Chrome Clad Wheels

pm26 · April 23, 2011

Is GM using the same type of chrome clad wheel as Ford? The other day I looked at this new Ford Escape and it had optional "chrome clad wheels" for something like $ 700 extra. When I looked at the wheel closely, I saw that the "chrome cladding" was not part of the wheel and it looked like a fancy wheel cover. And it was chromed PLASTIC!!!!! For $ 700 extra? Do these things last at all? Around here in coastal Florida chromed plastics corrode because the underlying metal layer pits form salt spray.

Boy, if this is not a rip off, I do not know what is! I think one could buy a similar set of chromed wheel covers or something like $ 100 from J.C. Whitney.

Are GM's "chrome clad wheels" wheels better than this? Cheaper?

dsr611 · April 23, 2011

I don't know what Ford uses as "clad wheels", but what you described is exactly what it amounts to...a fancy wheel cover. Before I got my '10 Sierra CC, I was looking at the Silverados and saw one on the lot that looked nice...chrome wheels really made the truck stick out on the lot. Went over and looked at it, and got to checking out the wheels real close. That's when I saw that they weren't actually chrome wheels, but instead, were chrome clad. Needless to say, I didn't even bother looking at another one (Silverado or Sierra) with chrome clad wheels.

MikeNH · April 23, 2011

The All-Terrain GMC uses some sort of overlay on an aluminum wheel, though I don't know if it's plastic or not. My 03 Silverado had "chrome" wheels that were basically a very thin layer of chromed metal attached to a base steel wheel as well.

L76PWRD · April 23, 2011

Yeah, GM has those chrome clad hubcaps on the 20 Inch Rims. The 20s that came in 07-08 were actual rims not hubcaps.

uh6tdrvr · April 23, 2011

Yes they are. IMO, the new "chrome" on the new trucks is hideous! I would now own a truck with them on there! Sorry, but thats my opinion of them.

Zak_LScrew · April 24, 2011

They are very nice if they would hold up, but I found out mine our peeling and pitting after 1 winter in MN. I will be looking into warranty on them when my next oil change is due. It is hard to believe these are an LTZ option. I am curious to see what options my dealer will give me i.e. the same style or Z-71 18" alloy's.

Ron_CA · April 24, 2011

I guess chrome clad is cheaper than chroming the whole wheel

Denali wheels are chrome clad too.

L76PWRD · April 24, 2011

They are a pretty expensive option too, I think as much as my stock 20s. They should have kept the 07-08 20s instead.

ozman2005 · April 24, 2011

Yep, GM's chrome clad wheels suck. Mine has them and I swore up and down that I wouldn't buy a truck with these wheels, but the truck had the rest of the stuff I wanted so I just went with it. I'm getting used to them, but if/when I find some aftermarket wheels I like, you can bet the stockers will be gone. Oddly enough, I think my wheels look better when they are dirty and not so shiny. I think the extreme brightness factor is what makes them look so cheap. I LOVE the 20's from the '07-'08 trucks.

Ozzie

uh6tdrvr · April 24, 2011

I dig the factory cast 20's. Those would be my 2nd choice over my Z71 18's.

I had considered putting some after market XD's on. A tire shop in town told me that they would give me a 400 toward a trade on them, so 400 for Black XD's using my tires. Still not sure if i trust the durability of the XD's. They had a good set of Eagles that would cost me 300. The Eagles are 18x8.5 and the XD's are 18x9. i Really like the little wider stance, just not sure how it will work with a wider tire and no lift.

jimbrown1 · April 25, 2011

Yep, GM's chrome clad wheels suck. Mine has them and I swore up and down that I wouldn't buy a truck with these wheels, but the truck had the rest of the stuff I wanted so I just went with it. I'm getting used to them, but if/when I find some aftermarket wheels I like, you can bet the stockers will be gone. Oddly enough, I think my wheels look better when they are dirty and not so shiny. I think the extreme brightness factor is what makes them look so cheap. I LOVE the 20's from the '07-'08 trucks.

Ozzie

[email protected] · April 27, 2011

Chrome clad wheels has always been and always will be about cost vs chrome plating. Clad wheels first came out at GM as an up level option on the Grand Am back in the late 90's. It took a while for it to take hold because it was originally looked at as an up-level "chrome look" option on vehicles whose price point could not support the cost of chrome plated aluminum wheels. At one time it was about 30% cheaper to chrome clad a wheel than it was to actually chrome plate the aluminum sub-strate. However GM used to charge more for clad wheels on the Grand Am than they did for chrome plated wheels on the Pontiac Bonneville. Go figure. All the Big 3 now use cladded wheels across their line up on all but their flagship vehicles. I used to be a program manager for the OEM wheel manufacturer that made the aluminum wheel that went on the Grand Am and back then we thought it was a fad. Never thought I would see the day when clad wheels were put on $40K trucks. A lot of the influx of clad wheels also has to do with the fact the the aluminum wheel industry is dead in the U.S. and most OEM wheels come from the Pac Rim countries. When the wheel industry was strong in the US there were a hand full of very good chrome platers in North America that knew how to plate wheels, even low pressure cast aluminum wheels which don't lend themselves to chrome plating very well because of all the extra work that goes into them to level the surface porosity, (lots of layers of copper & lots of buffing). From what I've heard the Pac Rim countries chrome plating is poor quality compared to what used to be offered here in the US & Canada. Since the chrome plating over there is generally considered poor quality the viable option is chrome clad when every brand manager at GM wants a chrome looking wheel on their car or truck. The clads on Fords, GM, & Chrysler are all made with basically the same process.