was curbed again there was no surprise when it fell off !

So this time I went for the RimBands !!!

Big mistake due to the problems encountered with fitting !!

The poxy things would not go on ! Every time the tyre was refitted it pushed the Rimband off .

It took 3 attempts on 3 different occasions before we succeeded in getting these things on .

However the biggest problem with Rimbands in my opinion is dirt !!!!!

As they are not stuck on dirt gets behind them between the rim and the band and grinds its way into the (in my case diamond cut ) finish . 

The final straw was repairing a puncture revealed the damage caused by these things and the subsequent "falling off" on the way home.

Which brings me to the subsequent fitting of RimScuffs .

The flat face + a tiny lip on the Scuffs made fitting to a diamond cut alloy a doddle and they been on since !!! nearly 2 years now .

We went for red Rim scuffs on a red car and think that it looks far far better with them than without.

Hope this helps .


----------



## danwel (Feb 18, 2007)

Just learn to use mirrors when parking


----------



## blackS2000 (Aug 4, 2010)

I must be dim or something but what has this topic got to do with mirrors????


----------



## blackS2000 (Aug 4, 2010)

Found a pic on the phone .









Err it has mirrors !!!

It also self parks.


----------



## m500dpp (Feb 17, 2006)

> I must be dim or something but what has this topic got to do with mirrors????


Most cars have electric mirrors simply angle them down when parking so you can see (and hence avoid) the kerb...................and damaged alloys


----------



## footfistart (Dec 2, 2013)

Mixed thoughts and reviews.... I did think the bands were a bit of a gimic. I thought they were a good idea but no seeing any reviews I thought best not and ask what people think. I generally park miles away if possible but on occasion when I'm over at the in-laws  they live on a narrow road where you park on the road and one way traffic goes passed you. Think is the kerb is low and its sometimes hard to judge how close you are before you hit them. Also doesn't help that I have low profile tyres of 35. My winters on the other hand. I could care less  60 profile and steel wheels. I appreciate what people think . I'll keep parking the way I do for the time being. My alloys should be back from refurbishment early next week which was why I wasn't asking and linking around for bits or alternatives.

Thanks
Ryan


----------



## Clancy (Jul 21, 2013)

I think that looks horrendous. Lovely new car now looks like a halfords special 

I said this in the other thread. But if you have nice enough alloys that your worried about damaging, why would you want to stick tacky plastic things on them that completely ruin the look ? It's counter productive


----------



## blackS2000 (Aug 4, 2010)

m500dpp said:


> Most cars have electric mirrors simply angle them down when parking so you can see (and hence avoid) the kerb...................and damaged alloys


Ahh I see !!

More " I've never had any advanced training but am a driving god and know everthing".

" 95% of current driving licence holders have no more than below average driving skills"

For your information my wife has curbed the same alloy 3 times and every time it was moving too far left along a narrow country lane due too oncoming vehicles not moving over enough !!!

She said .

Nothing whatsoever to do with parking or mirrors .


----------



## blackS2000 (Aug 4, 2010)

Clancy said:


> I think that looks horrendous. Lovely new car now looks like a halfords special
> 
> I said this in the other thread. But if you have nice enough alloys that your worried about damaging, why would you want to stick tacky plastic things on them that completely ruin the look ? It's counter productive


Funnily enough thats what I and every body else thought when I first put them on .

However ,after a while ,and comparing the car with and with out , the general consensus is it looks better with them .

I like them and thats what matters .

I haven't put them on the S2000 yet .


----------



## gatecrasher3 (Jul 21, 2006)

blackS2000 said:


> I like them and thats what matters .


Never a truer word spoken.

One mans horrendous is another mans cool addition.


----------



## blackS2000 (Aug 4, 2010)

footfistart said:


> Mixed thoughts and reviews.... I did think the bands were a bit of a gimic. I thought they were a good idea but no seeing any reviews I thought best not and ask what people think. I generally park miles away if possible but on occasion when I'm over at the in-laws  they live on a narrow road where you park on the road and one way traffic goes passed you. Think is the kerb is low and its sometimes hard to judge how close you are before you hit them. Also doesn't help that I have low profile tyres of 35. My winters on the other hand. I could care less  60 profile and steel wheels. I appreciate what people think . I'll keep parking the way I do for the time being. My alloys should be back from refurbishment early next week which was why I wasn't asking and linking around for bits or alternatives.
> 
> Thanks
> Ryan


I would not fit these things other than to cover up already damaged rims .

They will not protect wheels from damage.


----------



## Hereisphilly (Nov 17, 2014)

I've got a set of alloygators fitted in black on my fiesta ST and I think they're great!
They blend in with the tyres and from afar you don't even know I've got them fitted. Has saved my wheels twice from the missus avoiding another car (or so she says), and still look good, so I'm a happy customer
Yes they sit in the tyre bead, but I've never had a problem with them working loose, and they don't touch the face of the wheel so shouldn't cause any issues with dirt rubbing
I keep my wheels clean anyway so all good


----------



## danwel (Feb 18, 2007)

m500dpp said:


> Most cars have electric mirrors simply angle them down when parking so you can see (and hence avoid) the kerb...................and damaged alloys


This, I find if I'm trying to park it just help get that but closer to the kurb by angling mirrors down to see


----------



## RisingPower (Sep 21, 2007)

They look horrendous, cheap and nasty. If you somehow manage to curb wheels when you've got a lot of rim protection and your wheels aren't even close to flush, maybe you should try steelies instead.


----------



## Hereisphilly (Nov 17, 2014)

RisingPower said:


> They look horrendous, cheap and nasty. If you somehow manage to curb wheels when you've got a lot of rim protection and your wheels aren't even close to flush, maybe you should try steelies instead.


