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Anyone know a good place to get your stock rims chromed? Is it worth it/real deal?

6K views 17 replies 10 participants last post by  alan_lawheel 
#1 ·
Yea, so I was thinking about getting my stock rims chromed but I'm not too familiar with that sort of thing. I know there was a thread on here somewhere but I couldn't get the search to work.

Anyone do this, if so any photos?

What should I look out for in looking for some places that do it?

can you get them actually dipped or is it a cheap chrome plating or something?

Any info would be great, thanks guys!
 
#2 ·
Yeah it can be done. Just about any wheel repair/refinishing place can do it. They'll media blast off the OEM finish and then plate the bare aluminum. It definitely WONT be cheap however. Last I looked into it, the price was going to be roughly 225 per wheel with a weeks lead time. On the other hand, a complete custom powder coat re-finish was 100 a wheel with overnight turn-around. In my opinion, with the cost it would most likely incur to get them chromed, you're probably better off spending a slight bit more, and buying an entire set of already-chromed OEM wheels.
 
#5 ·
That's where I got mine from.



Quality is great, when I first got em a few years ago one of the wheels was out of round, they sent me a new wheel no questions asked. Only problem I have now is the bead of the tires tends to leak, so whenever I get new tires I have them seal it with some glue. Tire shop tells me that's normal for chromed wheels, either way they look great!
 
#4 ·
If you have the budget, then I would buy a set of used wheels and send those to get chromed (yeah, ~200-225 wheel sounds about right) and sell your wheels afterward, so you are not down a week. Otherwise, your car will need to sit, as I doubt they have 6-lug loaners [many wheel places will set you up with loaners for the time yours are getting done]

Have you thought about polished instead? Much better looking, imo, and around half the price...only thing is, you'll have to add some $ to get them clearcoated (or DIY), or else keep them waxed and polished, which can be a PITA.
 
#6 ·
Thanks alot guys. I'm not sure what I am going to do now. I didn't know it was that expensive to get them chromed, but on the other hand I'm not sure if I want anything but caddilac wheels on my car......hmmm tough decision, unless they are some sharp looking aftermarkets. Maybe I'll use the center cap(if it comes off) from the stockers and put it on the new ones if I go that route. The air leaking out kind of got me thinking twice about getting them chromed now.

20's or 18's guys if aftermarkets, what's your opinion?
 
#7 ·
You're only going to find 2 or 3 styles of wheels that fit the CTS-V bolt pattern and aren't very expensive. Rota Torques, and Linea Corse Veneto's which are $900 and $1300 respectively. You could fit STS-V wheels with spacers, but finding a set of those would be in roughly the same price range. Any other aftermarket wheels that fit the V are HRE's, CCW's, 360 Forged's, and some other high end mfgs who's cheapest wheel sets are usually well north of $2500. Without a doubt, the cheapest route for chrome wheels on the V is either purchasing OEM chrome wheels, or having the OEM light hyper silver wheels chromed. As for the air leak with chrome, that really is a pretty minor issue in the grand scheme of things, and can easily be remedied with some bead sealant which a lot of tire mounters use as standard practice anyway.
 
#8 ·
This is a timely thread ... indeed.

I just snagged a fourth stock wheel and will be having them media blasted in prep for something. It's that something that's got me wondering.

I REALLY love black chrome. I also love bright chrome. With a Stealth Gray car, I'm thinking the bright chrome would look better, however. No offense to those who've got black chrome on Stealth Gray Vs.

Is this a no brainer -- doing bright chrome on well-prepped wheels, that is -- or is this one of those "you get what you pay for" kinds of deals? What should the OP and I be looking out for in finding someone who claims to do good chrome jobs?
 
#9 ·
#10 ·
I'm not sure, but I think that those cv7s only came in 20x8. So they are actually narrower than our stock 18x8.5 wheels.

Rand49er, I really don't have any idea what to look for in a chrome shop. I like the idea of LA wheel and tire that I linked to, because they chrome plate different OEM wheels all day long. I would be hesitant to go to a local chrome shop that has never done one of our wheels before. In the end, try to find a place that will give you references or has some of there work on hand. If you like what you see, go for it.
 
#11 ·
I think pretty much everyone would agree that it would be really nice if Speedline (the company who makes the V OEM wheels) offered the V 7 spoke style wheel in a variety of sizes and finishes. I'm sure they wouldn't be the cheapest, but I've been pretty hard pressed to find a wheel type that looks any better on the V than the original ones. If the OEM 7 spokes could be had in 19 X 9.5 in black chrome, that'd be the perfect option IMO.
 
#12 ·
If the OEM 7 spokes could be had in 19 X 9.5 in black chrome, that'd be the perfect option IMO.
Agreed! This would be by far the perfect wheel...Too bad there wasn't an aftermarket company that would do this.
 
#13 ·
I personally wouldn't go with anything larger than the 18's the car comes with, but it's totally personal preferance. 20's will definitely affect your ride quality, especially if you're lowered. IMO 20's will also look a little too big pimpin' ... like all those Chrysler 300's with the huge wheels on 'em.
 
#14 ·
Just purchased a set of black chrome from la wheel and tire yesterday. Gotta say thanks for that info, called Nick at la wheel, very professional and helpful set me up with the black chrome for$ 1,095. Only problem is it will take 3 weeks to produce. They currently have 2 more sets of stock 18x8.5 wheels ready for chroming or powdercoating. Ill take pics and post when i get them, both off and on the car
 
#18 ·
Any black chrome L.A. Wheel does is using PVD, which is environmentally friendly. It produces a black chrome that doesn't fade or color shift over time, as well.

And just FYI, if you ever buy aftermarket wheels, be very, very careful who you choose to buy from, and how good the quality is of the wheels. Aftermarket wheels don't go through the same rigorous testing that OEM wheels do, so you have to be careful. Not saying they are always going to be lower quality than OEM wheels, but usually that's the case.
 
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