The same can easily be said for plus sized wheel and tire combos yet many still do it. I think everyone is going overboard on the negative reaction to chrome. To the OP, if you like it then go for it.
Cheers,
Ian
Cheers,
Ian
Chrome not popular anymore?
- Thread starter Rob4092xx
- Start date
I didn't mean that anyone was being distrespectful, just hypocritical. Classified ads for plus sized wheels/tires run about 100:1 compared to chrome.
Cheers,
Ian
Cheers,
Ian
Don't get me wrong, I certainly don't mean any disrespect. Modifying a car is a highly personal and subjective act. However, there is a point where further modification changes the car's aesthetic character so much that it actually diminishes what the car is all about. Chrome wheels (with the exception of a very limited few) crosses that threshold.
You have an NSX. It's red. Anything more is just gilding the lily.
I have chrome 7-spokes on my 93. They were extremely cheap, and I get sufficient compliments on them. I think they look a lot better than the oem 5-spoke fatties that came with the car.
I believe a big reason chrome went out of style is because it's so difficult and expensive to refinish. All the wheel shops here have to ship them off to California to get stripped (due to environmental regulations) before they can be refinished, and it's just an extra cost & inconvenience.
People like a degree of bling on exotic cars, and chrome is just a little shinier than the polished wheels that I have on my 99. I don't get all the hate. To each his own I guess.
chromed:
polished:
I believe a big reason chrome went out of style is because it's so difficult and expensive to refinish. All the wheel shops here have to ship them off to California to get stripped (due to environmental regulations) before they can be refinished, and it's just an extra cost & inconvenience.
People like a degree of bling on exotic cars, and chrome is just a little shinier than the polished wheels that I have on my 99. I don't get all the hate. To each his own I guess.
chromed:
polished:
Ugh. The "chrome is heavy" argument has been debunked to death. It's a statement made but people who are not educated to the process. The chrome process adds microns thick layers of copper, nickel then chrome, depending on the type of chrome this layer can be thinner than paint!
On average chrome adds a quarter of a pound per wheel. So for a full set of wheels on a car chrome adds 1 pound. If that worries you empty your pockets of spare change and negate the difference.
In fact the last time I researched it I found most wheels that were offered in both painted and chrome finishes where within ounces of each other weight wise.
On average chrome adds a quarter of a pound per wheel. So for a full set of wheels on a car chrome adds 1 pound. If that worries you empty your pockets of spare change and negate the difference.
In fact the last time I researched it I found most wheels that were offered in both painted and chrome finishes where within ounces of each other weight wise.
Here are photos of my chrome, polished, and powder coated wheels. Do you people really think the chrome finish looks that horrible compared to the others?
chrome
polished
powder coated
Photos of the cars with the wheels. I don't think the red car looks hideous because it has chrome wheels, but maybe I have awful taste.
chrome
polished
powder coated
Photos of the cars with the wheels. I don't think the red car looks hideous because it has chrome wheels, but maybe I have awful taste.
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To the OP. You want pop from your wheels? Gold plate them.
Chrome has no place on a real sports car unless it is on some switchgear. Tell me what modern exotic car or supercar comes with chrome wheels from the factory. NONE. As noted before, chrome is heavy. It doesn't matter that you don't "track your car". Neither do most Zonda, 458 or 599 or aventador owners. The car is designed for speed, and its "pop" if you will, lies in the fact that it's at the very least "perceived" as fast. Put chrome wheels on a real fast car and all you'll get from the eyes of someone that knows cars is "he is trying to be blingy and doesn't get the design of the car".
Do you like 24" wheels with low profile tires on SUV's? Because this is within the same lines. You are doing a mod that does not go with the intent of the car. An SUV is designed to go off road but some say "I never take it off road" and put these gargantuan wheels on the car essentially disabling the car from even having a decent ride. The car's suspension now has to deal with the owner's lack of car knowledge.
You have an NSX. Be a car guy. If you don't go to the track, at least understand the car. The car doesn't want chrome. It doesn't want to "pop" by being a mirror on wheels. It wants to "pop" by being fast. Put on some serious performance wheels.
And yes, this is just my opinion, but you asked.
Lol,
!
Everything is terrible to you, haha:smile:!
I like the wheels that came on the car when you bought it from yojacks.
They weren't chrome as alum4org stated, but they look really good.
As shown in Phoen$x photos above... the polished oem is my personal fave, it has some bling factor without being overly reflective.
I agree with Juice that wheels with a pure metal surface are definitely classier than plastidip mods... I photoshopped the wheels white on an old picture to offer a completely different perspective. Its also a simple thing to try and see if you like it.
If I had to pick wheels for your car, I'd get OEM 02+ with minor spacers and maintain the OEM correct look for the '05 although a bit more flush ...or write a blank check to some place that can custom make the 02+ style to specifications and flush offsets in 17/18 size (since it sounds like this isn't moving forward)
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Here are my old Work Wheels in "Black Chrome".
