I kinda got a hankering to chrome the stock wheels. I have seen several cars on this forum with chrome wheels, and I want to know from those of you that have them, how do you like them? I am not a big fan of after-market wheels, I think staying stock is the way to go to avoid potential tire and balance issues JMO. Are the chrome wheels easier to clean? My car is black, so I think they would look good. Black and chrome is big in So. Cal.

I know some people here use the term "bling" whatever the f*#@ that means.

Or maybe polished wheels?

 

Having a set polished would be the way to go, in my humble opinion. It would be lighter than stock (since they are removing material when they polish them), and the chrome "may" not stick properly to an aluminum wheel unless done properly (there have been some early reports of the factory chrome wheels separating from the aluminum).

Plus they will be heavier, and if you ever scratch one..........

 

The amount of weight you will remove when polishing a rim is incidental. You will remove just as much weight as when you clean your wheels.

But chroming them does take a bit more, cost a bit more, and will put more weight on a wheel. A good polish will bring them to near mirror finish, and will give you that nice shiny offset to the black car (I've always thought that a polished or chrome wheel looks better on a dark car than raw aluminum).

"Bling" basically refers to gaudy, overkill of shiny metal. Most people do not consider polishing stock wheels "bling". 20" chromed rims with spinners that weigh 30 lbs on an RX8 would be more along the lines of what people would consider "bling".

---jps

 

I don't know what it is but I have never liked the look of polished wheels. For some reason it makes the wheel look cheap in my eyes. I guess it reminds me of a lot of cheap billet wheels I've seen over the years.

Polished with a clear coat on top my look nice though.

Once again this is obviously my opinion. Whether chrome is too flashy is a subject of endless rebate. I like chrome because the shine only exists when you want it to. A couple days of brake dust and chrome wheel won't be too shinny I promise you. And it should look better than other wheels which get really dull looking on the RX-8 with its dust-from-hell pads.

IMO the only downside to chrome is the weight and money. It will cost you about 1-2 lbs per wheel. That is too much for me.

-Mr. Wigggles

 

Thanks all, really great input. I found a store in Hollywood, Ca. that will do a chrome wheel exchange for around $600, mounted and balanced. The concern for weight, is it the absolute weight to the vehicle (say 10 pounds), or the weight per each wheel specifically that is the concern?

I think the chrome wheels will be easier to clean than the stock painted alloys. I like the polished, but don't know where to get them.

Thanks again.

 

And don't forget that some people are going to do a half-assed job, and others will do better. To get a mirror-like finish, it will take more effort, time, and so it will cost more, and alot of people won't pay for that. So I'm sure that there are ugly polished rims out there, and some that you and I would mistake for chrome.

Well, we've gone over that several times, so I won't go too far into it here. But the concern is NOT for absolute weight to the vehicle. When you put something in your car, you increase the absolute weight of the vehicle, and where you locate it affects the center of gravity. When you increase wheel/tire weight, you increase absolute car weight PLUS rotational weight PLUS unsprung weight. We go into how those different things affect performance and ride in other threads.

---jps

 

I had an 8 with polished, now have an 8 with chrome, and I believe they are lacquered or something. Those polished ones were harder to keep shiny. I love the look of both; they really set off the car. Supposedly, polished ones are no longer available.

 

Got my stock chrome rims today. Wow, what a difference. I like the shape of the stock wheels, and the chrome was well worth it. Am now debating what to do with the stock center caps. Thinking about painting them black like several others have done here. What do you all think?

 

Has anyone seen that ad in the magazines about those 15 lb wheels "made special" for low weight? I cannot recall the details but something about nowdays so many cars are having BIG wheels added robbing the car of power, etc. ????

 

Mazda Speed has magnesium wheels for the RX8 that weigh about 16 lbs. , although they are about $1200 per rim !!!