[MRSSKY]

I haven't seen the factory chrome plated wheels as offered in one of there packages $795. But did see the dealership after market wheels on a 2007 sky. Is there a big difference in looks? I know there is a big difference in price. I will pay more for better lookin wheels.

MRSVIPER

 

[HotSky]

I haven't seen the factory chrome plated wheels as offered in one of there packages $795. But did see the dealership after market wheels on a 2007 sky. Is there a big difference in looks? I know there is a big difference in price. I will pay more for better lookin wheels.

MRSVIPER

MRSVIPER, I have the $795 chrome wheels. I havent seen the $2000 ones. Check out my avatar.

 

[skyepilot]

what are the advantages of chrome rims?

do they hold the road better?

do they get better gas mileage?

are they less expensive?

are tires easier to put on them?

 

[SKY Spy]

Here is the answer to your question!!!

Optional Chrome Wheels ($795):

Accessory Chrome Wheels ($2,000):

Courtesy of SkyFalcon

There you go!!!

Regards,

:willy: BA :willy:

 

[pearl]

Great pictures! Any chance you have one with the painted alloy wheels? I was the 1st image @ the local dealership 3/24/06 & had to settle for these or no car for indetermined time. I am awaiting this car with red/black leather but have yet to find a true side pic with these wheels. If I decide to start shopping for chrome wheels, any recommendations for good companies?
Thanks,

Pearl

 

[HotSky]

Thanks Sky Spy, I hadn't seen the $2000 wheels. They are nice. Oh and thanks MRSVIPER for asking such a useful question.

 

[Crimson Avenger]

Chrome is short for chromium electro-plating...

what are the advantages of chrome rims?

do they hold the road better?

do they get better gas mileage?

are they less expensive?

are tires easier to put on them?

These are good questions.

Perhaps, we should start with a basic explanation of what is meant by chrome....

Chrome is short for chrome-plated.

Chromium is an element with a high resistance to oxidation because, like aluminum, it immediately forms a layer of chromium oxide which is very thin, and strongly bonded to the surface. This layer protects the underlying chromium atoms from further contact with the Oxygen in the air. Basically, it forms a protective coat of chromium oxide one molecule thick at the surface. This is different from Iron which forms a compound called Iron oxide which is permeable to oxygen, and allows continued oxidation of the underlying layers (rusting). It is this property of forming a protective layer that makes aluminum and chromium resistant to continued decay and oxidation beyond that first layer. This property of corrosion resistance makes chromium a good surface coating.

Chromium is added to steel (along with other elements) to produce an alloy of Iron, Nickel, and Chromium (and other elements) called stainless steel.

Chromium is applied to the surface of another metal through a process called electroplating. The resulting surface can be polished to a highly reflective almost mirror like sheen.

For more on Chromium and Stainless Steel, here are a couple of brief articles from Wikipedia:

• Wikipedia article on Chromium
• Wikipedia article on Stainless steel

OK, now here's some answers to your questions:

1. What are the advantages of chrome rims?
   • Chrome rims have a brighter more mirror like shine
   • In the case of the Sky, as has been seen in some of the above pictures, the chrome plating often also goes along with more intricate styling
   • Chrome wheels draw the eye down to the wheels with their specular reflections of bright light sources.
2. Do they hold the road better?
   • No, they are usually fairly identical in function to non-chrome plated wheels.
   • However, often when someone has chosen to upgrade to a chrome plated wheel, they may well have decided to increase the width of the wheel, and the width of the tire, and even purchased a tire with a rubber compound which ultimately has higher grip.
   • In this case, the chrome wheels available directly from General Motors are identical in cross-section width and offset, so an increase in grip will not be observed without changing the tires to a higher grip (shorter life) rubber compound.
   • Having said that, however, increasing the width and the diameter of the wheels can have a negative effect by increasing the "unsprung" weight making the wheel and tire assembly heaver overall. This added weight means that the suspension systems springs and hydraulic dampeners (shocks) have to "do more work" to keep the tires in contact with a rough and uneven surface. The result is that grip levels can actually be decreased on rough or uneven surfaces with heaver/larger wheels and tires given no other modifications to the suspension system.
3. Do they get better gas mileage?
   • By themselves, no, since chrome wheels are really an appearance item, there is usually no change in the fuel efficiency.
   • There can be a detrimental effect on fuel efficiency
     • If a wheel (chromed or not) with a wider cross-section or larger diameter is used, efficiency may decrease due to two primary causes:
       • Increased mass of the wheel at it's widest part further away from the center of the wheel increases the rotational moment of inertia and will require more horsepower to increase the angular velocity (spinning speed) of the wheel itself, and this can amount to between 5 to 7 horsepower. (This difference does NOT affect constant speed power consumption, only the power available during acceleration.) To see this, think of a top... You pull the string, and it feels awfully like you're tugging on a very heavy object. That pull you feel in the string is the result of the angular momentum (and moment of inertia) of the top.
       • The wider cross section (and wider tire) will have both more aerodynamic drag, and with the increase in the contact patch with the road, introduce more surface friction.
     • The chromium plating itself is not completely free of it's own mass, and there can be between 1 and 2 pounds of chromium on the surface of an 18 inch wheel when the electroplating is finished. Just as before, this increase in mass causes an increase in the moment of inertia, and the same effect that we saw with the wider rim and larger diameter...
4. Are they less expensive?
   • Generally, the process of chromium electroplating is an added cost step, and there's also a fair amount of labor involved in polishing the chrome after the plating is done.
   • Added to the lower demand, this added cost usually means that Chrome wheels command a higher price in the market.
   • However, compared to the cost of an original equipment alloy wheel, an aftermarket wheel can come in at half the price.
   • So, it depends:
     • Aftermarket crome versus OEM polished alloy? Yes aftermarket chrome might be cheaper.
     • OEM wheels range in price directly with the cost of the wheel (from lowest to highest): stamped & welded steel wheels with hub caps are cheapest, followed by painted alloy wheels, then polished alloy wheels, and most expensive, chrome plated alloy wheels.
5. Are tires easier to put on them?
   • Actually, chrome plated wheels are more difficult to mount tires on because the tire machines must put the tires on without making metal to metal contact with the wheel.
   • It requires a special machine which is designed to mount the tires without having to scrape a metal tool around the rim.
   • This special handling is required to avoid scratching the chrome.
   • Do all shops do this with equal success? NO, but generally chrome wheels are treated much more carefully by tire shops because they know that if they do scratch them, the customer has a right to ask the shop to repair or replace the scratched wheel.

