Chrome Wheels & Rims

Chrome wheels were one of the earliest types of custom rims, and for many car enthusiasts they’re the only custom rims. Black wheels can be enticing, and colored wheels can set off the right vehicle, but chrome has a timeless appeal that looks right on any machine, from modern performance cars and rugged 4x4 trucks, to classic cars, muscle cars and hot rods. A chrome wheel’s bright, gleaming shine framed by a black tire has an eternal allure for car buffs of all ages. If nothing less than the sparkle and brilliance of chrome will do for your ride, check out our huge selection of chrome wheels.

Hot-rodders in the early 1960s made the first chrome wheels by having their own rims plated at chrome plating shops. Many of these were “chrome-reverse” wheels, which were created by cutting out the centers of steel rims, turning the rims around and reinstalling the centers. This produced that desirable “deep dish” look that was all the better for showing off bright chrome. By mid-decade the first production chrome wheels debuted. Those legendary 5-spoke rims quickly became the wheels to have and they were soon ubiquitous on the muscle cars of the day. Copies and variations of the design ensued, and chrome wheels evolved into the many styles you see today on the pages before you.

The huge variety of designs presently available is one of the reasons aftermarket chrome wheels are so enduring. If you’re a traditionalist we have rims with those now familiar 5 spokes, but we can offer you so much more: a large assortment of spoke shapes, patterns, and number of spokes; solid and slotted faces; spinner wheels; various lip and flange configurations, and degrees of concavity. Plus, we can offer more than just chrome. If your idea of a great wheel is nothing but chrome, we have many designs that will satisfy, but if you want to kick the style meter up a notch we have rims with black chrome; rims that supplement the chrome with the wheel face or spoke inserts in color; wheels with carbon fiber inserts; wheels with chrome centers and black and milled lips; and much more. Many of our chrome wheels are also available custom finished if you want a unique appearance.

We offer both conventional chrome wheels and PVD chrome wheels. Some of our brands make both while others concentrate on one type. In the traditional chrome plating process layers of copper, nickel and chromium are applied to the wheel, which results in the deepest, most lustrous shine. However, chrome plating is subject to pitting and corrosion when exposed to road salt and it’s easily contact damaged. With PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) the wheel is primered by powder coating, the chrome is applied in a vacuum chamber, and then a protective clear topcoat is applied. When compared side-by-side, PVD chrome is not as brilliant as conventional chrome, but it is much more durable. If you have a show car or only drive your car on nice sunny days, then you should go with traditional chrome, but if you drive your car every day in any kind of weather, PVD chrome is probably your best bet.

Our chrome wheels are made from stamped steel, cast aluminum, flow form aluminum, and forged aluminum. A cast wheel begins as molten aluminum that has been alloyed with other metals to increase strength, which is then put into a mold under pressure to form the wheel. A flow formed wheel is created from an aluminum casting that is heated and spun while rollers apply great pressure to the barrel, mechanically elongating the barrel to the desired width, while at the same time changing the mechanical properties and grain structure of the cast rim, increasing strength and stiffness, and reducing weight. A solid chunk of premium aluminum billet is used to create a forged wheel. The metal is heated and forced into shape using extreme pressure, and then finish machined to its final form. Forging compresses the metal so it is very dense, resulting in a wheel that is exceptionally stiff and strong, but also very light.

Cast wheels are available in monoblock (1-piece) and 2-piece construction, while forged wheels are available in monoblock, 2-piece, and 3-piece configurations. These come in 13-inch to 34-inch diameters in all popular bolt patterns and in a range of widths, offsets, and backspacing. With such a vast number of possible wheel configurations you’ll have no problems finding rims that will fit your vehicle and provide the look you want, no matter what you drive, whether you want to stay with the OE size or go larger. We even have chrome wheels for trailers! If you have any questions about which chrome wheel diameter, width and offset will enable you to get the fitment, performance and appearance you want for your vehicle, our wheel and tire specialists are just a phone call away.