"TheOnelectronic" (theoneelectronic)
10/07/2013 at 21:59 • Filed to: None
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"TheOnelectronic" (theoneelectronic)
10/07/2013 at 21:59 • Filed to: None | 1
| 23 |
And not just because of the size. I can't think of a single modern chrome wheel that didn't look like painted plastic, and yet chrome wheels on older cars look fine to me.
My only theory is that we've gotten too good at the chrome-plating process. It's too smooth and reflective, whereas the older ones had enough distortion and roughness to look like actual metal.
Anyone else feel this way? Or am I just crazy?
48 Spoons
> TheOnelectronic
10/07/2013 at 22:03 |
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Totally agree. I can't stand chrome wheels, they just look cheap. I think all the cheap chrome trim lately has helped to make chrome overall look cheap.
desertdog5051
> TheOnelectronic
10/07/2013 at 22:05 |
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You are just a crazy man. These have been around for years and still look good.
Squid
> TheOnelectronic
10/07/2013 at 22:05 |
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The chrome plating just lays on top of what ever base metal you are starting with. There really isn't any magic to it. Plating of any metal is just basic chemistry. I think it is the finish on the base that is getting better as machining and manufacturing processes get better.
tireman721
> TheOnelectronic
10/07/2013 at 22:15 |
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Not all chrome wheels look bad, just the majority of aftermarket ones. There are a lot of stock chrome wheels that look good.
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TheOnelectronic
> desertdog5051
10/07/2013 at 22:15 |
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I agree with you. Maybe it's the curves?
There's really no part on that wheel you could use to shave, which I think is my biggest complaint.
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TheOnelectronic
> Squid
10/07/2013 at 22:16 |
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I don't think it's just straight-up Chromium, though. I think it's an alloy. Changing the composition of this alloy could make a difference.
And yeah, I was including the underlying surface finish as part of the process when I said we've gotten too good at it.
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TheOnelectronic
> tireman721
10/07/2013 at 22:17 |
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I very rarely see stock chrome wheels. The only one I can think of was on a Fiesta, and they looked awful.
To be clear, I don't just mean AutoZone wheels. Even the ones that cost approximately a house look cheap and plasticy to me.
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tireman721
> TheOnelectronic
10/07/2013 at 22:20 |
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My ford F-150 has stock chrome wheels and they look good on it.
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TheOnelectronic
> tireman721
10/07/2013 at 22:28 |
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Hmm. Do you have a picture handy? (Or can find an appropriate one on the 'net?)
PRBot II
> TheOnelectronic
10/07/2013 at 22:36 |
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Ever since a younger friend told me chrome wheels were a 90's thing, I just can't unsee it. I think Chevy may still chrome some of their wheels, and it looks a little outdated.
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Squid
> TheOnelectronic
10/07/2013 at 22:48 |
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Its an ionic bath and that is causing the plating. There are base layers of copper and nickel then the chromium. The final top coat of chrome is chromium or else it couldn't be chrome. Electroplating hasn't changed since it was discovered and it really cant due to chemistry. If you were to mix a bath of two separate ionic solutions, you would get a chemical reaction resulting in a precipitate and only one metallic ion remaining in solution (assuming you added them according to a balanced chemical equation). So really all that can be plated is chromium aside from the base layers of nickel and copper.
Alloys only work when you take two dissimilar metals at their melting points and mix them together. Alloys work on the basis of rearranging the crystalline structures of the solid and therefore forming a stronger solid. An alloy is really just a mixture and not compound as they would never be able to chemically bond.
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TheOnelectronic
> Squid
10/07/2013 at 22:55 |
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I probably should have realized that. I know all these disparate things but apparently it didn't occur to me to put them together. Bah, I've been fucking around with phases and crystalline structures all day. I think I was going off some info from my dad (always risky) thinking it was an alloy.
The idea I'm currently following is that it has to do with wheel shapes: Older wheels tended to be more curved, and therefore rarely reflected an image like a flat surface can. More investigation to follow.
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Squid
> TheOnelectronic
10/07/2013 at 22:59 |
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Haha no worries. Yeah, wheels nowadays are more angular with few curved surfaces. But the old Cragers and Torque Thrusts were full of curves and not too many harsh flat surfaces. On that I agree with you.
Sorry to get all sciency on you.
beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard
> TheOnelectronic
10/07/2013 at 23:04 |
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there's different methods to what sort of finish you can get with chroming.
for example you can get a satin finish by plating in nickel, then glass/alumina blasting the nickel and then hard-plating with chromium.
I still think it has a lot to do with the design and shape of the wheel more than anything though.
Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney
> TheOnelectronic
10/07/2013 at 23:22 |
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Preach!
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tireman721
> TheOnelectronic
10/07/2013 at 23:25 |
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Here is a ford truck similar to mine with stock chrome wheels.
SpeedSix
> TheOnelectronic
10/07/2013 at 23:38 |
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I agree that most chrome wheels on new cars look awful, but chrome lips on dark wheels are awesome.
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TheOnelectronic
> tireman721
10/08/2013 at 09:17 |
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Hmm. The idea I'm working on currently is that it has more to do with wheel shape. Older wheels, or the wheels on your truck, don't have the sort of large flat areas that more modern wheels have.
M5000
> TheOnelectronic
10/09/2013 at 00:04 |
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No, I can agree with you.. I'd much prefer a good polish for a slightly less shiny look, than the chrome plating.
GreenN_Gold
> TheOnelectronic
10/10/2013 at 13:52 |
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I think you might be on to something with the curves surfaces versus flat surfaces.
I'll also just point out that a lot of modern chrome wheels may look plastic because they ARE plastic. Plasti-chromed aluminum wheels are lighter and less corrosive, so I get that, but I'd be much happier with just a finished aluminum wheel and skip the plasti-chrome.
^^^^^ Plastic over aluminum.
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TheOnelectronic
> GreenN_Gold
10/10/2013 at 13:55 |
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Plasti-chrome? I haven't come across this term. I know how regular chrome-plating works, but how does one do it with plastic?
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GreenN_Gold
> TheOnelectronic
10/10/2013 at 13:59 |
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It's just a plastic wheel cover over an aluminum wheel, two separate pieces. I'd like to find a good resource for what all these wheels look like underneath without the wheel cover. I found a Toyota Tacoma one, but the image was blocked when I tried to link it here. I asked a dealer once if I could take the wheel cover off of a Challenger to look underneath. He said no.
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GreenN_Gold
> TheOnelectronic
10/10/2013 at 14:12 |
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Plasti-chrome was just my term by the way. I believe Chrysler calls them chrome-clad, and GM calls them chrome-tech. I was a lot attendant way back when "chrome tech" came out ~2000 or so.