I want to get new wheels but not sure what finish to get. I've decided on the wheels and can get it either finish, except for the price difference.

Chrome = $239
Polished = $160

Is chrome worth an extra $320???

What are your experiences with these finishes? Which way should I go?

REDBUCK50

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1998 F-150 XLT 4X4 Supercab Flareside
Bright Red, Med Graphite 60/40 Int
4.6L V8, Auto, 3.55 gears, HD/Tow Pkg, ORP
Slider, Keyless Entry/Alarm, Pwr/W/L/M/S

ADDED

Uniden PRO520XL/Wilson 1000 CB
Alpine CHM-S655RF 6 CD Changer
Ventshade Stepshields in grey color
Stillen bumper cover
Bladerunner grill insert
Clear Corner Lenses

 

I've had both in the past, an in my opinion, if either finish gets you the look you want, then it comes down to care. Chrome would be much easier to care for, polished aluminum look awesome but you'll spend time polishing the crud out of them or you'll end up with slight discoloration etc.

The last set I had wer AR-136 on a Jeep Grand Cherokee and they looked great. However I had to be carefull about what got on them. Even though I poished them 4-5 times a year, when I sold it they weren't looking like I would have liked. They looked good but just not perfect.

Sorry that was so long.

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2000 EDDIE BAUER EXPEDITION 4x2

• Estate Green
• 5.4 ltr
• 3:55 LS rear
• Superchip!
• Airaid FIPK
• Gibson S/S Swept Side Cat Back Exhaust
• Hellwig Rear Anti-Sway Bar
• Edelbrock Performer IAS Shocks
• Xenon Super White Head and Driving Lights
• Clear Corners (installed then removed and reinstalled OEM's)
• Tow Package
• Rear Load Leveling
• Moonroof
• Century Child Seat!
• Front Polyurethane Anti-Sway Bar Bushings recieved, wrong part number

-->Follow Me...<--

 

The polished aluminum wheels take a LOT of work to keep them looking good, especially in the winter time. I would go with the chrome unless you like to spend time polishing wheels
But, mine were $160 which was already out of my price range.

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'97 F-150 Lariat SuperCab 4X4

• White/Silver, 4.6L, Auto., Open 3:55
• 265/75/16 BFGoodrich AT's on polished 16x8 AR-136's
• Cat-back Dual Exhaust (Straight pipes with big chrome tips)
• Black Polar Bear Grille Guard
• Stock '01 AM/FM/CD stereo
• Edelbrock Performer IAS Shock at Each Corner

 

I've had the AR Atlas polished rims for about 4 months now. So far I've only had to polish them once and it took about an hour and a half. To me, the chrome rims weren't worth the extra money - especially since I was paying for my lift at the same time. Also, I live in So Cal, so the roads I drive on are prettly clean (no salt, no snow, not much rain, etc.)

Bottom line - I wanted the chrome rims, because I heard the polished were a pain to care for, but it hasn't really been THAT much extra care.

 

Like FamilyRide stated, it all comes down to care and personal preference. I like my chrome atlas better than my polished ones. Just remember to take them off in the winter. It will save the wear and tear on the finish and when spring comes around they still look like new.

 

MJ,

To compare, well might not be much of a comparison since I'm in North Texas, but I had mine for almost 4 years. I took great care of them but they just didn't look like I would have liked. You have to be really careful about what gets on them. Tire cleaners etc. And if you are where it snows and raods are salted, it may be worse. I used Mothers Aluminum Wheel cleaner but there may be other products that could bring them back to new.

However, on the right application, the polished aluminum look soooo sweet!

I hesitate to do this, on a Ford board, but here's my Jeep with the AR 136's and Michelins. They went on the morning after I picked her up.



My Jeep GC, boy I do miss her. But my Expy makes it easy to forget

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2000 EDDIE BAUER EXPEDITION 4x2

• Estate Green
• 5.4 ltr
• 3:55 LS rear
• Superchip!
• Airaid FIPK
• Gibson S/S Swept Side Cat Back Exhaust
• Hellwig Rear Anti-Sway Bar
• Energy Suspension Polyurethane Front Anti-Sway Bar Bushings
• Edelbrock Performer IAS Shocks
• Xenon Super White Head and Driving Lights
• Tow Package
• Rear Load Leveling
• Moonroof
• Century Child Seat!

-->Follow Me...<--

[This message has been edited by FamilyRide (edited 05-06-2001).]

 

And I thought I was the only one that liked those wheels. Nice Jeep. My little brother has been looking at wheels for his but was having trouble finding correct fitting ones. If anybody does get the polished aluminum wheels, get the American Racing Polish/Sealer kit (about $10). This stuff totally changes and protects the finish on dull aluminum, and is pretty easy to use.

 

Hey Family, what size were those AR-136's? They look damn good on that Jeep, I am pondering how a set would look on a Black 98' 2wd Reg cab flareside.

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~Droopy~

 

One thing about chrome rims that I want to point out. If you live in area where it snows or if you drive in sand you may wnat to get polished and spend the time cleaning them. Chrome rims tend to rust right around the bead sits and then your tire slowly leaks air. It starts out leaking just a little and then more and more as the rusting gets worse. Not all chrome rims I have seen have done this just some. But chrome IMO does look good and is certainly easy to care for and shine back up. It's just a trade off either way.

