Installing 19" aero inserts?

[Unmutual]

This is possibly the dumbest question ever asked here, but is there a trick to installing the 19" aero inserts? I replaced my snow tires today with the OEM wheels and tires, but the aero inserts won't clip in properly. I had the silver hub disks and black valve stem covers installed when I first got the car and so have never had the inserts on the car. I have the valve stem opening in the correct place and the silver hub disk removed, but the inserts are loose and the center hub won't grip at all.

 

[HOOKED]

This is possibly the dumbest question ever asked here, but is there a trick to installing the 19" aero inserts? I replaced my snow tires today with the OEM wheels and tires, but the aero inserts won't clip in properly. I had the silver hub disks and black valve stem covers installed when I first got the car and so have never had the inserts on the car. I have the valve stem opening in the correct place and the silver hub disk removed, but the inserts are loose and the center hub won't grip at all.

I am not an expert on the subject, but I believe you will need to remove the center caps and possibly the lug nut covers for them to fit.

 

[Unmutual]

I am not an expert on the subject, but I believe you will need to remove the center caps and possibly the lug nut covers for them to fit.

Everything is removed.

 

[hydbob]

Don't you just push them in really hard?

 

[Unmutual]

Don't you just push them in really hard?

That's what I would have thought. I tried pushing, hitting with a rubber mallet, etc., but they're not even close. Video attached.

 

[Alex]

This is possibly the dumbest question ever asked here, but is there a trick to installing the 19" aero inserts? I replaced my snow tires today with the OEM wheels and tires, but the aero inserts won't clip in properly. I had the silver hub disks and black valve stem covers installed when I first got the car and so have never had the inserts on the car. I have the valve stem opening in the correct place and the silver hub disk removed, but the inserts are loose and the center hub won't grip at all.

If you have taken them off yourself, you’ll find they are easier to install than take off. To install them, you can start by aligning them with the valve stem. You can then clip a few of of the “pedals” by inserting a clip on one side and then another. You then need to “smash” the center ring. It will make a load pop. Then clip the rest of the pedals. Go around the wheel making sure all the pedals are clipped.

 

[Alex]

That's what I would have thought. I tried pushing, hitting with a rubber mallet, etc., but they're not even close. Video attached.

Oh that looks bad. The clips are not supposed to go on that easily. Then center ring should go on with some force

 

[Unmutual]

Oh that looks bad. The clips are not supposed to go on that easily. Then center ring should go on with some force

Thanks. The clips don't grip at all--I'm wondering if there's some piece on the insert that's missing. I'm going in for service next week so will have them look at it.

 

[Alex]

Here is a quick video I just made to show the pedals being removed and reinserted.

 

[Unmutual]

That's what I was expecting mine to do. I noticed that your cover has a hole through which the tire valve stem passes--mine simply has an elongated opening--no hole. I wonder if there are different kinds of covers and they gave me the wrong one.

 

[Alex]

That's what I was expecting mine to do. I noticed that your cover has a hole through which the tire valve stem passes--mine simply has an elongated opening--no hole. I wonder if there are different kinds of covers and they gave me the wrong one.

I just looked at your video again. Yes, mine must be an older style, because the valve stem is really hard to access with a tire pressure gauge. I wind up taking off the aero cover to easily fill my tires. Maybe yours are only being held in by the center cap? If this is true, maybe this is the way they decided to fix the scratched wheels due to the plastic clips (which are part of the cover), but I would think this system would cause a lot of rattles.

I also noticed that your aero covers are flat compared to mine. On mine, each pedal is indented in the center.

 

[Unmutual]

I just looked at your video again. Yes, mine must be an older style, because the valve stem is really hard to access with a tire pressure gauge. I wind up taking off the aero cover to easily fill my tires. Maybe yours are only being held in by the center cap? If this is true, maybe this is the way they decided to fix the scratched wheels due to the plastic clips (which are part of the cover), but I would think this system would cause a lot of rattles.

I also noticed that your aero covers are flat compared to mine. On mine, each pedal is indented in the center.

The center cap doesn't grip, either. There are clips, but as you saw from the video, they don't actually engage anything. Here are photos of the wheel and both sides of the insert.

 

[Alex]

The center cap doesn't grip, either. There are clips, but as you saw from the video, they don't actually engage anything. Here are photos of the wheel and both sides of the insert.

You have metal clips that don't look like they can engage on your wheels. My aero cover has plastic clips that engage on the sides – yours has metal clips that would engage with something round and not the sides of the wheel.

This is strange. It looks like you may have an older style wheel with newer style aero covers or maybe you have some older aero covers. Also, like I mentioned before, your aero covers are flat on the outside. But since I have had my car since December 2021 with the inserts, I think your covers are a new style.

 

[njg-agt]

How does one get this apparent style that looks like it actually allows one to inflate the tires without having to remove the wheel covers?

 

[Volund]

You have metal clips that don't look like they can engage on your wheels. My aero cover has plastic clips that engage on the sides – yours has metal clips that would engage with something round and not the sides of the wheel.

This is strange. It looks like you may have an older style wheel with newer style aero covers or maybe you have some older aero covers. Also, like I mentioned before, your aero covers are flat on the outside. But since I have had my car since December 2021 with the inserts, I think your covers are a new style.

I think you're spot on. My car which is October of 2022 still has what you are describing. So these must be very new. I have 19" and these look and behave differently

 

[Unmutual]

I got my car in October 2022.

 

[Volund]

I got my car in October 2022.

No idea then, maybe they changed in the middle of both of our car's productions lol

 

[Unmutual]

So to follow up on this, turns out I have the old-style 19" wheels but they originally gave me the new-style aero covers. Old-style aero covers to the rescue ....

 

[njg-agt]

So to follow up on this, turns out I have the old-style 19" wheels but they originally gave me the new-style aero covers. Old-style aero covers to the rescue ....

Are you saying that the wheel rims were redesigned such that the wheel covers had to be changed?

 

[hydbob]

Are you saying that the wheel rims were redesigned such that the wheel covers had to be changed?

Yes! That's why the Touring and Pure with 19" wheels have less CD than the GT and Dream Editions.