2009 Silverado Chrome Clad Wheels

NealC · July 13, 2009

Has anyone add the opportunity to remove the cheap plastic hubcap on the new "Chrome Clad Wheels"? I would like to know what is under those hubcaps to see if they could look acceptable.

iminaquagmire · July 13, 2009

Its the hub which is just stell and will rust. Besides that, the cladding doesn't cover the whole wheel there. You can't really run them without the caps.

NealC · July 17, 2009

Its the hub which is just stell and will rust. Besides that, the cladding doesn't cover the whole wheel there. You can't really run them without the caps.

I mean the hub and the cladding. There is an alumimun wheel underneath all of the plastic chrome. I was wondering what it looked like. I don't like the plastic chrome cover.

gvbhunt · July 17, 2009

Wait, they are sticking a plastic cover over Aluminum wheels?

VMax2007 · July 17, 2009

Wait, they are sticking a plastic cover over Aluminum wheels?

Yep, every mfr is. The others have been doing for a few years already.

cerbomark · July 17, 2009

I ve even seen a few that fooled me for about 30 seconds .. At least they won t peel like my chrome GM 20 s did. I ve also seen alot of the Aluminium polished ones get toasted by the salt up here in NY>>

Buddy67Lincoln · July 17, 2009

Amen to the crap clad wheels. My friend has a Pontiac Montana I think 2006 so they have been doing this for a while. He thought he had chrome wheels. I said they look too cheap to be chrome so I looked closer and saw the wheel was either in 2 pieces at the lip and rim or a hubcap! my neighbors Malibu is like this too. I saw a nick near the lug nut and it was yellow like plastic gets. I knocked on it and it was plastic. I told him and he had a fit! I said look at the wheel lip..its standard aluminum and not chrome. Its not one piece. Knock on the center of the wheel and its plastic for sure. Knock on the center of the spokes but that is where its glued so it sounds solid. Nice it will not pit but bad it will chip and turn ugly yellow when it chips off. What can you do. My 20's on my 06 Sierra were just replaced last week for the second time. This time it was pitted the whole way around and bubbling in every corner, even in the middle of one spoke. You cannot plate aluminum. My polished Denali wheels are old and I use them in the winter and they are mint. Not a blemish at all. POLISH OR PAINT! Don't use the plastic alternative or the chrome..junk!

iminaquagmire · July 18, 2009

I assumed you were talking about the WT LS package wheels since those are steel with a real chrome cladding. I assure you those are not plastic as I just acid stripped the chrome off, ground, primed, and then painted mine.

C. Charles Hahn · July 18, 2009

This is exactly why I love my A/T wheels.... they actually are SOLID instead of this clad crap. Same with the Envoy Denali... real wheels instead of knock-off plastic crap.

Stex · July 18, 2009

Never have liked my 09 Serria wheels...Chevy z-71 nicer...

Are the new Fords the same or real chrome wheels?

Darkanion · July 18, 2009

I assumed you were talking about the WT LS package wheels since those are steel with a real chrome cladding. I assure you those are not plastic as I just acid stripped the chrome off, ground, primed, and then painted mine.

I think these are the ones they're talking about :

Buddy67Lincoln · July 19, 2009

I assumed you were talking about the WT LS package wheels since those are steel with a real chrome cladding. I assure you those are not plastic as I just acid stripped the chrome off, ground, primed, and then painted mine.

I think these are the ones they're talking about :

Wow, a 20" Hubcap! What will they think of next?

NealC · July 23, 2009

Those are the ones. I am just waiting for someone to find out what is underneath the plastic covers. They are aluminum wheels but how ugly are they going to be? Could they be polished and would there be a hub to cover the lug nuts? I guess time will tell.

Darkanion · July 23, 2009

Those are the ones. I am just waiting for someone to find out what is underneath the plastic covers. They are aluminum wheels but how ugly are they going to be? Could they be polished and would there be a hub to cover the lug nuts? I guess time will tell.

I could be proven wrong by this, but if they weren't ugly as a bunch'a deadly sins, don't you think they would've gone with THAT, rather than those fugly wheel covers..??

Stex · July 23, 2009

Good luck getting them off..they are really bonded to the wheel...wonder what a z-71 wheel would look like on a gmc....are Fords new wheels the same plastic over wheel?