Wheel hub made of: electroplating

Many car manufacturers offer chrome-plated wheel rims as an option, and most aftermarket wheels of 20 inches or larger are also chrome-plated. Chrome plating is an aesthetically pleasing finish, but it is also fragile and easily damaged, and repairs are expensive.

Chrome-plated wheel rims are usually polished and etched before being plated with nickel, copper, and chromium in sequence. The coatings are bonded together to increase strength, and the plating is complete. Because no clear coat is needed, they usually need to be carefully cleaned with soap and water, then buffed with a cotton swab soaked in metal polish.

The chrome plating process seems to give aluminum wheels a certain brittleness, making most chrome-plated wheels prone to cracking in collisions. This often occurs in 22-inch or 24-inch aftermarket wheels, as larger rims are more susceptible to damage in collisions and are less protected by flat tires.

However, the brittleness of the finish is different from the brittleness of the metal. Even if the wheel rim bends in a collision, the plating still acts like the candy shell of an M&M. Where the metal deforms, the plating doesn't deform with it; instead, it cracks. Straightening a bent wheel will only enlarge the cracks in the plating. Once cracked, the plating begins to peel, and further peeling occurs as air and moisture penetrate at the edges. In this case, the only repair method is to completely re-plate the wheel rim.

Liquid chromium is very harmful to both humans and the environment and may be completely banned in Europe and America. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has set a high bar for new chrome plating companies to obtain business licenses, effectively limiting this industry. Therefore, re-plating wheel rims is usually expensive and time-consuming, and the quality of the work is constantly declining. In addition, the surface of most chrome-plated wheel rims is etched, making painting or other repair methods unsuitable.

Chrome-plated wheels should never be used during the road salt season. Experienced drivers usually have an extra set of steel or aluminum wheels with winter tires. Road salt is the biggest enemy of chromium. Once chromium is exposed to wet salt, the crystalline salt will adhere to the surface of the plating and leach out the chromium, eventually causing the plating to peel off, leaving pits in the metal surface. Salt corrosion can destroy the plating in just a few years. If the plating has begun to peel, the edges are exceptionally sharp, so handle with extreme care.

Salt water can also seep between the wheel rim and the tire, areas that are often not reached during regular cleaning. As the plating peels and pits form on the metal surface, the tire will eventually begin to leak air. This can be temporarily improved by removing the peeling plating and underlying corrosion and applying an unvulcanized rubber sealant called bead sealant to waterproof it. However, the sealant will eventually peel off, and the plating will begin to corrode again. Some enthusiasts usually apply a new bead sealant to their chrome wheels in the summer for waterproofing, which I think is a good method.

The combination of these problems makes using chrome-plated wheels extremely difficult and troublesome. My suggestion is that unless you are willing to bear the risks and costs involved, it is best not to choose chrome-plated wheels.

For chrome-plated wheels, sports celebrities change the 24-inch exquisite wheels on their Hummer H2s about once a month, and enthusiasts will try their best to maintain and care for them, but many ordinary drivers are unaware of the hidden costs of choosing chrome-plated wheels. Many cruiser owners ruined their 16-inch 5-spoke chrome wheels bought from dealerships due to road salt in the UK; no one ever warned them about the problems, so I've spent a lot of time helping them in recent years.

Never be misled by the exquisite appearance of chrome-plated wheels and regret their poor user experience.