NEW set of Chrome Wheels: I want to protect them from day one, but how?

Bis said:
I plan on keeping them clean, for sure. FK1000P with KSG on top: is that a no-no? Do they play well one on top of the other?



If you want to use both, I'd do the KSG (maybe 4-6 coats) then the FK1000P.



If I want to add more coats. I have heard you have to wait 24 hours between coats?



That's fine for KSG but I like to wait longer with FK1000P (not supposedly necessary, but my experienes have differed).



I have never had low profile tires and this big a wheel on any vehicle so I am going to be driving it very carefully to avoid curbs, pot holes, etc.



Heh heh, "good luck with that", from the guy who has everything from 35 to 75 series tires on his varous vehicles ;)



The whole "Chrome during winter" concept really does worry me. And I may have to go for the snow tires on those stock wheels pictured above if my budget in the fall is still good.



There's simply no way I can see tires that wide working out OK in the snow. Even assuming you have a LSD (and if not that'd be on my shopping list long before new wheels), there's just no way you're gonna get by with something as wide as 255s unless they're *VERY* good dedicated snowtires (I've tried it, with snowtires that wide, on AWD vehicles).



Seriously.



You gotta budget for a winter setup or you'll pay more for your insurance deductible ;) OK, OK, end of lecture :o

*Some* folks say there are products that will protect a chrome wheel through the winter 'In the worst of the cases I would want to come up with a care strategy to protect the wheels if I keep them on the car during the winter as a "plan b". Plan A would be to store them in sealed bags in the basement and put the snows to work for me.



Note that chrome plating is used to protect the underlying metal from corrosion in some applications, to it's not like you *can't* keep it OK, but man-oh-man what a chore IMO.





The tires are a lot wider too from 225mm profile wheel I am going to 255mm (Close to 1.5" difference), I am hoping the suspension won't be affected tremendously by all these changes.



You've measured for clearance, right? I can't check your "long story" link as this borrowed PC I'm on is giving me fits as it is.



My tires were carefully chosen, I hope they are up to the task! :)



OK, glad to hear that.





Please excuse any/all typos..this PC :rolleyes:
 
Bis said:
Great advice. Also,about the pads: What are the differences in performance/durability with ceramic pads? Do they eat up the rotor quicker? Are they noisy?

Any other characteristics I should be aware of?



IME ceramics seldom offer the best braking performance, but they do help keep the wheels clean.



I've never had ceramics mess up a rotor or be too noisy.



Biggest thing for rotor life IME is to burnish/"break it" your rotors properly. Check out the StopTech website, they used to have some good info posted there about how to do it.



FWIW, I ran Hawk pads on my MPV, messy but great stopping power. I also had my rotors cryo'ed; the temp-indicator paint I had on them said the cryogenic treatment was probably not necessary (never got 'em all *that* hot) but that set of otherwise stock rotors (with the Hawk pads) lasted much longer than any non-cryo rotors ever did with stock pads, by a HUGE margin.
 
Bis said:
Again, while I understand its a bad idea, what are the chances that a few coatings of this (or any other product for that matter) will actually shield the wheels from the winter salt, sand and chemicals on the road?



If you keep them clean and avoid scratching them (scratches give "bad stuff" a chance to get a toe-hold) and keep the sealant/etc. refreshed as needed, then it oughta be OK. Not that I'm greenlighting running those wheels/tires in that kind of weather or anything ;)



Oh, and *I* wouldn't wash them with ONR because, especially in the winter, *I* would scratch them. Yeah, I know, other people do OK with ONR but I don't have that magic touch for some reason.
 
Is it going to be a problem if I apply some Zaino AIO as a foundation/base, then the FK 1000P, then seal with Zaino sealant? Is that like a bad sandwich? lol
 
Just found this:



Z-CS Clear Seal: Zaino Store



For up to 9 months protection, use Z-CS to top coat Zaino Show Car Polish protectants, or use Z-CS by itself. You can even use Z-CS as a top coat to add high-gloss and improved durability to ANY other manufacturer's product. Z-CS extends the gloss and durability of any previously applied products. Z-CS should never be applied over uncured waxes.



LOL, it was right in the product description. So I guess I just have to let the FK 1000p sit overnight for it to "cure" or is FK 1000p's recommended 15minute drying period enough of a "cure" time?



I tell ya. This can get really involved! :0)
 
DG 501 should be more than fine. It is originally developed for Marine/RV use with high content of anti-corrosion agents. Looks good, easy to use, and a BARGAIN!!!
 
Bis said:
Just found this:



Z-CS Clear Seal: Zaino Store







LOL, it was right in the product description. So I guess I just have to let the FK 1000p sit overnight for it to "cure" or is FK 1000p's recommended 15minute drying period enough of a "cure" time?



I tell ya. This can get really involved! :0)



I'd make the Zaino/FK1000P and either/or choice, wouldn't try to use 'em both.
 
Accumulator said:
I'd make the Zaino/FK1000P and either/or choice, wouldn't try to use 'em both.



It that case I think I am going to make good use of the Tri-Kit from Zaino I just ordered.

I'll let you guys know how it goes.
 
So far, so good. I cleaned the new tires and washed the new wheels with Dawn Ultra (had to remove the mounting grease the tire shop uses), dried them, and did the front and back coat of Z-AIO, Z-CS... The result looked pretty sweet, but my hands hurt from the long polishing session. Water spots appeared when the Z-AIO came in contact with the chrome, it was not hard to remove them but still, you gotta put some elbow grease into it.



