A Question on Wheels

K

Kevinch

New member
I have a question for the detailers here, most of which have way more experience than me.



Assuming a vehicle is equipped with styled wheels – meaning not the kind that employs a hubcap – what is the easiest wheel finish to maintain? I had a bad experience with a Subaru equipped with factory painted alloy wheels. It was a sort of 5-spoke design, with the inside of the spokes painted gold & the whole wheel clear coated. When I bought the car used, some of the clear coat was already chipped away. By the time we sold the car just recently, the wheels were hideous despite my attempts to slow the oxidation down.



I’m now considering the purchase of summer custom rims for my wife’s new SUV daily driver. There are a lot of finish choices: black, silver, grey (assuming these are all painted – could they be powder coated?) chrome, machined, polished, and combinations of color & other finishes. I hope I’m asking this correctly: for a daily driver in NE Ohio, what would you prefer with the main consideration being the long term appearance maintenance of the rims? FWIW, I’ll probably opt for some sort of 5 large spoke design – easier to clean than a mesh.



Thanks in advance!
 
5 large spokes where you can actually fit through to clean the barrel makes me happy. Small spokes are misery. As far as durability, the guys who detail up north can offer better advice than I can. In reality, cleaning wheels is more about make of the car to me. When I get called out to do a consultation and the customer says I have a VW/Audi, it just makes me knuckles cringe. Brake dust on those damn things is just a chore, especially if not maintained properly.
 
By far the easiest finish to maintain would be a painted/clearcoated wheel. The finish will stand up to abuse a lot better than any other finishes. Chrome is a very soft finish and if you happen to get a chip in it, once water gets under the finish, it will cause the finish to peel back like a banana. Typically, the chrome finish on wheels is poorly done to begin with. With all the salt/sand/grime on the roads up here in BC, I would never consider a wheel that wasn't clear coated.
 
Kevinch- I find both "machined finish" and cleared wheels to be easy enough to maintain through Ohio winters (I really don't differentiate much between "summer and winter" wheels except in cases of "bare" aluminum, which I wouldn't want anyhow). But the machined ones can vary...some are smooth, i.e. "perfectly polished", and look much like chrome while others have a slightly "brushed" finish, which can almost look like "pre-marred" :chuckle:



Keeping the smooth machined finish perfect can be virtually impossible IME, so give that some thought if you're gonna be utterly Autopian about it.



The main issue I have with chromed wheels (other than whether they look right on the vehicle) is that *any* compromising of the chrome plating is forever unless you get 'em redone. From tire-mounting related damage to curb rash to, well...anything, once chrome is imperfect it tends to go downhill fast.



And "yeah!" on the 5-spokes; get ones that are easy to reach into so you can clean the barrels and the back sides of the spokes without a lot of effort.



Always surprises me that people have trouble keeping Audi wheels nice; I've run all sorts of brake pads one mine over the years, and I let 'em get pretty nasty between washes some times...but no problems :nixweiss
 
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