What's better for a rim? Steel rims are heavier, but Aluminum are softer. I want a chrome rim, and not polished aluminum. Can they chrome Aluminum? Is it just as strong as a chrome finish on steel? Mostly all the rims I see now are Aluminum. Probably, b/c of CNC's, they can make any design. I'm looking for some Cragar S/S', but others that look similar would do also. They Boyd Smoothies arn't bad...but I have those questions.

Insight anyone?

 

Aluminum wheels are better in my opinion. Aluminum is softer than steel, but aluminum wheels are not 100% aluminum. They are aluminum alloy, they have other metal mixed in with the aluminum (not sure what other metal though). In my opinion steel wheels just look cheap, chrome or not. I think its probably because they are just stamped to shape, where as aluminum wheels are cast and/or machined to shape. Cragar SS's are chrome plated steel, boyd smoothies are polished billet aluminum.

 

See, I don't want Polished Aluminum w/ a clear coat, b/c the clear always chips, and then it sucks @$$. Chrome, in my opinion, is much more durable. Plus, if it gets a little scratched up, polish it, and your good to go.

That's the only thing I hate w/ Aluminum....plus, brake dust seems to stick very well to the clear coat...

 

Actually isnt polished alum with zoop seal more durable than chrome? ...chrome can actually chip without a whole lot of difficulty itself as its just a metal plating... if you have actual polished rims (and there actually polished) there is no clear coat on them its just a metal surface so there is no chipping involved and if the get scratched well.. sand and re-polish, its a pain but cheaper than sanding and re chroming...

 

Who can elaborate on this? So, polished aluminum (that has a shiny chrome finish) is actually stronger than chrome plated steel? Do they come w/ a sealant, or do you have to zoop seal, etc.? If they won't get stained up and chip, I might go w/ Aluminum then. Just w/ the stock wheels, the brake dust always stuck to them, and well, they were clear coated, so it'd flake off...

 

Chrome can chip and be scratched just as eaisly as polished and polished/zoopsealed aluminum. Chrome can seperate from its original surface that it was plated on, that wont happen to a polished surface.
In the event that your rim is damaged or marred with it being polished you or someone can eaisly fix it at a realitivily low cost. But for chrome, basically your swimming up stream. You will either have to live with the damage or have your rim dismounted from the tire and send it off to a chromer, they will have to tottaly strip the rim of its chrome, nickle, and copper. Then it has to be rebuffed back out to a high shine. Dipped in Nickle, polished again, dipped in copper and polished again. Then lastly dipped in chrome and shipped back to you. < That can be VERY pricey depending on the shop and the ammount of $$$ your willing to pay for the repairs.

 

How do you get the Polished Aluminum rims from the factory? If they don't seal it w/ anything, it'll fade pretty fast.

 

go to the sticky at the top for polishing wheels the threads in there should clue you in. Our wheels didn't come polished from the factory, you have to do it yourself..

 

Naw, I'm talkin' about when you order the aftermarket ones...not the FACTORY like "Stock"

 

Old steel wheels used to rust under the chrome over time...esp in 'salty' climates.

My nest set of wheels will be aluminum...and mostly powdercoated in the center. I will leave the very rim polished, and I can easily re-polish them if need be. I refuse to have another set of 100% polished wheels - just too much work involved in keeping them shiny/new looking.

My 2 cents worth...

 

The rim maker either has an inhouse polishing shop or they contract other polishing shops to polish set's for them.

 

See, now wouldn't Chrome stay cleaner/more shiny w/ less work as Polished Aluminum? If you don't drive it in salty weather, etc, they shouldn't rust. I'm trying to figure out what's the better deal. Also, does Polished have as much shine and reflectiveness as chrome?

 

If you are going strictly for the "bling", the chrome is the best choice. If you want the lightest wheel, then you pretty much are left with polished aluminum. Steel wheels will be heaver than the aluminum wheels when talking about equal sizes...plus I think the largest steel wheel I've seen is 17"

Even in non-salty climates, steel wheels are a last resort in my book...there are just too many nicer (IMO) designs in aluminum than steel. Aluminum may also be just as inexpensive if that's an issue.

 

you can't get any brighter then a true reflective service using zero color. here is chrome closeup...

 

here is a paint that is as close to real chrome plating as what seems to be humanly possible....which is amazingly close.

