Wheel protector for a two-part wheel

A wheel protector for a two-part wheel for a motor vehicle, the wheel protector comprising:

• a) a body, the body having a generally annular shape, the body having a configuration for selectable attachment to the two-part wheel, the two-part wheel having a wheel outer rim and a threaded stud extending from the wheel outer rim, the two-part wheel having a threaded rim nut configured to engage the threaded stud and to secure the wheel outer rim to the two-part wheel, the threaded rim nut defining a rim nut shape that varies by an angular orientation of the threaded rim nut when the threaded rim nut engages the threaded stud, the two-part wheel being configured to rotate about a wheel longitudinal axis when the two-part wheel is attached to the motor vehicle, the body defining a wheel protector longitudinal axis, the wheel protector longitudinal axis and the wheel longitudinal axis being coextensive when the body is attached to the two part wheel, the configuration of the body for selectable attachment to the two-part wheel comprising that the body is selectably attachable to the threaded stud;
• b) a wheel protector clearance hole defined by the body, the wheel protector clearance hole corresponding to the threaded stud and configured to receive the threaded stud so that the threaded stud penetrates the wheel protector clearance hole;
• c) a wheel protector nut configured to threadably engage the threaded stud when the threaded stud penetrates the wheel protector opening, the wheel protector nut being configured to secure the body to the threaded stud;
• d) a collar, the collar having a collar opening defining a collar inside surface, the collar opening being configured to receive the rim nut when the rim nut engages the threaded studs and secures the wheel outer rim to the two-part wheel, the collar inside surface having a collar inside surface shape, the collar inside surface shape corresponding to the rim nut shape so that the collar inside surface receives the rim nut only when the collar inside surface shape is in angular alignment with the rim nut shape;
• e) wherein the collar has a collar outside surface having a collar outside surface shape and wherein each wheel protector opening has a wheel protector opening shape, each collar outside surface shape and each wheel protector opening shape being configured for mutual engagement for any relative angular orientation of the collar and the wheel protector opening, whereby the collar selectably engages both the rim nut and the body for any angular orientation of the rim nut when the body is attached to the two-part wheel, wherein the threaded stud comprises two or more long studs and a plurality of short studs, the threaded rim nut comprises a plurality of threaded rim nuts, the wheel protector clearance hole comprises a plurality of wheel protector clearance holes, the wheel protector nut comprises two or more wheel protector nuts, and the collar comprises two or more collars, each of the plurality of short studs being configured to extend through a corresponding stud opening in the wheel outer rim, a one of the threaded rim nuts corresponding to each of the plurality of short studs and two or more long studs, each of the threaded rim nuts being configured to engage a one of the short studs and long studs and to secure the wheel outer rim to the two-part wheel.

A method of protecting a two-part wheel for a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

• a) obtaining a two-part wheel, the two-part wheel being configured to rotate about a wheel longitudinal axis when the two-part wheel is attached to the motor vehicle, the two-part wheel having a wheel outer rim, the two-part wheel having two or more threaded studs extending from the wheel outer rim and two or more threaded rim nuts engaging the threaded studs and securing the wheel outer rim to the two-part wheel, the two or more rim nuts each having a plurality of rim nut sides, the rim nut sides of each of the two or more rim nuts having a rim nut angular orientation when the rim nut secures the wheel outer rim to the two-part wheel, the rim nut angular orientation being any of a multiplicity of possible angular rim nut orientations when the rim nut secures the wheel outer rim to the two-part wheel;
• (b) obtaining a wheel protector, the wheel protector having a body, the body having a generally annular shape, the body defining a wheel protector clearance hole, the wheel protector clearance hole being configured to receive a one of the two or more threaded studs so that the threaded stud penetrates the wheel protector clearance hole, the body defining a wheel protector opening concentric to the threaded stud when the wheel protector clearance hole receives the threaded stud, the wheel protector opening defining a wheel protector opening inside surface, the wheel protector inside surface being generally cylindrical, the wheel protector including a collar, the collar having a collar clearance hole configured to receive the threaded stud, the collar having a collar inside surface configured to engage the plurality of rim nut sides concentric to the threaded stud so that a collar angular orientation corresponds to the rim nut angular orientation, the collar having an outside surface configured to matably engage the wheel protector opening inside surface, the collar outside surface being generally cylindrical and conforming to the wheel protector inside surface for each of the multiplicity of possible rim nut angular orientations and the corresponding collar angular orientations, the wheel protector including two or more wheel protector nuts configured to threadably engage the threaded stud when the threaded stud penetrates the wheel protector opening, wherein the wheel protector nut secures the body to the collar and the collar to the rim nut sides, thereby securing the body to the two-part wheel for each of the multiplicity of possible angular orientations of the rim nut;
• and
• c) attaching the wheel protector to the two-part wheel by attaching the body to the two or more threaded studs.