Crome or Polished Rims

[Beach Bum]

What is easier to keep clean with a high shine ? Trying to decided what type of rims to purchase but want them to last and look good.

Thanks

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Crome or Polished Rims

What is easier to keep clean with a high shine ?

Chrome, without a doubt.

Chrome is very stout stuff (as long as you don't purchase really cheap wheels with iffy plating!) and as long as you keep it clean it and dry it will last a very long time with minimal upkeep. Heavy brake dust can be easily cleaned with very strong acid based wheel cleaner if you choose.

Bare, polished aluminum is very soft and delicate, easy to damage, tough to keep at maximum shine. They are a very high maintenance item - cleaning requires something very mild, which means if you let brake dust sit on them for extended periods you'll have a real fun time getting it off. Living in Michigan where winters are harsh at best, you'll really want a set of winter wheels to swap out so as not to seriously compromise the aluminum set.

[BobbyG]

Re: Crome or Polished Rims

Micheal's correct.

Chrome wheels are one of the easiest to keep clean and shinny for a good long time.

When I was young, polished wheels were just that; polished, no clear coating. These surfaces used to tarnish and corrode quickly making weekly maintenance a must if they're to stay bright.

Most polished wheels today are clear coated making them easy to clean and shine using regular car wash and wheel wax.

[Flash Gordon]

Re: Crome or Polished Rims

Chrome

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Crome or Polished Rims

Most polished wheels today are clear coated making them easy to clean and shine using regular car wash and wheel wax.

Yes, virtually all factory polished wheels are clear coated, simply because the upkeep is so high that warranty claims would go through the roof. But rarely are clear coated aluminum wheels as shiny as bare aluminum. Sort of a trade off - what you gain in ease of maintenance you give up in total appearance.

Aftermarket aluminum wheels can and often are polished to such a high state that they look like chrome. And that gets plenty of people in trouble - our call center receives complaints every week from someone who thought they had chrome wheels only to discover they don't when they spray them down with Chrome Wheel Cleaner. A true chrome wheel will be fine with this powerful cleaner, but a highly polished bare aluminum wheel will stain white or cloudy almost immediately upon contact with this cleaner.

[BlackScreaminMachine]

Re: Crome or Polished Rims

The only way I have seen around lowering polished aluminum matience is either A) taking a factory (polished rim), having the clear coat stripped, getting them fully polished/corrected and then have the entire rim powder coated clear and then make regular washing/cleaning.

Or B) Just be a detailing freak and anticipate a monthly Regiment to remove and individuall polish each rim. I know there is the power ball, but for me had polishing works fine as long as the rims are in good shape to begin with. That also includes during bad weather season to remove and use another rim (stocker, or steele) for the bad weather seasons.

Chrome is a lot less work but they come with IMO a dull shine but everyone has their preference. I have a friend that hates polished as he calls it metal with a million tiny scratches and by self admittence lazy about cleaning but loves Chrome due to many of the aft formentioned reasons.

The biggest thing is to get into the mind set on either rim is to be religious with the cleaning and doing it regularly. When you get rims that show a lot of inside, you really need a good brush and clean the inside as much as the outside and most cases, it is easier to remove the rim and do one at a time.

So in conclusion, how bad do you want Polished Rims is a question I would ask yourself.

[k3ith]

Re: Crome or Polished Rims

Chrome. I didn't realize how much of a difference there was until I recently bought a car with chrome wheels. I used megs chrome polish and it was so shiny it made the paint look dull (lightish blue). The megs did was it was intended to do but I'm kinda a low key fellow and I was almost embarrassed when I saw what it looked like the next day when I was walking to it in a parking lot. I thought, well in a day or two it will be dulled down - I was wrong. When maintained, chrome pops and pops. My recommendation is to consider the color of your car when buying the wheels.