Rust on crome Rims

[coobie]

I am starting to get some rust on my front crome rims. The truck has only 5,000 miles on it. I live in michigan,allot of salt on the roads during the winter. Do they make some type of product to coat the rims to prevent this. I put wax on them this fall. Thanks for any Info,coobie

 

[Rosco]

Coobie,



I had a similar problem on my '03 that had the chrome rim's. However, if I'm not mistaken the "chrome cladding" is basically a permanent plastic hubcap. On my truck it appeared at first to look like rust but upon closer inspection it seemed to be brake dust that was really adhered to the rim. I never bothered with it so I don't know what will remove it but FWIW I am almost positive the cover is plastic.

 

[coobie]

Thanks

Rosco,thanks for the Info. coobie

 

[Blakers]

Mine's doing the same thing Coobie. But only on the front. I haven't tried cleaning it off yet, but I presume it's brake dust building up and rusting. The brake dust would have some metal particles in it from the rotors, so it will rust. The front brakes do most of the work, so they get more dust.



I sure hope the rims aren't that chincy!

 

[DS88]

Hello,



I'm hoping that the center cap by the 8 lugs on the wheel is plastic and the wheel itself is chrome on steel? Is that what you mean? I have a sinking feeling now I may have made a bad assumption.



Also, the order for my truck went in on 3/1/04. 2 weeks later I stopped by the dealer and they said it had a D1 status. Does anyone know if my engine will have the new reflash as delivered or is that something I'll have to do post delivery?



Thanks

 

[Rosco]

DS88,



I don't want to disappoint you but I am 99% sure the rim itself has a plastic "chrome cladding" hub cab permanently mounted to it. I know 2nd gen Rams had the real chromed steel rims but I think this "cladding" is DC's answer to rust on gen 3's.

 

[DS88]

Rosco,



Wow, that will be a class A disappointment. I wanted the chrome steel because I like chrome and I like keeping it clean and waxed. I'm not sure what to do now. Seems like for that kind of money they should be able to give you real chrome. Bummer...

 

[Tony T.]

Geno's offers a product called "Kleen Wheels", made of aluminum alloy that fits in between hub an wheel, like a hub cap on the inside, that is suppose to do away with the brake dust problem. I have not tried it, just read about it in the Geno's catalog. I have also seen a product at Wally World made especially for cleaning brake dust off wheels,comes in a spray bottle. I can't remember what it's called though.

 

[Prairie Dog]

The chrome cladding is steel. I've got a small dent from a weight that was removed and I checked them with a magnet.

 

[bighammer]

It does seem odd to me that the chrome is on a separate piece and there's a gap between them. I switched to the factory alloys (then H2's )

 

[DS88]

I've always been a fan of factory wheels myself and when I saw the chrome wheels for NC I thought that's the way to go. These sound basically like hub caps to me although haven't actually seen one up close. I took them at face value and didn't scrutinize them when I ordered. Maybe the idea is that you can buy and replace the "cladding" piece to keep the wheel looking mint if you damage it without having to replace the whole wheel, remount & balance the tire etc.

 

[RonWeiss]

It's easy to clean off the 03's plastic chrome brake dust. Just get some Bon Ami cleanser (doesn't scratch) and water... cleans right up.



Ron W>

 

[XcumminsX]

Anyone try removing the fake chrome off these wheels? Id like to do that.



Nick

 

[bighammer]

Originally posted by Nick Sommer

Anyone try removing the fake chrome off these wheels? Id like to do that.



Nick

It's a separate piece everywhere except the outer edge of the rim where it seems married to the rest of the wheel.

 

[e-man-da-warranty-man]

I too live in the "rust belt". Hope I can help. I use a turtle wax wheel cleaner- formula 2001 with a sponge to remove all the brake dust and grime. Does a real good job. After drying the wheel, use Mothers mag wheel polish to remove any corrosion/rust. As a final step of overkill use car wax to help keep 'em shiny and protected. My wheels look as good as new after our road salt filled winter.