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How to avoid curb rash when you park

Updated · By the SaveARim team. How we write guides

Curb rash is the mark a wheel picks up from concrete. Benjamin Hunting, in Capital One Auto Navigator on June 7, 2024, says it happens when the wheels meet a sidewalk, a curb, or other concrete, almost always while parking. A pothole or a speed bump can leave a mark too. He calls a light scrape cosmetic, and a hard hit at speed can chunk a sidewall or leave a bulge. The habits below are from that article and from owner-thread listings read October 25, 2026. We haven't parked a test car, and we haven't fitted a protector.

Why does the wheel lip meet the curb?

The mark lands on the outer edge of the wheel when the tire does not stand out past it. As quoted in a November 15, 2022 thread listing on r/TeslaModelY, u/404davee wrote that tires which stick out past the original tires work better, because some sidewalls jut out past the wheel. In a June 15, 2022 listing on the same forum, u/SirEDCaLot wrote that a tire which sticks out a bit means you hit the tire before you hit the rim.

A strip or a ring sits on that same lip. It does not move the tire outward. Rimblades' FAQ, read October 25, 2026, says to fit the strip so it does not touch the tire. Flex in the tire, if the two touch, can push the strip and weaken the bond. AlloyGator's fitting page, read the same day, seats a ring between the rim and the tire. Neither page says the piece replaces a look at the curb.

What parking habits show up in owner threads?

Benjamin Hunting, in Capital One Auto Navigator on June 7, 2024, says to tilt the mirror closest to the roadside so you can see straight down, and to brake if the outside edge of the tire starts to rub. On r/askcarguys, July 21, 2025, as quoted in the thread listing, owners describe aiming that mirror at the wheel, backing in to set the distance, and straightening on the way forward.

When you pull away from a curb in winter, Hunting says to go easy on the power so the car does not slide into the sidewalk. He also writes that automated parking sensors can detect a curb and still not be precise enough to avoid a mark.

The r/askcarguys thread was posted by u/UGisOnline on July 21, 2025. The comment page did not open here, so these lines are as quoted in the thread listing. u/pm-me-racecars says to point the mirror down on that side while you park, then put it back up to drive. u/dsdvbguutres says to aim the side mirror down so you see the wheel and the curb. u/motorcyclesnracecars parks in reverse in order to use the mirrors. u/Content_Eye5134 says not to get close while pulling in: back in, and angle toward the curb. u/Acceptable_Ad1685 says backing in first sets the distance, and pulling forward is to straighten, not to move closer. To get closer, do it in reverse with the mirror, and do not pull forward into the curb. u/stupidfock says to back in at an angle, then rotate the front. u/WizeAdz uses the car's cameras, including the backup camera, and looks for a reference in that picture that lines up with a gap from the curb.

What can sensors and cameras miss?

Tesla's Model 3 Park Assist page, read October 25, 2026, says the system may not function correctly when an object is below approximately 8 inches (20 cm), such as a curb or a low barrier. A shorter object that is detected can move into a blind spot. Lucid's OTA 2.5.0 note says Curb Rash Alert works below 6 mph, turns off in low light, does not brake, and should not be relied on completely.

The same Model 3 Park Assist page says never to depend on Park Assist to decide that a space is clear. Look yourself. When reversing, do shoulder checks and use all mirrors. Park Assist is guidance only. In Reverse, the backup camera shows the area behind the car, and the Park Assist view shows objects close to the front and the rear. From the Camera app at low speed you can switch to that view, which the page says can help with parallel parking. The page does not say that view shows the lip against the curb. Heavy rain, snow, fog, a thin post, and a sloped face are on the same limitations list.

The 2020-2024 Model Y Park Assist page, read the same day, uses that same 8 inch (20 cm) line and the same blind-spot caution. Keep sensors, if the car has them, and the cameras clear of dirt, snow, and ice.

Lucid's note is on the OTA 2.5.0 page. Below 6 mph (10 km/h), Curb Rash Alert gives distance, highlights the wheels' predicted path, and sounds an alert if a wheel may scrape a curb. You stay responsible for steering and for the brakes. The feature turns itself off at night or in low light. It does not trigger braking. It may not detect every curb, or every other obstacle that can scrape a tire.

Where does a tire or a protector fit?

A tire that stands out past the rim is what those two Model Y comments describe. This site does not sell tires, and it does not name a tire to buy. A protector is a separate piece on the lip. Rimblades calls its strip a sacrificial product for light kerb strikes, not a substitute for the gap you left while parking.

If you add a protector, the checks are already written here. Clip-in or a stick-on rim protector? separates a ring from a strip. How to measure rim lip clearance is AlloyGator's tab, for a lip that sticks out past the tire. Do rim protectors work? collects maker descriptions and owner reports that do not agree. Rim protectors for a Model Y or Model 3 matches the factory wheel names to the inch on the tire.

After the tire or the wheel has already met the curb, check your tire and wheel. A scrape that is already on the lip is a different job from a guard. Curb rash repair or rim protectors.

Put the same points in the order you use them while parking.

  1. Tilt the roadside mirror until you see the wheel and the curb, or straight down.
  2. Back in to set the gap. Straighten on the way forward. Move closer only in reverse.
  3. Brake if the outside edge of the tire starts to rub.
  4. Treat the backup camera, Park Assist, and a curb alert as extra views. Tesla's limit is about 8 inches. Lucid's alert is off in low light and does not brake.
  5. A protector, if you add one, sits on the lip for light contact. It does not replace the gap.

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