can anyone help me out with some charcteristics of the 2 metals? fading/scratching/pitting/oxidation? im asking because of my upcomming rim purchase. there is snow here in CT so i will be driving in sand/salt on the roads. and i do see myself in a little mud on the job.

 

So far I’ve not noticed any problem on my forged rims from road salt here in North Iowa.

 

Chrome is just a plating over another metal. It can bubble, crack, peel, etc.

Aluminum is, obviously, it's own metal and doesn't fail like chrome can.

If you have the choice, get the forged aluminum vs. the chrome ones.

The aluminum wheels will also be a little lighter than the steel / chrome plated ones.

 

NEVER NEVER NEVER buy polished aluminum wheels. You will spend more time trying to keep them bright and nice then actually driving. Get yourself some chrome plated wheels. Chrome does not fail often like mentioned here. Most wheel manufactures offer a warrenty against this anyways. I have purchsed 5 sets of truck wheels in the last two years and ALL were chrome.

 

Yes.....polished aluminum is a PITA, but the clear coated doesn't need the constant maintenance.

Most OEM aluminum wheels are coated, not polished anyways.

 

I had the chrome plated factory crap on my 2005, 1500 and in the 2 months it was in the snow and it saw a very small amount of road salt they started to rust near the wheel weights. BTW a Dodge dealer in OR told me tuff as it was from the road salt and not a defect in the rim and that’s what happens when you drive on roads that have salt on them.

 

I think with general upkeep, both will treat you fairly. With the chrome wheels I have had in the past, they are easier to clean. Less elbow grease involved. I have some polished aluminum on my old chev and keeping them looking clean and polished is more work. I have been able to drastically reduce my time in polishing with the following products.

http://www.autogeek.net/motmagalpol.html- Mothers Mag and Aluminum polish. Best stuff I have ever used on chrome/aluminum products. That combined with: (http://www.autogeek.net/powerballmini.html) Mothers power ball makes cleaning them a breeze. Just lock it into the screw gun and go to town. Then wipe/buff off with a rag.

Overall I would say go with what you like the look of the best. My next rims are going to be chrome. I just like the look of chrome better.

oh...and I live in MN, so I see my share of salt/snow/mud/dirt. Both chrome and polished have held up great for me.

Good luck and get some pics when you finally decide.

 

Get your self some nice chrome painted plastic hub caps[&:], god I need to buy some wheels[:@]

 

Yeah! be sure to get the spinners!!!
I LMAO everytime I see those.

Paul

 

I prefer polished aluminum but they are a pain to maintain. The factory forged/polished aluminum wheels are clear coated so its no issue really and most aftermarket aluminum wheels are clear coated too. Chrome is ok but I'm not a chrome guy with regards to wheels. And really it doesnt matter what the quality of your chrome plating is. All chrome will rust if not properly cleaned and cared for. The main thing here is to be sure and wash that road salt off there with some mild soap. I'd do it every time I drove in that stuff. Even on the clear coated aluminum wheels. That liquid saline solution they put on highways is very nasty corrosive stuff. After it dries on the road if the sunlight is just right and you are behind someone you can just see very fine dusty clouds of that crap whipping up in their wake. That stuff gets into everything and corrodes. If you poke into a wire with a probe it will get into there and cause it to fail!! Lucky for me they dont use a lot of that stuff in Tennessee. Again, the main thing here is to just to keep your wheels clean..