johnireland

Just got rid of the tires on my car and replaced with Pilot Sport PS-2. When the tire store was removing the old tires they found that when they were mounted they had been sealed with silicon. This took some time to clean up and this lead to a discussion of chromed rims and how over time moisture can get under the chrome and cause issues that can make the wheel have weak beads. I hate the chromed rims and was planning to eventually replace them but use them for now.

I'll monitor the air pressure over the next week and see what happens.
Anyone else encounter this or have info on it?

N9921x

Illegal in aviation for exactly that reason.
Dissimilar metals or something like that.
Galvanic corrosion, etc.

Gonzo911

Are these the tires on your Volkswagon?

Chuck W.

I use Wheels America to refinish wheels. They bead blast the old finish off and power coat the new finish on. They won't rerefinish wheels that have been chromed.

gnat

Never had air pressure issues on ours. Having the Crome actually stay stuck to the rims, on the other hand, has not been so reliable

God I wish she'd make up her mind on some new wheels...

JayG

I had a bead leak problem on my Targa that has chrome barrelled 3 piece wheels.
The chrome on the bead started flaking and I was losing about 3-5 PSI a day just siting.

I had a wheel shop put bead seal on and that helped a little, but did not stop the the leaking completely

I finally took the wheels to a wheel shop that ground off the chrome on the bead and sealed the edge.
No problems since.

If I want shiny wheels in the future, I will get polished aluminum

I believe the issue is that air has moisture in it inside the tire and eventually the moisture corrodes the chrome and it starts to flake

OKB

yes, chrome comes apart under the bead, and will continue to do it on the next wheel
strip the wheels and polish them or powdercoat them

Byprodriver

You want all visable areas of the wheel chrome plated. Invariably the edge of the chrome is in the bead area. The bead of the tire needs some friction to seal to the wheel, & the varying thickness of the chrome there doesn't help seal the air either. Wire brushing the bead area to level & roughen the surface helps but often moisture gets between the chrome & the wheel, causing corrosion. Same thing can happen on the outside surface from rock chips or curbing. Bead sealer helps to prevent air leaks.

johnireland

I'm going to dump the chromed wheels and get some OEM alloys.

KoB

IMO the OE alloys will look and work better than those chromed wheels. Personally I like most of the optional wheels (e.g. Sport Design and Sport Classic) more than the Turbo Twist design, but that's just me. And I think the Rolex 5517 is collectible -- even though it has crown guards -- so YMMV.