How fragile is chrome wheel finish

TyCorr · Oct 8, 2011

Went to King's tire in LaSalle today to get some #'s together for new wheels. I wanted to get a 20x12 chrome wheel. GO through the whole spiel and the guy says "I can get em for ya but running chrome around here isnt real smart! Paint would hold up better."

Anybody in the midwest, particularly the saltbelt, that is running chrome wheels? Or do I need to refer to my 90's tactics of running two diff sets of wheels?

Austin · Oct 8, 2011

If I spent good money on wheels, I would for sure have two sets. And keep the chrome ones cleaned and polished constantly.

Just my 02

Ia PWRSTKE · Oct 8, 2011

I keep 2 sets around. The salt really eats em up, I have also been keeping 2 trucks around, I drive the one with black wheels in the winter and park my truck with chrome wheels. Either way works, Lol

cfdeng7 · Oct 9, 2011

You could either run the stockers in the winter or do what my buddy does and clean them really well in the fall and then plastidip them. Then he peels it off in the spring

8upwitHDs · Oct 9, 2011

I don't care what wheels you buy, todays chrome plating sucks. I have had multiple sets of wheels from high end to low end and they all flake at some point no matter how I take care of them. I don't know what these companys have done to the chroming process, but none of it seems durable enough anymore. Polished or painted might be a better way to go over the long run.

TyCorr · Oct 9, 2011

Ia PWRSTKE said:
I keep 2 sets around. The salt really eats em up, I have also been keeping 2 trucks around, I drive the one with black wheels in the winter and park my truck with chrome wheels. Either way works, Lol

I wish I could keep two truck around lke I used to back in the day. I wont be able to afford a new or even 08+ superduty for a while. I have a set of 16x12 that I am running now. I suppose I could keep them around for winter duty. So friggin ugly though!!

cfdeng7 said:
You could either run the stockers in the winter or do what my buddy does and clean them really well in the fall and then plastidip them. Then he peels it off in the spring

Mindreader you! I was going to ask anyone if they'd done this. My dad said back in the 60's they used to clean wheels really good and then put a coat of wax on em. Then buff it off and put another coat on but leave the paste until spring.

8upwitHDs said:
I don't care what wheels you buy, todays chrome plating sucks. I have had multiple sets of wheels from high end to low end and they all flake at some point no matter how I take care of them. I don't know what these companys have done to the chroming process, but none of it seems durable enough anymore. Polished or painted might be a better way to go over the long run.

Thats what I wondered!! It seems the method for production nowadays is top level pricing with bottom of the barrel quality. You'd almost have to run a set with the original chrome finish and when it got bad enough strip them and have them re-chromed. I also wonder if a guy could plasti-dip the back side of the wheel when its new to avoid the brake dust and grease from actually touching the wheel?

Ive been fighting putting wheels on this truck for five years but Im getting sick of the way it looks and snow getting packed in these 16's and effin up my brakes every winter. I think, given my trucks age and looks a set of chrome mazzi hulks would be a perfect fit.

Heres how it looks now:
http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/n618/titobandito78/blackbetty.jpg

Thanks for the invaluable input gents!

8upwitHDs · Oct 9, 2011

Mazzi's would look good

TyCorr · Oct 9, 2011

8upwitHDs said:
Mazzi's would look good

Thanks! I think so too. Im not trying to pioneer anything here. I just want this old beeotch to be worthy of being on the street.

I soooooo wish I could get into the black wheel hype because Im fairly sure the truck would look great with some fuel throttles, black 'kanes, or a black hostage but I just wanna go the opposite direction which seems to be chrome.

jdc753 · Oct 9, 2011

I just polished my wheels up for the winter and they are starting to get pitted and there are 3 places that the chrome has bubbled up, no bigger than 1/8" diameter, but I have run them year round for 80k up here in New England. The pitting is only in the crevasis and they still polish up nice, but probably would have been better if I polished them more than twice a year and didn't let them get too bad.

One thing I have learned for sure, after these wheels the next will be a much simpler design without soo many grooves and openings to polish up, thinking something like Fuel Octanes.

Mazzi Hulks would look pretty good one there too.

TyCorr · Oct 9, 2011

This truck is clean and its pretty nice, I guess but Im not trying to be this guy. I want my truck to be a little more modern but still have a modded look. Sure these are 20's wrapped in 38x15.5's but this look like a show truck from the era when these were new. If anybody owns/knows the owner sorry. Im not slammin his ride but its just not what Im looking to do.
http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/n618/titobandito78/kohls truck/kohl1.jpg

http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/n618/titobandito78/kohls truck/kohl2.jpg

TyCorr · Oct 9, 2011

The hulks on my truck would look similar to this I think:

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detai...ing=false&rpp=50&feedSegId=28705&aff=national

TyCorr · Oct 9, 2011

jdc753 said:
I just polished my wheels up for the winter and they are starting to get pitted and there are 3 places that the chrome has bubbled up, no bigger than 1/8" diameter, but I have run them year round for 80k up here in New England. The pitting is only in the crevasis and they still polish up nice, but probably would have been better if I polished them more than twice a year and didn't let them get too bad.

