Polished aluminum wheels - Pain to maintain ?

[Green Machine]

Looked at some polished aluminum Eagle Alloys, no clear coat or chrome on most of these. Will they be a pain to keep nice ? Look like crap in no time ?

[Mudder]

You do have to dry them after they get wet or they will spot. After each wash even though you dry them they will still dull some so yes you do have to polish them. The trick is not to let them get dull or full of spots. I would get some California Customs oxidizer and Purple polish. You may as well start out right.

About 3 years ago with my wheels being about 7 years old at the time I was picked from about 4500 trucks as having the best ride on Weld wheels by Weld. My wheels probably hav more shine now that they did when they were new.

[gator2511]

Get a powerball and polish them quickly. I have had great results with my wheels and only have to polish them about once a month or so. Of cource its not a trailer queen, its a daily driver. But they shine great!

[70c10]

Originally Posted by Mudder67

I would get some California Customs oxidizer and Purple polish. You may as well start out right.

Agree 110%. Randy was one of the guys who turned me onto this stuff. It's an amazing product!. It's about $14/bottle and keeps the rims like a mirror.

I also want to try the powerball!

[Daubs]

Buddy of mine swapped out the factory GM alum rims on his HD for some polished aftermarket rims. He hated them. Had to polish all the time. And with all the tiny groves, he would literally spend hours polishing his rims. Be careful...or get yourself some chromed.

I stuck with the factory rims on my HD and they look great. No maint. either.

[special-K]

If the wheels have grooves,they`re not full-polished.That would be a pain.That`s "machine finish".I like uncoated polished aluminum because you "can" polish them.Once clearcoat or chrome starts to chip,pit peel,or yellow(coated),you`re screwed.Corrosion gets up under coatings/plating and you can`t get at it.With polished,you`re in control.Not maintainence-free,but maintainable.

[Green Machine]

Could I get them clear coated with something ? What is the best ? I know the clear may fail and have to be redone, but if they would go 3-4 years, wouldn't the time/hassle factor and expense be less ??

[Ozona]

AL rims are a pain to polish, period. No amount of magic stuff will make it less work. The powerball does work pretty well if the rim is pretty simple. It doesn't reach all areas on the Torque Thrust II's on my cobra replica. There is also nothing that looks as good IMO. Want the look - pay the price of polishing.

[Mudder]

And if you keep them dry after washing and maintain them, it only takes about 5 minutes a wheel to polish. I use a towel and a little CC and buff it out using the same towel.

After going around and doing each wheel I go back with a clean towel and make sure all the polish is off.

[Wootdog]

Mudder,
Where do you get the California Customs Oxidizer and purple polish at? I haved used Flitz in the past and it looks ok for awhile. Kerry

[Mudder]

I either get it online at http://www.californiacustom.com/ or I can call a rep that is in Kansas. There may be a rep near you. Call them from their website and ask. Also go read the testimonials on their site. I know Sherrie from Virgina Beach, VA. She has a big Ford she shows.

[70c10]

Kerry, if youre ever up in Baltimore you can get it at Peterbuilt.

[special-K]

I had Weld Outbacks on my work truck and drove it in the mud on jobs,all winter in salt,and I never polished them.I did keep the truck clean and I waxed it,including the wheels,a good bit.They looked great in 3 years.Clearcoat on polished aluminum gives a false sense of security,that`s about it.Talk about expense and hassle.See what it would cost to get the clearcoat stripped and the wheels polished`n`buffed back to original finish.

[Green Machine]

This is what we are looking at, should be pretty easy to polish ??? I would likely only polish real well 2-3 times a year, would that be enough on a driver ?

[N2TRUX]

I have had 10+ sets of polished wheels on daily drivers. It is a pain in the @ss to keep them looking nice...period! I have used many different brands of polish to keep them shiny, as well as many types of sealer. It is a pain in the @ss to keep them looking nice...period! Keep in mind that there are many different types of aluminum wheels. It is a pain in the @ss to keep them looking nice...period! Some are cast, some are machined from billet, and some are forged. It is a pain in the @ss to keep them looking nice...period! Eagle wheels are cast, and known to be very porous. It is a pain in the @ss to keep them looking nice...period!

By now you may be getting my message that It is a pain in the @ss to keep them looking nice...period!

My very biased opinion is save yourself some grief and buy a chrome wheel....

[XXL]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

My very biased opinion is save yourself some grief and buy a chrome wheel....

[Green Machine]

N2TRUX - I'm not sure how you really feel - could you restate that please ??? Anyway the aluminum ones are out, drove around town today, within a few minutes we saw a lot of ugly, used to be polished aluminum wheels, the chrome wheels we saw looked much sharper. We have nice trucks, but tend to be more wash and go, close enough, no patience for polishing, I'd rather change a clutch I guess than spend quality time with the wheels.

[N2TRUX]

I still have billet wheels on my 77, but I wish I could find something in chrome that looks old school. The past few sets of wheels for my daily drivers have been chrome, and I love them. You wash the truck and dry the wheels with a chamois and your done.....

[Green Monster]

I have aluminum Weld wheels. They do require a lot of attention to keep them looking nice. As stated, you cannot let the wheels air dry, they must be wiped dry to keep them looking nice. I use Mother's mag and aluminum polish. You have to make sure you use an unused part of you application rag everytime you apply for the wheel to come out looking right.