Okay, I have chrome 20" wheels that I installed new this summer so this is the first season that they have seen winter and road salt. I live in Kansas and typically (keep in mind there's nothing really typical about weather in Kansas....17 degrees one day....50 degrees the next) we don't get that much snow. So far this has been a bad winter compared to the last three years. I took a chance and did not reinstall the factory wheels for the winter, primarily because they needed new tires on them and I had just purchased new tires for the new rims. I just couldn't shell out another $600 for new tires that I would use for 2 mos. out of the year. So I put two coats of Wheel Wax on before winter hit. I wash my truck as soon as I possibly can to get the road salt off. Shoot, as the snow melts, I am washing the thing damn near daily just to keep that crap off. When I wash in the summer, I wipe it all down and detail the wheels. So far this winter, the wheels have been wiped down about every 2 1/2 weeks. My question is, what damage is the road salt actually doing if I am washing this much? I wiped the wheels down today (they were friggin' filthy) and noticed some bad spotting. It came out with some buffing and some more Wheel Wax, but I just don't want to end up "sealing" any of it against the surface with this product. Any help from the pros out there is appreciated.

 

Chrome is the most resistant to road debris. You shouldn't develop any pitting or surface problems unless you really abuse your wheels. If you're washing every 2 1/2 weeks, and still getting something bad happening to them, there is likely some sort of defect in the wheels.

 

I mostly agree with 98Navi, with a few qualifiers. Yes, chrome plating is very durable - and that's why it's used to protect the shafts on hydraulic cylinders. But - and this is a big but - it's very dependant on the quality of the actual plating. Factory chrome wheels actually have three layers of plating; copper, nickel, then chrome. (Sometimes called triple chrome plating.) Many aftermarket wheels either skip one of these steps or skimp on thickness. The actual corrosion protection is more of a function of the first two layers. So, aftermarket chrome plated wheels generally have significantly less corrosion resistance than factory chrome plated wheels. Even regular washing may not be enough to prevent corrosion. I take my American Racing 20's off for the winter for just this reason.

 

Geesh, I thought that you took the 20's off because you did not want to be skating all over the place with the crap weather that we are getting

 

Funny hah-hah! Yea, the mere thought of trying to drive down a snow covered road with those steam roller width 20's scares the crap out of me. On the other hand, the thin Nickel plating layer (under the Chrome) on the wheels, along with the numerous low current density (thinner plate thickness) areas just about assures that the wheels would be junk in very short order. I may not have bling for the winter, but I'm always on the end of the tow chain that's pulling somebody else out of the ditch!

 

If you don't have the cash for a winter set-up, try using Poorboy's Wheel sealant. It's better than nothing!

 

Haven you given any thought to a cheaper set of tires? Wal-Mart--Discount Tire maybe?