The best wax in the world won't stop a new rock chip. Unless you wax everyday, you run the risk of getting a new rock chip and salt inside that new rock chip.

If you care about your wheels don't do it, get winters.

^

wat he said

damn ok, sounds like wax products etc. are out of the question then :-(

thanks for the info!

whats wrong with buying a set of steelies and some cheap winter tires?

i bet your "high-performance all-seasons" don't work well under zero degree anyways!
be safe to yourself and your buddy club wheels.

hell, i have 3 sets of wheels! (summer, stock, steelies)
i am running on stocks right now until the snow hits. haha

and it's not only the salt that you have to worry about.. its the POTHOLES that really fuck you over.

I agree with most of the comments posted.
If you care enough to start a thread, you'll care enough to buy steelies for winter

It takes more work trying to maintain your wheels in the winter then to just get steelies, moreover, not give a shit if you curb it or if somehow you get into an accident with them.

I have Work polished work wheels that i used for acouple days during the winter and they just don't look the same anymore.

The salt will slowly chip away at your wheels, not worth the headache.

you can apply polymer on it, apply wheel tape around the lip ( wheel tape for motorbikes), then tape it up with 1 layer of painters tape ( leaves no tape residue when taken off ), then 2 layers of duct tape to prevent any salt water from going through the tape.

I've never tried this, but it might work if you have the time and patience.

This will probably work, but would you mind the funny looks you get from all the other drivers ? =)

I just take off my RGII's and run my stock acura wheels... fucking best winter wheels ever, not a spot on it XD

for the question about wheel finish protection/wax/polishes, perhaps ask in the general car care tech forum? they might know something we don't over there.

some ppl dont wonna spend the extra $200-400 buyin steelies

both white wheels painted by duplicolor white paint stayed on fine in the freeze and snow last year

i'll take my wheels off when they start salting the roads. its only a 30min changeover to stock anyways

damn, how is it you guys do that so fast?!? am i that old? it takes me min. 15 minutes per wheel, that's with no air tools,
floor jack, scrubbing all the rust off the hubs, etc. :cry:

If they have impact wrenches it's way faster.

my buddy had chrome rims on this truck, and the chrome started peeling and it looks like shit now

Rota Slipstream.

That's why I don't recommend it for painted wheels either. When the salt gets under the paint (or chrome) it spiderwebs. This loosens the paint from the wheel and will eventually cause it to flake off.

okay i asked around and someone came back to me with this:

http://www.wheelwax.ca/

anyone used this before?

"Q - I live in the Snow Belt. Will WHEELWAX protect my wheels against road salt and harsh winter road chemicals?

A - Yes, WHEELWAX is designed to help combat these harsh conditions, keep in mind, whenever road salts contact your wheels you should clean them as soon as posible to keep your wheels looking great."

http://customwheelsmarket.com/wheelwax.html

sounds like ud have to apply this stuff after every drive! so same as washing with water?

here's a response i got from a csr:

Thanks for your inquiry about Wheelwax.

WheelWax is a cleaner, polish and protectant. It is a 4 season product.

It will protect your wheels from salt in the winter. Normally, i tell people to put WheelWax on at least once a month.

In the wintertime, I would put it on more frequently, especially if there is salt on the road after a snowstorm.

If you put WheelWax on to protect your wheels, it will not crack your painted wheels.

Thanks
Sy Langer
Ultimate Transportation Products
416-580-7327
www.wheelwax.ca
info@wheelwax.ca

You've been warned, don't do it.

I picked up a set of used steelies with mounted winters for my car, cost: $500.
Repainting my 19s: $800

You do the math.

lol yeah it doesn't seem convincing enough to go for wheelwax...i don't wanna go out in the freezing cold every few days and put shit on my wheels lol...

think about it, putting steelies on with winters = $500-$700
and you are actually safe!

bending your wheels and repairing it = $200 each
and you are dodging every pothole possible.

lol decided to buy some 60 dollar new tires (each) on sale...i got steelies. So even better than 500-700

im just disappointed that with the depth of the aftermarket industry, there's no single easy spray u can put on once a season that will protect your rims properly from salt. If there are any scientists here that wanna start a business, let me know lol

A lot, if not most new cars come with painted rims now so they should be okay for winter use. My stock wheels are painted and they look fine (been through 7 winters). However, like everyone else said, if you have expensive rims (painted or not) you should garage them for winter regardless.

"okay" is relative.

Eventually your painted rims will flake, you cannot prevent salt from spider-webbing under the paint. You just cannot see it.