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How to measure rim lip clearance

Updated

The measurement AlloyGator publishes for a protruding rim is the gap between the outer edge of the rim and the start of the tire sidewall. The kit includes a green and red tab for that gap. A stick-on strip is a different part, and those makers do not publish the same tab. We haven't held the tab on a wheel.

What is the AlloyGator test tab?

AlloyGator's French compatibility page, read Oct 21, 2026, says every kit includes a green and red test tab, 60 mm by 15 mm. You insert the green end, the one with the arrow, between the tire and the rim edge.

They say to use that check on a small number of highly protruding profiles. The page names the Tesla Model 3 Performance Überturbine, BMW M Series Performance wheels, and certain aftermarket forged wheels. The ring itself, on that page, is for aluminum wheels from 12 to 24 inches, not steel. Green still visible, or the edge only as far as the black line, is the mark they call compatible. If the rim edge reaches the red, they say the wheel is not compatible.

If you do not have the kit yet, they say you can print the template at 100 percent, and not resize it. After you print, they say to measure the paper. It has to be 60 mm by 15 mm, and the green section has to be 10 mm wide. A print that comes out smaller or larger is not the gauge they describe.

The inch size of the wheel is still the number on the sidewall. The tab does not replace that number. Find your wheel size walks through the sidewall. A wider rear tire on the same diameter is in do rim protectors fit staggered wheels?

How does the UK gauge say to read the gap?

AlloyGator's UK fitting instructions, read Oct 21, 2026, say to insert the suitability gauge green end first, with the colors facing up, into the gap between the wheel and the tire, as far as it will go.

They suggest starting at a 45 degree angle, then gently lowering the gauge so it follows the alloy. Looking down on the wheel, if the edge of the wheel finishes in the green portion, they say the wheel is suitable. If the edge finishes in the red, they say they would not recommend fitting the ring. That reading happens before the tire is deflated and before the ring goes in.

The 1 mm figure on the same instructions is a different measurement. It is the gap they want after the ring is seated: no more than 1 mm between the AlloyGator and the wheel, and no gap at the back between the ring and the tire. How they say to tap the ring in, cut the overlap, and glue the joint is in how to install a rim protector. The pressure check one hour later is in do rim protectors affect tire pressure or balance?The tab and that seated gap are not the same reading.

Does a stick-on strip use the same tab?

Rimblades and All-Fit describe a strip that sticks to the outer edge of the wheel. Their install pages describe cleaning that edge and pressing the trim on. They do not publish a green and red bead-gap tab.

Rimblades' fitting page is about the adhesive strip: where it sits, and how you press it. All-Fit's install page talks about washing the wheel, an alcohol wipe, and a wait before you drive. Neither of those pages gives a millimeter width for the gap between the rim edge and the sidewall, so this guide does not invent one. Cleaning the lip before a stick-on piece is in how to prep a wheel for a stick-on rim protector. The three ways a protector goes on are in how to install a rim protector.

A listing that says universal is still not a measured gap. What a universal listing means.

Where does the inch size still come from?

The gauge does not replace the size printed on the sidewall. AlloyGator's how-to-fit page, read Oct 21, 2026, starts with the suitability gauge, then asks you to read the wheel size from the tire sidewall.

On a staggered set, front and rear can share that inch number while the rear tire is wider, so the tab is a per-wheel check. Steel wheels are outside the 12 to 24 inch aluminum range on the French page. Do rim protectors fit steel wheels or hubcaps?

On a Model 3 Performance Überturbine, the French page is the one that names the tab. Rim protectors for a Model Y or Model 3. Alloy wheels in general, and the 12 to 24 inch limit, are in rim protectors on alloy wheels.

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