Plastic wheel trims

[Tombola]

Hi, has anyone removed their plastic wheel trims? I am concerned about cleaning the wheels, I think there is a possibility of brake dust, salt etc building up on the alloys behind the trims, when I get my Jazz I am thinking of removing them permanently, are there any issues with this?     

[ahavoja]

Hi, I've seen some photos where people have removed the plastic wheel covers, so I think it should be possible without problems. In theory, removing them might slightly increase air drag when driving at high speeds, so it could increase fuel consumption a little. But it also makes the wheels lighter, which is good.

For example here is a photo where Jaroon has removed them from his Jazz:
https://clubjazz.org/forum/index.php?topic=16291.msg138713#msg138713

[Tombola]

Thanks for the info, the wheels look OK without the trims so I will remove them, the dealer said they make the wheels more aerodynamic, I was concerned that they may assist cooling the brakes but I'm probably overthinking things, Cheers   

[davejazz]

Hi, has anyone removed their plastic wheel trims? I am concerned about cleaning the wheels, I think there is a possibility of brake dust, salt etc building up on the alloys behind the trims, when I get my Jazz I am thinking of removing them permanently, are there any issues with this?     

I did a dry run on removing my plastic wheel trims,…bear in mind, that they can only be removed after taking the wheel off the car. I would suggest, that to free the trim from the wheel, push the trim from the wheel, from the rear; rather than pull it from the front. You would not want to break the plastic retaining lugs, would you? After viewing my handiwork, I then decided to reinstate the trims, after giving the lugs a dab of silicone grease, to aid future removal, if needed.

[Tombola]

Thanks for the tips Dave, I will see what the wheels look like when I remove the trims, I will probably have to source a set of centre caps, IMO I don't know why you would provide a set of alloys then cover them with a plastic trim, if it's about aerodynamics then why do Honda offer two alternative sets of alloys?? 

[shufty]

...The wheels did look better with the trims removed. I sourced some black centre caps from Amazon.