I think they look good the way they are. There most likely there for regenerated charging, brake cooling, and aerodynamic.

 

There most likely there for regenerated charging, brake cooling, and aerodynamic.

The inserts are purely for aerodynamics. The modifications in the 500e reduced aerodynamic drag 13% overall, adding 5 miles of range. The wheel inserts contribute to one part of that total. If you remove them, you'll lose a small amount of range but probably not enough to notice in actual numbers, given the variation of everyday driving.

http://www.allpar.com/cars/adopted/fiat/500e.html

More than 140 hours of wind-tunnel testing resulted in a 13% aero improvement; this yielded five more miles of range. Some improvements were better front fascia sealing and a different fascia, the flush-profile wheels, streamlined mirror caps, under-car pans, revised side sills and rear fascia, and the spoiler.

If you look at the BMW i3, you'll see that its wheels are also designed for aerodynamics with reduced openings.

 

I think the main intent is to lessen drag created by openings just as a flat belly pan would increase the MPGs...not sure why there isn't an easy to attach design that still allows proper cooling out there. (Maybe there is and I'm just not recalling it).

Congrats on your new ride and welcome to the forum by the way.

 

The 500e sport wheels have more of a tradition opening...curious. Thanks for the good info and welcome.

 

Thanks rkw. Really good read.

 

13 percent for all of the aero changes combined. The wheels are only part of that.

The more freeway miles you do, the more this matters.

If you are driving less than 50 miles a day at less-than-highway speeds, I doubt that putting nice wheels on the car is login to be noticeable.

 

I've actually toyed with the idea of pulling off the plastic parts and getting them painted white (as a way to customize my 500e and an alternative to buying new rims), but I've never been able to figure out how to get those dang things off the rims.

 

@Cher from what I've read there are screws on the backside of the rims to remove the plastic. But before you paint you should google Plasti Dip...it sprays on and can be peeled off. My plan was to remove the plastic inserts and plasti dip the steel rims in matte black. And when my lease is up, revert them back to the stock appearance. Good luck!

 

On my e-Sport wheels I took out the middle part and it looked really bad since there is a lip where the insert sits. I am sure it will be similar on yours.

 

I was wondering if you guys know the part number for the standard E inserts? I don't like my E-sport inserts and would like to change it to the standard one like the picture above ^^^^^

 

Look in the Mopar parts website: http://www.mopar.com/shop/. The parts appear to be 68261373AA (68261374AA with tire stem cutout). However, they cost $28 MSRP each. Even from discount vendors (such as http://www.fiatonlineparts.com/a/Fi...at__500/61637697__6618328/Wheels--Hardware-And-Insert----WJV--WJT/i2312799.html) they are still $20 each. You'd be looking at over $100 in parts for each wheel.

If it's the colored rings you don't like, consider covering them with vinyl or Plasti Dip.

 

Hi - It looks like these parts are not readily available. I was hoping there is some 3rd party who manufactures custom inserts in different colors. I'll look into Plasti Dip - this seems to be a quick/fun way to personalize my ride.

Yes, it is super easy to get them off.
To remove the wheel, you'll need a jack (from another vehicle), an 18mm Lug Wrench, and the Lug Nut Wheel Lock key to remove the Locking Wheel Nut (pesky things).

When you have the wheel off, you'll see the black inserts are each held in place with 3 TORX screws (you can use a hex key/allen key to remove these)

Hope this helps