Wheel Fairings

I'm on the fence about wheel fairings. Aesthetically they look like the poufs (or "pompoms") on a poodle. Like on a poodle I have to believe that they offer a practical purpose.

Do they increase the cruise speed on an RV-12iS by much?
Does the fuel burn with fairings decrease gph on RV-12iS by much?
Do the fairings protect the brake pads? Tires?
$895 + painting cost + trouble to install (and remove when necessary) worth?

The performance specs for the RV-12iS talk of 117 - 120 knots while cruise for me is typically 105 to 108 knots and gallons per hour in cruise is supposed to be around 4 in ECO mode whereas I typically have a fuel burn in the 4.6 - 4.8 gph range. Would wheel pants get me closer to specs?

Not much increase in performance - 3 KIAS.

I only put them on for long cross country trips.

I would rather be able to see the brakes and tires easily before each flight.

Van's says they are worth 4 or 5 kts.

If you're flying 5200 rpm and seeing 112 -114 kts True airspeed, Van's will probably tell you you should see 4 gals /hr at 4500-5500 MSL in a RV-12 IS with fuel injection.

All of the above are specs with wheel pants.

I found the decent rate on landing was noticeably less slippery to me without the wheel pants.

If it's still off, maybe you need to adjust the pitch on the ground for your propeller, to something more cruise oriented. 5150 RPM on climb out at 75 kts Vy is considered best rpm rate for the RV-12 for climb rate and cruise, overall.

I generally burn 0.3 to 0.4 gals of gas doing taxi and run up. More time flying between take offs will improve your gal / fuel burn rate, vs landing every 20 to 30 minutes.