Patent ID: 8807664

Claim:
A device to protect a wheel of a vehicle from damage, comprising: a rim protector formable into a generally circular annulus having an axis defining radial and axial directions, the rim protector including a tail portion, sized to fit, in use, between the wheel and a tire fitted to the wheel; and a head portion, the head portion having a width wider than a width of the tail portion, the tail portion connected to and extending away from the head portion, the tail portion insertable between the wheel and the tire, the head portion thereby configured to abut a rim of the wheel, the head portion overlapping the rim and extending radially over the rim, the tail portion provided with a ridge on a side of the tail portion that, in use, engages the wheel at an end thereof that connects to the head portion, the ridge being sized and positioned so as to define, in use, an edge of a contact between the tail portion and the wheel, and such that, when installed on the wheel there is a gap between the head portion and the rim of the wheel.