Out of all my wheels I've had Chrome seems to get the most positive responses from the general public and other car enthusiasts.
"Tuners" (as are most active Primers), on the other hand, seem to not like chrome that much and prefer more of the darker colored wheels.
Out of all my wheels I've had Chrome seems to get the most positive responses from the general public and other car enthusiasts.
"Tuners" (as are most active Primers), on the other hand, seem to not like chrome that much and prefer more of the darker colored wheels.
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No I think your car now is great. I just think chrome is terrible because it's... Terrible. LOL
Chrome is still popular. You just have to get it in the right style. Here's my first Custom Midnight Blue NSX with chrome 19/20's :biggrin:
I think this look just fine - I also like cars with OEM wheels in silver, chrome or polished and just about everything in between - I do take exception to those who put outrageous "neeper" type wheels in any size on the NSX - there are chrome wheels (let's include those finishes that simulate chrome like SBC and the like) that do look good on the NSX.
I cannot understand the hatred for chrome wheels, it CAN look good.
Ian I agrees with you, in a sense an oversized wheel is not any better from a performance standpoint but it just looks racier. Chrome is more luxury and less sport in general. Sport is always matte, black or carbon, no shine. Whether it 's a wheel, a car emblem, a watch, whatever. Luxury is more shine and chrome.
Not educated eh? Take this comparison using 15" traditional steel wheels vs lightweight aluminums by Centerline. A 2x weight difference and thats just for 15"s.
Modern day most wheel manufacturers have a clue and have moved away from steel wheels.. but wheels for show/look are still quite heavier than wheels for speed and performance. That being said, traditionally wheels for show were made with heavier materials and were 99% chrome, therefore "chrome wheels" were associated as super heavy. It wasnt until manufacturers like HRE and iForged (to name a few) developed a new process with lighter materials and could get away with chrome plating while still having a wheel capable of high performance. I mean, the great Red Line Racing NSX had forged chromed looking wheels and was one of the first to proove that chrome did not necessarily mean heavy weight, just heavy price for the look vs weight.
A wheel manufactured to be light will still be light whether its been chromed or powdercoated some other color (case and point, NSX chromies, polished HRE wheels). But I wouldnt go calling everyone less educated because even today, chrome is still associated with heavy. Especially on those 30" Camaro wheels. :tongue:
And for the record, I like the chrome wheels if they are the RIGHT wheel. I used to love the old HRE 540's, they were my desired wheel, I just didnt want to drop $4000 on them back in 2002.
Soooo what is the point of your post exactly? Old chrome wheels are heavy. Got it. Most old wheels where heavy. New chrome wheels aren't much heavier than any other similarly designed wheel today. Got it. That's what I said.
Bunch of sensitive Susie's in here.
Bunch of sensitive Susie's in here.
Chase, you crack me up!
Here's an option (white plastidip - don't like it, peel it off)
and add a red "H" or "A" to the center
Decided not to chrome them and had them refinished in Hyper silver powdercoat. The are gorgeous...perfect powdercoat job. I just like the "bling" of chrome but agree with everyone...you don't see it on sports cars very often!
I am still considering the chrome. I really appreciate everyone's comments and photos. Gives me a lot to think about! Any more opinions is greatly appreciated!
i use firefox.
+1 .
my point is when you call a group of people out for not knowing anything, you need to understand why people come to the conclusion about things that they do. Anytime someone solicits a strong blanketed opinion about a group of people, you invite strong responses. It's like telling someone you hate green kangos after they walk past you with one, then wonder why they take an defensive stand. Some people on this forum have a habit in making those kinds of posts, but they also know they will get strong opinions back, instead of the "geez, dont get your panties in a wad" response like you seem to have.
That being said, you could still go out and find a chrome wheel today that is twice the weight of another wheel because it wasnt made with weight in mind. People that put chrome wheels on their cadillac dont care if they weigh 100 lbs each but people that put wheels on a car they want to show "speed" with usually do.
New chrome wheels can STILL be a lot heavier than a similarly designed wheels, it all depends on who makes it, and what their target market is to begin with. So again, my two points are (1) people associate chrome with weight for a reason, whether its an old outdated reason or not, therefore by doing so, it doesnt make them uneducated and (2) It is now more about who manufactured the wheel and what materials they use regardless if it has a chrome finish or not.
Rob I think you need to just jump into my RSII group buy. They are light, strong, and will make your car look great. You get more performance, a better ride, better braking and acceleration, and you can show off your brakes. They already come in Racing hyper silver that changes shade from silver to black. You car can look more like the one that is WINNING the hottest NSX in the red category. Why are you wasting money refinishing a wheel whose finish is fine.
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