Jump to content

Stock chrome wheels in winter

Chevyman3308

Recommended Posts

Chevyman3308 Enthusiast

Chevyman3308

Posted
Posted

I tried to search for this but there are a million topics on wheels. I just bought my Sierra and it has the stock 20's and was wondering how well these hold up in the winter? Should I look for a cheap steel wheel or just keep the chrome ones clean as possible? Michigan winters usually consist of dumping semi loads of salt on the roads.

Jay700 Enthusiast

Jay700

Posted
Posted

I'm looking for some cheap wheels and I also live in Michigan.

Luster Senior Enthusiast

Luster

Posted
Posted

If they are "Chrome-Clad" or "PVD" then you have now worries.

 

If they are real chrome-plated then do this:

 

I have run chrome wheels all winter with no damage by saturating the wheels, front and back side, with WD-40. Take it to the carwash at least once a week, then re-apply the WD-40.

 

True, your wheels won't look that great all winter, but they will look great in the spring.

 

If there are no carwashes open because it's too cold, I use Optimum No-Rinse Car Wash in my garage, then re-coat with WD-40.

 

It works.

Luster Senior Enthusiast

Luster

Posted
Posted

PS... If you can afford to have an extra set of wheels/tires, that's obviously a better way to go. Plus your tires will last twice as long because your only running them half the time.

gmissed Enthusiast

gmissed

Posted
Posted

I have Michelin winter tires. They are mounted on rims that are black and made of steel. It makes a big difference in my opinion when driving with these on icy snow packed roads that I experience in northern Ontario. The nice Denali wheels are kept in the garage over the winter.

Bonker Enthusiast

Bonker

Posted
Posted

I have a nice set of 20" painted aluminum wheels with tires from my 2007 Avalanche that will be going on my Sierra for winter driving up here in Canada the chrome wheels will be taking a nap for the winter

ChrisNJ Enthusiast

ChrisNJ

Posted
Posted

IMO, the stock chrome wheels aren't as good as they used to be. My old and gone chrome 20's on my 07 and 11 Denali started flaking after only a few years. I too now have the 20's on a '14 SLT, and live in salt country. I do little to take care of them though. In the winter I might wash the truck 2-3 times.

Luster Senior Enthusiast

Luster

Posted
Posted

Here's a pic of the 2014 stock 20" Sierra wheels. If you have the one on the left or right, no worries. If you have the one in the center, Buy some "winter" wheels and store these for winter. (Or use the WD-40 method)

 

The center on is real chrome plated, the other two are clear-coated.

 

Real chrome is not clear-coated and they will pit and flake.

 

Capture-6.png

Ventilator Senior Enthusiast

Ventilator

Posted
Posted

Michigan puts 22.9 tons of salt / brine per lane mile annually. More than any other State in the nation. You always have to worry, no matter the wheels, and every other part of your vehicles for that matter. You get a little chip in the clear coat on them rims, and salt will worm its way under it like you won't believe. It will look like termites got under there.

 

We can rust / corrode anything here, unfortunately. Eats the paved / cemented roads up real bad too.

SouthCo Senior Enthusiast

SouthCo

Posted
Posted

Michigan puts 22.9 tons of salt / brine per lane mile annually. More than any other State in the nation. You always have to worry, no matter the wheels, and every other part of your vehicles for that matter. You get a little chip in the clear coat on them rims, and salt will worm its way under it like you won't believe. It will look like termites got under there.

 

We can rust / corrode anything here, unfortunately. Eats the paved / cemented roads up real bad too.

Wow. That's a lot of salt. Forget winter wheels... Id have a winter vehicle and let the nice truck stay parked in the garage during the winter...

Luster Senior Enthusiast

Luster

Posted
Posted

Wow. That's a lot of salt. Forget winter wheels... Id have a winter vehicle and let the nice truck stay parked in the garage during the winter...

Yup.... Winter in Michigan... drive a beater!!!

Chevyman3308 Enthusiast

Chevyman3308

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I have always had a winter beater but I can't justify parking my $50k 4x4 truck for 4 months. I had an 02 Duramax and drove it many winters and it had 0 body rust. You just have to wash wash wash wash wash wash, that is why I bought a yearly pass at the local carwash where I get a wash a day.

takethebounce Enthusiast

takethebounce

Posted
Posted

Just plastidip the stock wheels for winter any colour you wish or clear and peel off in the spring with no worries of corrosion.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

SouthCo Senior Enthusiast

SouthCo

Posted
Posted

I have always had a winter beater but I can't justify parking my $50k 4x4 truck for 4 months. I had an 02 Duramax and drove it many winters and it had 0 body rust. You just have to wash wash wash wash wash wash, that is why I bought a yearly pass at the local carwash where I get a wash a day.

