Patent ID: 7494192

Claim:
A wheel and overlay cladding assembly comprising: wheel having an outboard surface defined by a disk portion; a rim portion circumscribing said disk portion; and means for attaching said rim portion to said disk portion; said rim portion having a minimum functional flange height rim flange terminating in a radially extending flange lip defining an outside diameter of said rim portion and including a radially outermost edge; an axial protrusion extending axially outward from said rim portion and radially spaced from said radially outermost edge of said flange lip; said disk portion, rim portion and flange lip defining said outboard surface of said wheel; an overlay having: an outboard surface juxtaposed said outboard surface of said wheel; an inboard surface complementary to said outboard surface of said wheel; a web portion and a peripheral flange portion terminating in a peripheral lip, said peripheral lip having a terminal edge defining a thickness between said inboard and said outboard surface, said terminal edge thickness facing said outboard surface of said wheel when said overlay is attached to said wheel; and means for attaching said overlay to said wheel, said attaching means disposed between said outboard surface of said wheel and said inboard surface of said overlay, said means for attaching said overlay to said wheel comprising at least one permanent adhesive disposed between said outboard surface of said wheel and said inboard surface of said overlay for permanently securing said overlay to said wheel; said outboard surface of said overlay defining an outer diameter of said overlay smaller by a predetermined margin than said outside diameter defined by said radially extended flange lip of said minimum functional flange height rim flange of said wheel regardless of tolerance variation of said overlay and said wheel; whereby said overlay gives a visible impression that said outboard surface of said overlay is actually said outboard surface of said wheel and not a separately attached component of said wheel and overlay assembly and further whereby damage to the overlay is reduced by tire changing equipment that mounts on the extreme periphery of the standard rim flange of the wheel or material handling of said wheel assembly during production and/or transportation of said assembly will prevent said cladding from damage by adjacent assemblies contacting each other.