One thing I have learned for sure, after these wheels the next will be a much simpler design without soo many grooves and openings to polish up, thinking something like Fuel Octanes.

Mazzi Hulks would look pretty good one there too.

What wheels are you running on your truck now? They look good. I love that truck. Its long but it look incredible. Between you and Cody(all black 2000) I wish mine was a lb.

PTSUPERD · Oct 9, 2011

Look on the other site in my pics. There should be some of the truck on Mazzi Hulks and 38 Toyos.

Hulks pitted pretty bad btw.

fine69 · Oct 9, 2011

I have chrome Welds I run in the summer, but I take them off as soon as the salt trucks come out. If I were you, I'd do the summer/winter wheel route.

TyCorr · Oct 9, 2011

Yeah, Ill probably have to do the two sets, winter-summer juggle bs. You'd think with all the bs that can be made with technology that there'd be a chrome plastic coating for aftermarket wheels that would be unaffected by environmental bs.

Well if all chrome wheels are going to pit, bad enough that its gonna bug me, maybe Ill look into a machined wheel. Like the machinde xd diesel or the silver/black Hoss. I know they are over utilized but to go to all the trouble of running two different sets only to have pitting anyway is PURE BS.

Ill take a look at that gallery Gare! Thanks.

PTSUPERD · Oct 9, 2011

Sure man!

I'll say this. Some of the black wheels are overdone...but I'm still yet to see another set of BMFs here in my area. Nobody runs them.

TyCorr · Oct 9, 2011

PTSUPERD said:
Sure man!

I'll say this. Some of the black wheels are overdone...but I'm still yet to see another set of BMFs here in my area. Nobody runs them.

Ive seen em on half tons. WHich they look horrible. Honestly most of the stuff around here is either the nicest stock ones with upsized rubber or something that was relevant in 1992. My truck wore 18" welds in about 2005 but I negelcted them too much and decided to go back to 16's due to cost of tires. Now tires are maybe $50 more from the 16 to the 20. At least the ones I look at are. Its just the price of the wheel thats expensive as you go up in size. But 22+, its all expensive.

Im not saying that BMF Novakanes arent a great wheel but Ive got a dozen truck magazines here that are white trucks with them on it for the cover. I think 22" 'kanes would look bitchin on my truck! I just dont want black wheels cuz everybody has em.

Although the black Fuel Hostage would look sweet.. LOL I guess there are exceptions.

Hey Gare? Waddya think about a 22" black/machined xd hoss on my truck? It'd be on the black 2000 I posted up above. Ive got a 07 front end here in chrome that Im gonna install. Im gonna run the chrome headlights though, not the harleys as I originally intended. If ya dont mind givin me a yea or nea on the hoss'?

PTSUPERD · Oct 9, 2011

TyCorr said:
Ive seen em on half tons. WHich they look horrible. Honestly most of the stuff around here is either the nicest stock ones with upsized rubber or something that was relevant in 1992. My truck wore 18" welds in about 2005 but I negelcted them too much and decided to go back to 16's due to cost of tires. Now tires are maybe $50 more from the 16 to the 20. At least the ones I look at are. Its just the price of the wheel thats expensive as you go up in size. But 22+, its all expensive.

Im not saying that BMF Novakanes arent a great wheel but Ive got a dozen truck magazines here that are white trucks with them on it for the cover. I think 22" 'kanes would look bitchin on my truck! I just dont want black wheels cuz everybody has em.

Although the black Fuel Hostage would look sweet.. LOL I guess there are exceptions.

Hey Gare? Waddya think about a 22" black/machined xd hoss on my truck? It'd be on the black 2000 I posted up above. Ive got a 07 front end here in chrome that Im gonna install. Im gonna run the chrome headlights though, not the harleys as I originally intended. If ya dont mind givin me a yea or nea on the hoss'?

Dude with your truck a black wheel is a no brainer to me. It just fits. It will update your truck immensely

TyCorr · Oct 9, 2011

PTSUPERD said:
Dude with your truck a black wheel is a no brainer to me. It just fits. It will update your truck immensely

Hostage? 20x12? You think the hoss with the machined face and black lip would look cheesy? I dont like the fact that it only comes in a 9.5" width.

Thanks!
http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/n618/titobandito78/kohls truck/hoss.jpg