But if you have very low profiles (35s), tyres without any built in protection, and your missus shares your car, then in my option they're invaluable!


----------



## blackS2000 (Aug 4, 2010)

danwel said:


> This, I find if I'm trying to park it just help get that but closer to the kurb by angling mirrors down to see


As already explained totally irrelevant too this thread .


----------



## blackS2000 (Aug 4, 2010)

RisingPower said:


> They look horrendous, cheap and nasty. If you somehow manage to curb wheels when you've got a lot of rim protection and your wheels aren't even close to flush, maybe you should try steelies instead.


Errr No they don't look horrendous or cheap or nasty .

The rest of your post is rambling and senseless .


----------



## RisingPower (Sep 21, 2007)

Hereisphilly said:


> But if you have very low profiles (35s), tyres without any built in protection, and your missus shares your car, then in my option they're invaluable!


35 isn't very low profile. Low ish.


----------



## Clancy (Jul 21, 2013)

RisingPower said:


> 35 isn't very low profile. Low ish.


Depends how wide your tyres are but yeah


----------



## RisingPower (Sep 21, 2007)

Yes, they do look horrendous and cheap imho.

Here, the rim protection extends past the lip of the wheels, hence, rim protection, so if you go past it you really need to work at it.

Looking at the small picture of the merc, the wheels are not flush and also have rim protection.


----------



## RisingPower (Sep 21, 2007)

Clancy said:


> Depends how wide your tyres are but yeah


Mine are 285s and I certainly wouldn't call them very low, these are 305s and I still wouldn't.










These are 25s, imho very low.


----------



## blackS2000 (Aug 4, 2010)

RisingPower said:


> Yes, they do look horrendous and cheap imho.
> 
> Here, the rim protection extends past the lip of the wheels, hence, rim protection, so if you go past it you really need to work at it.
> 
> Looking at the small picture of the merc, the wheels are not flush and also have rim protection.


Why do you insist on posting senseless rubbish ??

Is English not your first language ?


----------



## RisingPower (Sep 21, 2007)

blackS2000 said:


> Why do you insist on posting senseless rubbish ??
> 
> Is English not your first language ?


I guess I need to keep it to a single syllable right?


----------



## blackS2000 (Aug 4, 2010)

I'd be surprised if you knew any .


----------



## RisingPower (Sep 21, 2007)

blackS2000 said:


> I'd be surprised if you knew any .


Dolt?


----------



## blackS2000 (Aug 4, 2010)

Know Thyself.


----------



## kenny wilson (Oct 28, 2008)

Well....well......My dad is bigger than your Dad!

Sorry!

Felt I had to join in the pre school playground level of argument this has descended to!

S2000, step away from the keyboard, it must, surely, be time for your nap.


----------



## blackS2000 (Aug 4, 2010)

kenny wilson said:


> Well....well......My dad is bigger than your Dad!
> 
> Sorry!
> 
> ...


Not "Rising Power" 's time for a nap then ?

Thanks for that balanced and unbiased assessment .


----------



## Hereisphilly (Nov 17, 2014)

RisingPower said:


> 35 isn't very low profile. Low ish.





Clancy said:


> Depends how wide your tyres are but yeah


Exactly, mine are only 205s so I'd think that qualifies as low!


----------



## footfistart (Dec 2, 2013)

Well my tyres are 235/40 going from 205/60. That's a big difference for me. Also because my alloys are flat faced and are not dished then I have more kerb kissing ability which was why I started this subject


----------



## RisingPower (Sep 21, 2007)

Hereisphilly said:


> Exactly, mine are only 205s so I'd think that qualifies as low!


Low, but no so low it's just a dressing of rubber on an alloy :thumb:


----------



## RisingPower (Sep 21, 2007)

footfistart said:


> Well my tyres are 235/40 going from 205/60. That's a big difference for me. Also because my alloys are flat faced and are not dished then I have more kerb kissing ability which was why I started this subject


You'll still have a large amount of rim protection from the tyres assuming they're not very stretched. With that amount of rubber between you and the kerb, you have to work at it.

I'd be looking where i'm going, instead of putting a bonnet bra for wheels on :thumb:


----------



## ChuckH (Nov 23, 2006)

blackS2000 said:


> I must be dim or something but what has this topic got to do with mirrors????


Use of mirrors will help you to see the kerb if only the rear wheel. The front you will have to judge but dipping and looking hard in the mirrors can help .. :thumb:


----------



## blackS2000 (Aug 4, 2010)

blackS2000 said:


> As already explained totally irrelevant too this thread .





danwel said:


> This, I find if I'm trying to park it just help get that but closer to the kurb by angling mirrors down to see





danwel said:


> Just learn to use mirrors when parking





ChuckH said:


> Use of mirrors will help you to see the kerb if only the rear wheel. The front you will have to judge but dipping and looking hard in the mirrors can help .. :thumb:


And it self parks !


----------



## footfistart (Dec 2, 2013)

I do know how to park my car. Still getting used to it going from a hatch to a rather large estate.


----------



## LSherratt (Dec 27, 2011)

Can't be bothered to read this whole thread but I can guarantee 100% I'm not the only one to say, just don't hit the kerb?


----------



## RisingPower (Sep 21, 2007)

footfistart said:


> I do know how to park my car. Still getting used to it going from a hatch to a rather large estate.


So why the need then? Surely you've answered your own question already?


----------



## footfistart (Dec 2, 2013)

I only asked for opinion not how to drive. Was just a thought/idea. Gone against it anyway. Thanks for the comments that were of any use.


----------

