Chrome wheels

[Ozzy2013]

So anyone else have trouble with their Chrome wheels pitting and flaking?Im on my second set of american racing wheels in a year!First set started pitting in less than a year never in the snow or rain garage kept.New ones i went to clean them today and a softball size chunk of chrome wiped away .Unreal another former American company down the tubes!

[Tinkermc]

Sorry to hear about your bad luck, maybe they will make good on them.

[SCHRUMGMC]

Yikes

[special-K]

I've seen chrome pit in garages just from condensation. Chrome needs wax,wax,and more wax. Factory chrome always holds up better,but aftermarket has always been that way. Gotta stay on it. But...the peeling? That's a bad chrome job,so they also probably are pitting sooner/easier due to that,which sucks.

I had 200+ dollar Weld wheels (forged aluminum) start coming in two where the two halves are welded. The truck had set 6 months needing an engine and they were just over a year old. One year warranty and they told me tough luck. So I slapped the American AR23s (cast aluminum) on that I paid $100 each for that came with a 5 years warranty. I still think R is one of the better companies and I've been staying away from chrome wheels for many years once I realized I was just buying rusty wheels that looked great when new.
BUT...I am considering chrome reverses for a truck because it will see no winter driving,be stored inside,and kept up as much as driven. I figure the reasons I stopped using chrome wheels didn't apply. Seeing your bad experience makes me hesitant. Guess I better plan on going ahead and heating/cooling where it's parked if I go that route...which is a good idea overall

[cdowns]

i gave up on chrome wheels 45 years ago and have had aluminium or magnesium wheels ever since

[slomotion]

I agree with Cliff, anything shiny on my truck is either polished aluminum, or polished stainless steel. I avoid chrome plated parts if I can. Both the aluminum, and SS have a softer luster, and if I don't get to polish them for a while, they'll still come back 100% without fear of the pitting and rusting of chrome plated pieces.

[3drburb]

I see chrome wheel that cost thousands flake from road grim and brake dust in a year or two, then add road salt to the mix for winter ice or snow and they are done in months.

It happens with all the wheel companies even the big ones, so I always stay away from them.

Sorry to hear you had to deal with this two times.

[DUD2STUD]

Former wheel guy here. I've seen chrome on wheels last a couple months to years with no problems. Like Special-K said chrome is like paint you has to be waxed and any road grime wiped off. With that said the set on my truck started to peel after a couple of years and I wax regularly. 2 piece wheels are seldom dipped but when the are they start pealing at the seam. The easy fix for me was to Elasti dip (Eastwoods plasti dip) metallic grey witch I ended up liking it better.

[Boog]

I have to wonder what has changed in the wheel chroming process to allow the chrome finish to peel off. My first set of custom wheels was a set of chrome reverse rims which I had for 10 yrs. I occasionally waxed them but no other special care. They were like new when I sold the car too.
Has some chemical been removed from the chroming process maybe? I still like those wheels today. Chris Powell just put a set on his 67 truck. They are very period correct for our trucks.
Like Tim said American Racing is still high on the list of wheel makers in my opinion too. But....
Painted or powder coated rims are starting to look a lot better today than they used to for reasons such as cost and finish durability.

[Ozzy2013]

I dont know whats up with the chrome process today but its nothing like it used to be .These wheels had 50 miles on them!

[special-K]

Quality control. Of course,if the quality was there in the first place that wouldn't be an issue. I bought big tires mounted om 10 x 16 white spoke wheels from 4WPW. They say in the shop for a year or so and when I pulled them out some rust had started in seems and even an area had popped off. These were brand new wheels with powder coat finish never mounted...or even left outside! It wasn't such a big deal since the truck was in faded original paint,a little surface rust,dull trim,and small dings (they call that patina now) and the whole point of using those wheels was to have it look like it had been that way for years. So,thanks 4WPW for the crappy quality. It was just what I needed...But,who told you?

I think American has a 5 year warranty. They used to