Curing is taking way longer due to the ridiculous 100% humidity that the east of the country is experiencing right now so I was forced to bring them inside the house for curing. Waited half a day and took them back to the garage for a final spray (front and back) of Armor All Wheel Protectant, since all I hear are glowing reviews.

I bought 3 cans of Armor All just in case because I noticed that people apply a very rich coating of this stuff in order to work properly (the can is very small!). I am glad to report that after a full front and back spray on these large wheels I only used one can (just a little bit left in it now). The spray lays completely clear like water, it lays consistent smooth and bubble free, and does build to a drip if you let it (spray from further back to get nice even coats, like a paint). I tried to be reasonable with the spray can and just insured my hand movements covered everything without putting the can too close to the wheel to avoid heavy dripping. I did the full cleaning process with the wheels laying horizontally flat and when applying the Armor All spray I started on the back and quickly flipped them and finished the front so that they would drip to the back of the wheel and not on the front finish or on the tires. Any white drip marks that may get on the rubber are easy to clean if you were to spray them while mounted on your car.



After a couple of hours drying in the humid garage they are back inside sitting in front of a fan.



I was curious about using this product with chrome and using it to top another sealant layer but so far it appears that the mirror finish that Zaino provided will not be compromised by this final top protective coating (some people reported cloudiness even after drying). They still look perfect and any trapped dust particles that appeared when the spray went on them have disappeared after drying (I thought I was going to have a bunch of little dust particles stuck within the protective layer after drying). A quick dusting may be necessary ones this Armor All stuff cures and I am ready to put them on the vehicle, but for now I am excited about the results and the fact that I got to polish, seal and protect them before they see any weather, break dust or damage of any kind.



I'll add some pictures as soon as I get a chance. Time will tell how they'll hold up to my driving.



Thanks for the advice everyone. :)
 
Bis said:
I was curious about using this product with chrome and using it to top another sealant layer but so far it appears that the mirror finish that Zaino provided will not be compromised by this final top protective coating (some people reported cloudiness even after drying). They still look perfect and any trapped dust particles that appeared when the spray went on them have disappeared after drying (I thought I was going to have a bunch of little dust particles stuck within the protective layer after drying). A quick dusting may be necessary ones this Armor All stuff cures and I am ready to put them on the vehicle, but for now I am excited about the results and the fact that I got to polish, seal and protect them before they see any weather, break dust or damage of any kind.



Well, that was a bit premature of me... my apologies. :(



Turns out that after plenty of hours sitting in front of a fan inside my house (seems like they are as dry as they are ever gonna be) THERE IS a pretty heavy dry layer of haze that built up on them. Even just the slightest touch of the chrome is leaving a mark. In addition, by looking carefully at them you find some irregularities in the coverage of protectant where it seems as though too much fluid built up and did not dry properly, leaving "ridges" of powdery haze-like residue (photos on next post).



Maybe I put too much? Like I said, I used almost a full can doing front and back of each wheel but I tried to be as careful as I coul.



Either way, after trying to wipe the heavier haze built up it seems as though you are actually removing the protection (I hope I am wrong on this too!). Wiping one section as SMOOTHLY as possible leaves one area more clear than the other, so I am tempted to just wiping the whole wheel smoothly and hoping that I did not remove the protection.



I may try to call their customer service line and ask about my results.

If the stuff is truly dry now, then wiping it with a microfiber cloth should not be "REMOVING" the protection as this wiping action is much more gentle than the elements any wheel sees in a few days of normal driving. So I hope...
 
Photos of the haze and marks left by the Armor All product:



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DSCF4625.JPG








DSCF4614.JPG


After detailing
 
forrest said:
I would not run aftermarket chrome plated rims in the winter where heavy salt is used.



I'd keep the old rims and swap before the first snowfall.



I echo this statement, but I would also get a new set of tires of the new rims.
 
David Fermani said:
Great wheels Bis, but what's up with that staining? Did you ever get it off?



Hi David. I was testing the Armor All Wheel Protectant. I have not seen many reviews of the product being used on Chrome Wheels, but somebody here did mention something about the haze. So I had to give it a try myself and show my results. Now I can confirm that the product may not be well suited for Chrome.



The other beef I had with it: the stains came off with the smoothest touch of a MF cloth, but it also removed the protection! So its hard to tell whether it would have lasted 4 weeks on the wheels (as claimed by Armor All) being that the elements on the road are probably much more harsh than the smooth wiping I gave them.



In order to give the product another chance I would have to strip the Zaino layers I laid down first, but that would be too much work. I am going to let Zaino stay on there and see if it even works well for these wheels. If not, I'll give Armor All another try later on and ONLY USE that product with nothing else as a base.
 
I'll look into that soap. Thank you.





Meanwhile, gave the car a wash yesterday. Noticed that by the time I had a chance to get to the front wheels to dry them they were already marked with water spots. They still had a lot of water on them so I dried it off, but the water marks stayed.



The rear tires are good and able to bead the water off, the front ones aren't.



I am guessing these marks were from water that got on them on the road? Either way, shouldn't the Zaino treatment have protected them a little bit?

I can't even get these spots out by buffing hard with a dry MF and I don't want to go too hard with the MF on them to avoid swirls. The spots are on there pretty good!



I don't have to polish now, do i????
 
You can't win huh? Water spots have a tendancy of forming many times when you leave water on a deading surface for too long. Especially when the sun is out. It has alot to do with the minerals in the water that dry in the surface. The best option is to use filtered/RO/dionized water. A Quick Detailer(QD) should be able to remove the spots, but if not try a cleaner wax.
 
That's the thing, I dried the wheels as soon as I could. The rears are not nearly as bad as the fronts. And the wheels were not hot when I started washing either.

I will work them with the QD and see what I get.
 
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