I hope this helped answer some of the basic questions about chrome wheels.

 

[HotSky]

Wow! What a great thread. Some really good questions. Crimson avenger, Great answer. I really enjoyed reading it.

 

[Axel]

WOW! Crimson Avenger... I'll have to remember to ask you questions in the future!! :willy:

 

[Crimson Avenger]

Gee.... Thanks! Thanks also to MRSVIPER, skyepilot, and Sky spy...

It's tough to know sometimes whether or not my posts are helpful, but occasionally, I help a bit.

Sorry it was a long post, but as I got typing it, there were some very interesting discussion points that entered into the answers to what sounded at first like simple questions...

That's just it, sometimes the most basic questions are the best ones. Thanks MRSVIPER and skyepilot for asking some really good questions! It's this type of information sharing that helps us all learn and grow.

Thanks also Sky spy for the great high resolution photos. That the entire car is also shown is vitally important, since the choice of wheel is an appearance taste issue, and seeing the entire system as a whole is very important. Bravo!

This thread might wind up being split into two threads, one on appearance, and one on the basics of chrome wheels, but for the moment, it's probably OK to have them in the same thread.

 

[skyepilot]

some questions require a detailed responce, especially when it is not a simple yes or no answer.

i guess whether one wants chrome or not is basically do you like the look or not, but it is not really that simple.

thank you for taking the time.:cheers:

 

[Fformula88]

some questions require a detailed responce, especially when it is not a simple yes or no answer.

i guess whether one wants chrome or not is basically do you like the look or not, but it is not really that simple.

thank you for taking the time.:cheers:

I personally just like the look! It's that simple for me!

 

[rick112]

I personally just like the look! It's that simple for me!

Me to but it's nice to see such a nicely detailed answer from the Avenger! I must say you've been a nice addition to our forum!

 

[HotSky]

This is a great forum. Some posters on other forums would ridicule other posters for asking questions that seemed obvious.

 

[Rick Tinley Park]

I am one of those people who quest knowledge -- CA -- you are up there on my moderator list!:cheers:

 

[longwaitlarry]

:thumbs: WOW - What a great detailed answer. Next question for a detailed answer: when is my sky getting here?

 

[triple black]

I like both wheels but I can't see the $1200 difference between the optional Sky wheels and the after markets.

 

[MRSSKY]

I like both wheels but I can't see the $1200 difference between the optional Sky wheels and the after markets.

Guess what I seen both today May 15, 2006. And changed my mind.
I don't see a big difference either. The factory chrome is beautiful!
Also had the opportunity to test drive a sky with blk/red interior.....O yeah a great ride indeed!
I am not sure when I will get my sky! Since I just recently placed my order?
But I am somewhat patient.......:willy:

Blk/Red trim
auto
chrome wheels
cd
trim pkg

mrsviper

 

[HotSky]

Now that I have seen both kinds of wheels, I am glad I got the cheaper of the two.

 

[SkyHope]

Now that I have seen both kinds of wheels, I am glad I got the cheaper of the two.

Prefer the "basic" chrome wheels - the dealer added ones are too busy imo and pull focus too much. Factory wheels are in balance and don't compete with the fantastic lines of Sky.