Chrome or Polished wheels?

[mustanglouie]

I have did alittle searching but really couldn't find what I was looking for. I am wanting to get some new rims. I know they are probably played out but I love the saleen wheels. I am looking at getting the replicas of course. But I want to know what the difference is between the polished wheels and chrome wheels. Everybody seems to have there own mind set on the subject but I am just afraid of getting the chrome ones and then have them peeling on me. Will the polished wheels peel as well? What should I look for when going with either one. I know I want powdercoated not painted because it will chip easier if they are painted. Please let me know what you think.

thanks
Lou

 

[Killercanary]

Chrome is a plating process, and that is why it peels. Polished is just aluminum that is polished. The n ice thing is that it can almost always be brought back to as new shine. Chrome is nice in that it doesn't need as much maintenance as polished, but as soon as it starts peeling there's nothing you can do to it to make it like new other than re-chroming it.

 

[95five-oh]

I would say go for polished, they may cost a little more but as killercanary said you can always bring them back to shape if they get dull. I bought chrome cobra r's and although they look nice when theyre clean, theyre a pain in the neck to keep clean and i have to take them off in the winter cause the road salt will destroy them. theyre already nicked and scratched in several places because chrome is very soft. If i could do it again i'd go for polished or maybe black powdercoated.

 

[super302]

I would say go for polished, they may cost a little more but as killercanary said you can always bring them back to shape if they get dull. I bought chrome cobra r's and although they look nice when theyre clean, theyre a pain in the neck to keep clean and i have to take them off in the winter cause the road salt will destroy them. theyre already nicked and scratched in several places because chrome is very soft. If i could do it again i'd go for polished or maybe black powdercoated.

i thought chrome cost more than polished???

 

[Ozz]

I'd recommend chrome, as was my choice

 

[mo_dingo]

Chrome saleens look so frickin hawt!!!! I just hate the arse that parts his saleen outside my bay at work, just for me to stare at and get distracted!!! grrrrr

Polished means just that. Aluminum polished to a shine, then clearcoated. It will never gloss like chrome, but I like mine, and I am gonna stick with them.
Scott

 

[95five-oh]

i thought chrome cost more than polished???

I guess it could for certain rims, i got mine from OE Wheels and chrome was cheaper than polished for the Cobra R's.

 

[The Green GT]

I have black cobra R's with a polished lip and I love them.

 

[Kane]

I've got 18X9 chrome Cobra R replicas on my 99 GT. Most of the time, chrome is more expensive, as were the wheels that I bought compared to the polished option wheels. Although chrome looks killer, they will start to pit, flake, etc if you aren't VERY careful. AND, if you get against a curb like I have several times, the scratch will remain there. If you have polished wheels, you can buff it out.

 

[urban96]

chrome:

+looks GREAT!
+easy to clean
+easy to keep clean

-cheaper chrome will peel
-if you do happen to curb the wheel you cant touch it up and most likely the chrome will pit/peel
-over time the chrome may pit if you dont keep them clean

polished
+flashy but not too flashy
+if they get scratched you can polish it out (as long as its not too deep)
+can always be made to look new again
+most times polished wheels are cheaper then chrome

-upkeep is a must
-hand polishing takes a while (i HIGHLY recomend the mothers powerball. works 10X better then doing it by hand and takes 1/5th the time)
-keep them away from salt!

heres my polished wheels

 

[blurry]

If you go with chrome, as others said, you can run a chance of it peeling. With polished (I had '03 polished Cobras), they may not be clear coated like the silver, black, and some chrome finishes. My '03 Cobra's scratched easily and since they were clearcoated, they run a higher risk of pitting and even rusting eventually.

 

[Killercanary]

Not all polished aluminum wheels are clear coated. Mine are not, and I'd put my polished wheels up against ANY chrome wheel and if you honestly say that the chrome is shinier I'll let you drive my car. The process I now use removes ALL fine scratches that normally dull or take away from some of the shine in polished aluminum. Its a LONG process, but one that provides great results. If and when I ever get my car back on the road I'll get some pics up.

 

[mustanglouie]

thanks for the help guys . But I still don't know which one I want to go with. You see, I don't really clean my car all the time. I really don't get on my hands and knees and clean my wheels all the time. So the polished one's are cheaper but they take alot more to keep looking new. The chrome lookis good but I guess I would just have to be carefull who I buy them from and hope that they got coated real good when made. Thanks once again for everyones help.

 

[94-302-vert]

Don't get chrome...

Regulations these days limit the chemicals that can be used during certain processes, one of them is chroming. Chrome is not as robust as it used to be.

Heck a couple months back I was in a buds Chry 300 hemi and the chrome wheels on that car are actually plastic caps for the alum wheels that has been chromed...