If your washing the chrome wheels like you say your washing your truck they should be fine... Of course a chip on the surface of either could be bad with that much salt.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • carkhz316
      2006 Silverado HVAC sensor location in dashboard

      By carkhz316 · Posted

      Oh yes, someone is going to be certainly hitting up GM service/ support for a 20 year old truck.
    • Deadwood
      primary drive belt tensioner

      By Deadwood · Posted

      I bought belts and pulleys for my '20 L5P at Rock Auto a couple years ago. I have used them for many years, and almost always save significant money, especially when I buy maintenance stuff ahead of time.   They carry many OEM parts, which is all I use unless an aftermarket is shown to be same/superior, or if it is an insignificant part or unavailable OEM part anywhere else. RA is usually lower priced, often by a bunch, but parts are sometimes unavailable or out of stock, and I do shop around and sometimes find better prices at other sites.   Be aware that you pay shipping, and if you buy multiple items and they are coming from different warehouses, the shipping can kill the advantage. Planning ahead is best if possible.   If you have a transmission service in the near future, check out their OEM (AC Delco ULV) fluid, usually MUCH less than anywhere else.
    • Deadwood
      10L1000 anyone with High Mileage ? I hate Damocles....

      By Deadwood · Posted

      New member here, very long time occasional guest. Saw this thread, thought it would be a good time to contribute someting. It is only my experience and not a claim that everyone will have the same.   I bought my '20 3500 L5P new and have put 99.9% (literally) of it's current ~400k miles on it myself, with over 50% of that towing loads between 4k to 15k, and to me this truck has been nothing short of amazing. For the first 235k I had zero issues, and from there until 321k I replaced a NOx sensor, two failing glow plugs, and three of the notorious injector connectors. I believe this truck is in part, a testament to good luck, but also good care and following a decent maintenance schedule (I also keep meticulous records.) As a result, it looks as good as a well cared for 70k rig, up and down, inside and out.   At some point before that 321k mile mark I began to get a little spooked about the 10L1000, especially the valve body. Word of mouth about potential issues prompted me to jump on the net to sift through all the noise and determine what all the fuss was about. I routinely take long trips, coast-to-coast and points in between, so roadside breakdowns can be '...a thousand miles from nowhere' and a bit of a challenge, and though I had no issues, my guard was up and activated.   And then I stumbled across a chance to salvage some parts off a new 2025 that had been wrecked in transport. I grabbed a few wear items (alternator, pulleys, etc.) and on a whim asked what the ten speeder would cost me. It was cheap...really cheap. I knew some changes had been made in the '24+ version 10L and were supposedly not compatible, but I called service/parts at my local Chevy dealer and asked why and they didn't know. A call to a well known aftermarket transmission outfit revealed it was very likely it would be fine, but to them not 100% sure.   Because it was cheap (really cheap) and I was spooked, I took the chance. Had it installed by a local shop and it worked like a champ, shifted just like the original. At it's first service at 37k, I had the shop put in a Next Gen valve body kit, which after some initial hiccups and rough shifts, smoothed out though with somewhat firmer shifting.   All that said, I have a very serious concern about my newer transmission as just two weeks ago it suddenly began to exhibit a strong reluctance to engage forward or reverse. It was a bit past due anyway so I took it in for service. The reason it was sticking was due to 'glitter' in the fluid clogging the filter...not good folks, often indicates a converter giving out. We ended up going ahead with the new filter and fluid, first to see if it would move and shift, and then if so buy me a little time. It did, and I've driven it over a thousand miles and it is shifting smooth, no noises or slipping. Regardless, it looks like a third gearbox is in my future so I can resume taking long trips with some confidence. In the very short term, my curiosity will have me examining the fluid to check how much glitter has reappeared.   An earlier poster had alleged, in the context of 10L100 failures, that it is another example of how we seasoned citizens somehow descend into hysteria, lose control of our senses, and react irrationally after brief encounters with the idiocy of the internet infosphere. Let me say (and I have used and abused said internet since it's infancy) there is no segment of the populace that has a corner on over-reaction to digital garbage. Just as my offering of experience in this arena is purely anecdotal and should not be considered gospel or all-encompassing, I believe it is still worthwhile information to consider, along with other relevant anecdotal experiences about things like complex transmissions, especially when balanced with other sources.   So to answer the original question, yes I got high miles out of my first 10L, trouble free for 321,000. Now I really wonder how much longer it would have went. Did I 'overreact' to the internet ghouls by replacing a 'good' one with a 'bad' one? Maybe. Who knows, the thing might have taken a puke a 100 miles later. So I'll just fix it again, then move on and start thinking about all the other stuff that will eventually wear out. It still has the original brakes (they're at ~60%), original injectors/pump, turbo, water pump, etc....pretty much original everything. Knock on wood.
    • swathdiver
      6 Speed vs 8 Speed

      By swathdiver · Posted

      At peak temperature.  They get to cool down and warm up more, especially those with the external cooler.  I have three GMT900s and one of them has over 225K on its original transmission.  Fluid gets changed about every 36K miles, all of it.     It's not the bean counters, it was the government.  They had to meet CAFE standards and other government requirements.   To get around that, we tune them and modify them to our liking.
    • GMCustomerService
      Will not stay in Reverse

      By GMCustomerService · Posted

      Our customers' safety isn't something we take lightly. To ensure you get the proper assistance for your truck's repairs, please fill out the form at https://s.chevy.com/support-request with all pertinent details including your username.

  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...