One of the reasons why wheel covers could get damaged: - on high angle of attack the back part of the cover touches the ground and gets rip off in the middle. Could be checked with tale down if the wheel covers touch the ground (add extra for grass). - the tire gets "wider" on the moment of landing and destroys the plastic covers. Wider cut could be a solution.
I would not go flying at around -4 deg Celsius of 25 deg Fahrenheit.. It would just be uncomfortable. I do have cabon heating and also a seat heater. I am still figuring out all the places air gets in, and have yet to "shut" them all tight..