 

here is a new type of coating called permastar which can be just as reflective but the strongest and longest lasting of all the options available that are chrome or "chrome-like". when i first bought my wheels i was offered this option for an extra fee but was hesitant since i'd never heard of it and boze alloys was the first company to offer the coating. ceramic coating seemed so similar which i was very familiar with and i don't care for it at all. after doing some research on the coating and seeing it first hand i wish at times i would have spent the extra amount for it as the coating is something else. i plan on having all my underhood accessories redone in permachrome as well as my exhaust and a few other choice pieces.

here is some good reading....as well as more info on the subject. holly as well as edelbrock have started using it on some of their intakes as a coating option. outstanding!


http://www.automfg.com/articles/090207.html


http://goodrichtechnology.com/news.html

http://goodrichtechnology.com/

here is some licensing behind it.....still quite new but interesting all the same...
http://www.majon.com/advpr/listing/gtc.txt

just before it was released.....
http://www.goodrichtechnology.com/pressrelease.html

here is a great little article on when edelbrock started with it....
http://www.streetrodderweb.com/hotne...old/index.html

 

polished is also excellent when it comes to looks however its the hardest of the 3 to maintain. while i like it better then chrome since it's small imperfections are "fixable" when things happen it isn't as bright as the above two when all are compared on their best day. however, chrome plating and coatings add weight so in that respect it adds a plus....one day though i see myself sending my wheels in to be permachromed.

as you can see in this picture from the polished aluminum caliper and wheels that it does shine just as well as the others....don't be fooled though as it's alot of work to maintain a perfect finish. chrome is definately great from the beginning but the wheels are typically alot heavier as well as once you get a scratch or the slightest chip major problems will soon follow. chrome is also hard to remove which can be even more an issue down the road.

if you can afford it permastar it.

 

as a last little tid bit of info....

chrome even if it's perfect will still have slight waves. for this reason alone top car builders do not use it for their wheels. for true show finishes polished only without any coating is the way to go. however for street driven vehicles you really have to keep up on them so if your lazy at cleaning do not go polished.

chrome is somewhat easy to maintain if you protect them and keep them clean. however once little problem areas start to show like pits, scratches, etc. rust and flaking will soon follow. this can be avoided with tripple plating procedures but this is often very expensive. most single plated jobs which are typically available on most cast wheels and the rest don't hold up well to the elements and often don't last.

while i have yet to see a time tested piece of permachrome it is applied in the sense that powdercoat would be. the finish of the product is very chrome like in appearance so if it is anywhere near as durable as powdercoat with the reflective properties of chrome it's the way to go however it does cost quite a bit and very few places actually can work with it.

 

I have polished formula wheels on my bird.

I have had them for about 3 years now, they look great, i prefer the look over chrome actually. I have gotten many many comments on how they look.

On the flip side of that, you do have to keep them real clean or they look bad real quick. Unlike chrome, they dont clean up real well with some soap and water.

I have found that if i just keep some blue magic and some rags in the car, i can clean them once a week or so.

Once a month i also take the wheels off the car, and give them a true polish, which is a lot of work, but its so worth it.

 

Kandied: Who makes your new rims? They are Polished, right? I was just thinking, since Aluminum is very soft, it could easily get scratched, scuffed, etc....Only problem w/ chrome however, is that not many guys make aftermarket rims in chrome anymore. Ever Cragar S/S' come in Aluminum. They DO however still offer the "Classic" Chrome ones...That Permachrome sounds interesting. I would look into that, but I've never seen it off many rim manufacturers.

 

Chrome looks cheap ...
Polished bare alum looks cooler ..
when "just polished" ...its looks like a mirror
but don't be afraid ..it doesn't fade away
you gotta mantain it with a quick polish compound and that's it!
tha's the way i went with my formula wheels for over a year and
they really look flashy ..
gor the good of your car......
GET bare POLISHED ALUM ...17s OR 18s!
period

 

www.bozeforged.com eventually everyone will be offering permachrome on their wheels but until then at least you can have it done if you go with a different wheel company than boze.

 

Kandied, what finish did you get on your rims? I see on their site, they offer MANY different types of finishes for all their rims.

Oh yeah, on another note, I rarely see ANY of these wheel manufacturers even offereing steel/chrome rims anymore. Everything is Forged/Polished.

One more thing, Kandied, what do you use to keep your rims w/ that shine? How often do you clean them, etc?? Is it more of a pain than what it's worth? Well, I should talk...I wash/polish/clean (whatever you'd like to call it) almost weekly in the summer nights

 

i use to wash the car twice a week until i realized i was washing the paint off the car.

i wised up and now i use the right products so i really only have to wash it maybe 3 times a month. as far as the wheels well to make them really shine like new you're either going to not use them or you'll have to clean them. the moment that anything hits them, even clean water your shine will dull. however with the right products and hours of work they stay nice. polished wheels are not good for a daily driver.....that is if you want to try and keep the shine since it is work.

as for your question though i just went with the show polish which is front and back. i'm happy with my decision...like i said though if they become to hard to work with or beyond cleaning i'll just permachrome them.

 

So, it's a lot of work to keep them looking good, huh? Well, what other options do I have? Most of the hot looking rims only come in Polished finishes. Permachrome won't be available for awhile, so it seems, and the cost, I'm not even sure about. I'd hate to spend a lot of money on these, and then they dull out, or get chipped up right away.

