Chrome Wheels for the Winter??

[mattyb65]

Hi Guys,

Still awaiting the arrival of my 2012 Camaro...and been looking at upgrading those midnight silver wheels to something a little bit more shiny. Now I live in New England and am concerned about the effect that the harsh winter conditions will have on a set of chrome wheels.

Can anybody tell me how chrome wheels will hold up on a daily driver in the winter??

Also - which type of wheels would you recommend? Where should I go? Would I be best going with OEM chromed wheels? Should I go reproduction and keep the stock wheels for the winter? What about the Cal Chrome Clear, WinterChrome, or PVC?

Any advice, thoughts, or stories you could provide would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks guys

[myold88]

I saved my stock SS wheels And tires for winter use when I purchased my chrome wheels.
In my opinion chrome wheels will deteriorate fast if used in the winter here in New England.

[mattyb65]

Originally Posted by myold88

I saved my stock SS wheels And tires for winter use when I purchased my chrome wheels.
In my opinion chrome wheels will deteriorate fast if used in the winter here in New England.

Thanks - now where did you get your chrome wheels from? Are you happy with them and still glad that is what you got?

[myold88]

Originally Posted by mattyb65

Thanks - now where did you get your chrome wheels from? Are you happy with them and still glad that is what you got?

They are available from www.calchrome.com
I've had them for over a year and oh so much better than my polished factory wheels. The chrome is still perfect and brake dust doesn't stick and my SS just pops now. Still turning heads after 2 years- lol.
Be careful out there-These are chrome plated "factory GM wheels", not aftermarket repos I hear are not the same quality.
Good luck with your new car.

[mattyb65]

Nice - have you heard anything about the Cal Chrome Clear? Supposedly a chrome wheel that is made for "all seasons"...

[myold88]

Originally Posted by mattyb65

Nice - have you heard anything about the Cal Chrome Clear? Supposedly a chrome wheel that is made for "all seasons"...

No, may be a new improved product. Sounds like chrome with a clearcoat. Mine are still like new with no blems at all, but I do clean and wax them constantly plus they have never seen a New England winter.

[MMC]

Chrome wheels will last about a day with salt on them and then start to rust. Keep them for summer only and have something else with snow tires for winter. Clear coats may slow it down but once you scratch or chip its over. Rust never sleeps!

[Camaro57]

It may depend on the quality of the chrome wheels. I had a Nissan Maxima with Nissan OEM chrome wheels and drove it as a daily driver through 4 nasty Minnesota winters and the wheels were still in excellent shape when I traded the car in for my Camaro. I will probably get chrome wheels for the Camaro at some point too. I like the chrome wheels that myolds88 has - may have to look into those.

[MMC]

Originally Posted by Camaro57

I like the chrome wheels that myolds88 has - may have to look into those.

I love those wheels as well!

[hot_rod]

Another possible source for chrome factory wheels -

http://factoryreproductions.com/fact...?idcategory=47

I can't speak to their quality, but Dylan did in this thread - post #21 & #24 and I trust his opinion.

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=160122

[mattyb65]

Thanks guys...keep the opinions coming!

[alfie43]

Originally Posted by mattyb65

Thanks guys...keep the opinions coming!

When I first looked into chrome wheels, I found that by far, the majority of chrome wheels are sold by outlets in California. None of these west coast guys will warranty their chrome finish under Michigan winter driving conditions.

Then I found US Wheel Exchange in Madison Hts, Michigan. http://www.uswheelexchange.com/

US Wheels are OEMs plated with a PVD process that they call Perma-Chrome and they warranty their wheels for 5 years, 100,000 miles in any weather conditions. Now I don't drive my car in the rain, let alone the snow, but that warranty spoke volumes about the durability of the PVD process, so I bought them.

That was two years ago. I just bought new wheels and I sold my Perma-Chromes. They look as good as they did when I bought them. I have attached a couple of photos that were taken before I took them off.

In the photos; What looks like orange peel on the surface of the spokes is just a reflection of the trees behind the camera. No orange peel...they are beautifully finished.

Alfie

[myold88]

Originally Posted by hot_rod

Another possible source for chrome factory wheels -

http://factoryreproductions.com/fact...?idcategory=47

I can't speak to their quality, but Dylan did in this thread - post #21 & #24 and I trust his opinion.

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=160122

The company name is "FactoryReproductions" so I highly doubt these are GM wheels. Be careful out there.