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97 Ford F150 XLT 4wd 4.6L auto, Std cab/Long bed, PW,PL, and PM, captian chairs w/arm rests
Sylvania Cool Blue Bulbs, Ford logo hitch and license plate, tinted windows, blackouts front and rear(w/ford logos on front blackouts),ventvisors all around, painted logos on door sills and under hood, 55w backup lights, K&N Filter, custom 4x4 emblems,and much more to come


thomaswright5714@hotmail.com

 

I'm having the same delima choosing between the 2 finishes.The tire store's around here all say different thing's.(frustrating).
I'm looking at a/r baja's 16x8 (which only come in the polished)for my Supercrew.
I spoke to a guy who had the exact same set up as I want at the farm store the other day & I asked him if he run's them all winter & he said yes I just wax the once in a while and his rim's looked great.I really like those Baja rim's not because they are priced better just a cleaner looking rim.(IMO)
They kind of remind me of the alcoa's the semi's & dump truck's run around here.


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2001 Supercrew XLT 4X4
BLACK W/DARK GRAPHITE
5.4 EFI V8
17" 10 SPOKE'S
3.55 LIMITED SLIP
ENGINE BLOCK HEATER
SKID PLATE'S
POWER MOONROOF
SLIDING REAR WDW.
TRAILER TOW PKG.
BED EXTENDER
CLOTH CAPTAIN'S CHAIR'S
STAINLESS STEP BAR'S
GIBSON SWEPTSIDE
WINDOW TINT
VENT VISOR'S
LINE-X-BED LINER
FORD MOLDED MUD FLAP'S
K&N FILTER
HUSKY FLOOR LINER'S
HEADLIGHT/FOG SWITCH MOD.
BFG 265/70/17 AT/KO
STAMPEDE BUG SHIELD
WEATHERTEC WDW. VISOR'S

 

droopy88

Sorry, I hadn't come back to this post in a while. The AR-136's I think were 15x8. One thin about them is that they have a pretty big offset. I think those were about an 18mm positive offset where the OEM's are about 10mm negative. I may have that backwards.

I could only put 235/75's on them though but the 8" wheel spread them out so they looked much bigger. Surprisingly, 30x10.5's were a little taller but about the same tread width, but 30's wouldn't even come close to fitting. We moounted them and they looked sweet, but I couldn't turn the wheels more than about 2 inches. Would have been hard to drive.

It really did look good, and much better in person than those pictures. 3 1/2 years when I sold it and it looked like new inside and out!

------------------
2000 EDDIE BAUER EXPEDITION 4x2

• Estate Green
• 5.4 ltr
• 3:55 LS rear
• Superchip!
• Airaid FIPK
• Gibson S/S Swept Side Cat Back Exhaust
• Hellwig Rear Anti-Sway Bar
• Energy Suspension Polyurethane Front Anti-Sway Bar Bushings
• Edelbrock Performer IAS Shocks
• Mobil 1
• Xenon Super White Head and Driving Lights
• Tow Package
• Rear Load Leveling
• Moonroof
• Century Child Seat!

-->Follow Me...<--

 

Howdy!

REDBUCK50,

I have polished AR rims and have no issues whatsoever. (Except for the careless morons who put knicks in them everytime I have a flat or rotate tires. Someone's gonna have to pay for that sooner or later. (And it's not going to be me! ))

Anyways back to the rims. Maintenance for polished is high: 5 minutes each week with plain dishwashing soap and water. WOW! Can't get any easier than that.

The reason why I decided with polished was because the Tire Discount Co. guy told me that they will outlast chrome. So far, I think he's right. Besides, bottom line is: less dough for equal or more shine.

Why use a mirror when you have this much polished billet, alloy, stainless steel. Where's my comb?!

Blinding pics to be posted soon.

Have a sparkling day.

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My ride:

Basics:
- '99 XLT F-150

Under hood and back:
- Ram air (Don't ask me how )
- AiRaid intake
- Flowmaster DF 50 Series
- 24x3.5" Stainless steel slashed tips (Yes! Solid polished SS, no cheesy chrome-plated)
...

Outside:
- Precision polished billet grille and plate holders
- American Racing 17x8s polished Pythons (Flushed front AND back)
- Goodyear.. something tires (Expensive is all I know. LOL. No Firestone firecrackers for me either)
- Rhino liner
- Ford nerf bars
- Ford bed rails
...

Inside:
- My girlfriend!
...

Fun stuff:
- Dual sirens Black Widow alarm system/keyless entry (Enough decibels to go deaf in a garage )
- Custom driving lights (Just a cool blue)
- 2 High-Watt lights behind grille (For people who cut me off )
- Dual horns (For people who, again, cut me off)
- Dual wheel locks (So I won't be driving home on bricks!)
- Spare wheel lock (So I won't have to use a brick as a spare )
...

Best of all:
- Texas A&M University aTm front plate! Gig'em Aggies!!

Stephlan

 

You must be pretty dam speedy then. Shoot, it takes me 5 minutes to get the water hose untangled.
I guess it all depends on the climate you live/drive in.

 

I went with polished Weld Racing rims and just use Windex on them a couple of times a week. I have people always asking if they are chrome or polished aluminum.

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98 5.4L, 4" Rancho Suspension with 33" BFG on 16" Weld Racing Rims, Chrome Brush Guard, Stainless Stell Steps, Alpine Stereo with 4 5X7 MB Quards run by an Alpine approx. 400 watt amp and 4 He2 Rockford's 10" subs run by a 800 watt Rockford amp, and CB and Scanner

 

Howdy!

Flatlander,

I use the neighbor's hose when he's not looking. Hehehe. Save on water too..

Have a wet day.