I am in the market for wheels and I am baffled by all these different finishes. You got polished, machined, silver machined, alloy, aluminum, silver painted, and a bunch I don't remember. The only frame of reference I have are the wheels that came with my truck below. What are they?

 

when in doubt, use google images

 

Many of these finishes look the same in picture.

 

Most finishes are based on preference, really this plays more of a role where weather is an issue, brake dust exposure which can be fixed with a brake dust cover made for the wheel size you decide to go with, if you like the shiny look polished is better than chrome because over time doesn't flake like chrome would and is way easier to clean, i have chrome wheels and during winter time you have to remove them to prevent the wheels from pitting, due to road salt and conditions of the road. Machined is very durable, preferred during mild winter months as long as there is no finish on it(clear coated), if its painted its not recommended for winter. Aluminum is great as well, its lighter than most of the other types but tend to bend easy for example under heavy load and pressure if you hit a pothole, but the finish is similiar to that of polished. Alloy wheels overall is the best for year round wear and tear, clear cloated alloy wheels will start to flake if exposed to road salt. Like i said its depends alot in the area you live at, and what the purpose of the wheels are for, which will dicated the type you need to get whether your offroading, street racing, drag racing, or whatever it is that you do with your truck. I live in missouri, so I have chrome for the summer and alloy/machined for the winter. I wax my wheels regularly, would say monthly is good but i do every couple weeks. Wax sprinkled with baking soda will give your wheels a great shine then waxing alone. I can elaborate alot more but trying to keep it simple. Just my .02 cents

 

Have since read that polished wheels are easily affected by road salt too. Is that true? I can't have two sets of wheels nor can I hose them off everyday in winter.

 

Yeah its true, road salt are the number one killer of aftermarket wheels, followed by potholes. I learned that the hard way, i left my chrome wheels on another vehicle all winter, by jan-feb the rims had small pitt marks that i couldn't remove, it took 4 hours of professional detail with the rims off the car to get them back to where they were, but even then it wasn't immaculate. If your in a winter area keep two sets of rims, the stock ones with meaty winter tires and the summer blings which i take off the truck with first chance of flurries in my area other take theres off during late november some october depends on your location. You don't want to be the guy who is always washing only his wheels in subzero weather because he only had one set!

 

I have chrome clad. 6 years old. No pitting of any kind. The only bad spots are where the wheel weights were.

 

Two weeks on dry winter roads killed the chrome on my old R/T wheels. Powdercoated silver is almost indestructible. Polished aluminum/alloy is next best anywhere they treat the roads for winter. It will dull, but it's easy to polish back up. Once chrome starts to pit, it goes bad pretty quick, and shining them up just highlights the flaws.

 

Had that sama issue. Some vinegar baking soda mix and a brass wire brush took about 90% off.

 

What is the finish on stock wheels?