How about Zoop Seal? They "say" it keeps the shine and saves aluminum from oxidation for up to 2 years. Is that true, or just b/s to buy it? lol I wouldn't mind spending the extra bucks for Zoop, if it'll actually do what's advertised.

 

I Like my ROHs in black ice "chrome" beause there kinda shiney but they have a clear coat so I won't have to polish them all the time. I can't wate to sell my 17s so I can order the 18s and get them on my car! sorry the pic is big and blury but It is the only way I can get one on here from the digital camera so far.

 

camaro05:

You got those rims in Chrome, but they still put a clear coat on them?

I want to try and avoid clear coat/paints as much as I can on the rims, b/c they chip so easily by road debris. That's also a concern w/ Polished Aluminum...if you look at it wrong, it'll scratch!

 

The color is called "black ice chrome" I think it is just bright paint but I don't know. All I do know is that, the wheels look sweet and I won't have to polish the crap out of them every week like my Z06s. I talked to a guy around here who has them on a mustang and he said he cleanes them with windex. Sounds good to me!

 

Kandied: How much are the Stinger rims from Boze? I'm thinking maybe 17x8 all around. How big could I go w/o sticking out of the fenderwells on 17's? Also, they call their "permastar" finish, "Millenium Chrome"...right? How much for that finish?

Thanks for the info!

One more thing, would I still use Zoop seal on it if it has the Permastar finish?

 

i have never used zoop seal or will i ever on my wheels unless it was put on and guaranteed from them. i am interested in how it works and would like to try it on smaller pieces but its too expensive for that.

permachrome is offered by quite a few people (powdercoaters) right now however you have to look for it as the machines to do it properly are 4 times the price of a powdercoating setup. as far as cost outside of boze alloys i'm not sure. boze alloys wanted somewhere around 300 to do all my rims in the 18's which isn't bad had i known what it was.

as far as your question. it depends on the look you want. wether you using 17's, 18's or even 16's the offset and backspacing should be the same. you just adjust the tire size accordingly to fit. if you were to contact boze and ask them they would be able to tell you what to do since i'm the first and only 3rdgen with their wheels. i have 18x8 and 18x10 rear and absolutely love where the wheels are at. i wouldn't change a thing.

if your a careful person i wouldn't worry about the polish wheels as most surfaces will scratch if you clean them the way most do. you just need to use your head and be a little more careful with them.

i can't tell you what the price of 17's will run you...i can tell you their retail on my wheels are up around 800 although i know you can get them between 4-500 a rim quite easily. i'd imagine to expect to pay the same prices as boyd sells his. in fact compare the size and prices on the same 2 piece wheels and if you do contact boze be sure to comment on it if their price is too high for you.

 

I like steel as it can take the abuse of normal city streets that suck and are comparable to Dukes of Haazrd stunts. Aluminum just won't take the abuse. Ive also known to many people who have had aluminum rims walk off the lugs.

 

Looking some more, I kinda like the look of the TTII's. I know a lot of people have them, but not around here. Your lucky to even see a Thirdgen in DECENT shape where I'm at. That's the way I love it...stand out in the crowd

Anyway, how are these specs for a PERFECT fitting combo w/o rubbing/hitting issues:

FRONT: 17x8 5.5" b/s 275/40/17
BACK: 17x9.5 4.5" b/s 245/45/17

Would that maintain the stock numbers? I don't want to throw off my speedo/etc...If it's off by A LITTLE, I can live w/ that.

Thanks for your help guys!!

One more thing, are those factory specs, or would I special order? I looked on their site, and can't seem to find those...with 4.75" bolt pattern anyway...

 

that's all fine except for your tire specs are backwards....however i know what you meant. that .5 in the rear extra though is going to throw off your wheel tracking slightly however making the rears stick out more then the fronts.

 

Oh yeah, my bad...I wrote them down backwards.
So, your saying I should stick w/ the 40 sidewall for the rear? That'll keep them within the fender wells?

 

i believe crazy is running the same width. check with him on his backspacing preference since you have pictures to relate too.

i'm running 8" with 4.75 and 10 with 6.75 so my opinions are going to be different.

as far as tires just use a calculator to figure out what size you need. there are plenty of them on the net.

 

tire size calculator.

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

 

The backspacing changes w/ every different rim, correct? Kandied, you said your running 8 w/ 4.75 and 10 w/ 6.75. That's quite a step from the specs I had picked out. That is different b/c your rim choice, right? Also, were you referring to CrazyHawaiian?

One more thing...how much of a difference would the extra inch on a 13" rotor would you see Vs. the 12" setup?

 

an inch...

 

So I take it there is no difference in performance. Might as well stick w/ the 12" just to be safe w/ clearance issues...

 

alot more braking leverage.......do a search on the setup you'll find all the info you need to know. beyond looks there is a difference.