devildog214

Well a few weeks ago I picked up a set of chrome firehawk wheels, the newer thin spoke type. Anyway they weren't OEM firehawk wheels but reproductions that were made by American Racing who licensed the design to SLP. These things were mint, they were on a c4 corvette for 9 years and they had very little pitting. So I swap them over from my crappy plasti dipped ws6 wheels, right before winter of course. But I put a coat of chrome polish on them before I mounted them. I was going to wax them or find a wheel sealant for them but winter finally hit, salt everywhere. So today I go out to clean them since its finally above freezing and I already see some pitting that wasn't there before I used a basic liquid cleaner wax and hoped for the best. Anyway what can I do? who else is crazy enough to run chrome in the winter like me?

justin455

Not sure about a coating that would keep them nice, but chrome in northern winters just isn't a good thing.

You could always platidip them for the winter. It should last the 3 crucial months and then just easy peel off in the spring. I can't think of anything that would protect better than a rubber coating. haha. They have metallic choices now that would still look good.

devildog214

ugh I hate dip the reason why my WS6's got dipped was because I used too harsh of a wheel acid when I tried to clean them after using duplicolor wheel paint, and I wanted to try out black. I went on heavy with it and they still were the worst to remove.

Nathan C

Salt is evil. 4 years ago I had my TA parked in the parking lot at my old apartment all winter. The landlord salted the parking lot and plowed the snow around my car. I didn't think anything about it because the car wasn't being driven and the chrome C6 wheels still pitted. I would suggest putting your old wheels back on for the winter.
GM does sell a pretty good chrome polish, but it won't remove the pitting.

devildog214

Right I kinda need to free up the extra money and space in my garage the wheels are taking up, if I had snow tires or even normal tires to put on them I might keep them, don't feel like mounting and balancing every few months. I tried to prepare myself for this winter, I bought some never-dull which should work great on my rims and my 4" corsa tips, I just ordered poorboys wheel sealant, 2 coats or so should help me get through the winter hopefully. I am meticulous about cleaning my car when it gets dirty, in winter I get lazy mainly because my spigot is usually frozen and self serve car washes are expensive when you spend as much time as I do washing. I'm hoping this sealant comes in by the end of the week, friday and saturday say 50s and 60s which means I can go over the whole car again.

blackbirdls1

iTrader: (5)

Maybe waxing them?

SMR#002

iTrader: (9)

im storing my car in the garage so wheel wax should be enough? I never thought about plasti dip, is that safe for chrome?

bad_408_vert

iTrader: (6)

short of using stock wheels for winter, plastidip is your best bet as far keeping your chrome wheels safe in snow and its reversible.

Goo Gone does a great job removing old plastidip.

devildog214

Ive plastidipped before and I really had to work to get the dip off, used a lot of solvent for what I couldn't peel. Right now they're waxed, tomorrow my sealant should arrive. Plasti is nice for some things, but Ill never do anything bigger than a set of wheels and even that is pushing it, a set of wheels that are already messed up. @SMR#002 if your storing your car in a garage you have nothing to worry about, if its store outside, on the street your eventually going to get hit with salt.

SMR#002

iTrader: (9)

So should I even worry about putting wax on them or just leave em?

devildog214

couldn't hurt, a wax or sealant will help repel brake dust, dirt and grime not to mention salt. When i had painted aluminum wheels Id wax them once or twice a year just makes cleaning them easier.