How to determine what a wheel is made of ?

Re: how to determine what a wheel is made of

Mag as in Magnesium alloy rims are probably something you won't see very much at all. Most rims you'll find are painted/polished/chromed out wheels. If you can't tell whats polished vs chrome then I can't really help you.
 
Re: how to determine what a wheel is made of

LeMarque said:
I've read threads that recommend different products for cleaning/polishing aluminum, mag, chrome wheels, etc. and was wondering how you tell the difference?
Click to expand...

Found this site searching for my wheels type:

Rims, Used Rims, Used Wheels, OEM Wheels, OEM Rims available at OriginalWheels.com

So I found what type of wheels came with my SUV...it's not exact but it gives me a good start point knowing what they are...the pictures help a lot also...

Perhaps if you post a picture of the wheels, some more knowledgeable guys here can tell you what they are made of :xyxthumbs:
 
Re: how to determine what a wheel is made of

If you just want to know if they are aluminum or steel and can't tell, use a magnet.

The only thing you really have to worry about (most commonly) is uncoated aluminum.

DLB
 
Re: how to determine what a wheel is made of

How to determine what type of wheels you have?

Wheels are either made from a material and you're working directly on the material, examples include aluminum and magnesium. Or wheels are coated, so the wheels are either steel or aluminum and have been coated with another type of material and anytime you're working on this type of wheel you're working on the coating.


Magnet will tell you whether it's steel or aluminum, that's a pretty simple test that will tell you real fast the material the wheel is made out of. Below are some tips for testing to determine if there's a coating on a wheel.


Uncoated or Bare Aluminum Wheels - You'll quickly see black residue build up on your polishing cloth

Clearcoated Aluminum Wheels - You might see some dirt residue on your polishing cloth but it won't turn black like you'll see if it's bare aluminum.

Anodized Aluminum Wheels - Same as clearcoated aluminum, you will see a little colored residue come off, usually the color of the anodizing but it certainly won't be anything like what you'll see if you're working on bare aluminum.

Chrome Wheels - You shouldn't see any color coming off chrome except for any built-up roadgrime that didn't come off when you washed the wheel and this will tend to be kind of a dirt color, light brown. After you remove any roadgrime then you won't see any color come off the chrome at all.


Clearcoated Wheels - Since clear paint is clear, you should see no color or pigment coming off on your polishing cloth. If there's dirt or roadgrime built-up on the clearcoated wheel you'll see a little brown color coming off but that will stop once you have the roadgrime removed.


Painted Wheels - If you're wheels are painted a color and not clearcoated then if you rub a little polish onto the rim you'll see the color of the paint coming off onto your polishing cloth.
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Testing an aluminum wheel
You can do this same type of test to any wheel using either a light polish, paint cleaner or metal polish. Always test in an inconspicuous area if you think the wheel might be painted, either clearcoated or pigmented paint.
NonAbrasiveMethod058.jpg


NonAbrasiveMethod059.jpg



Oxidized Aluminum Comes Off Black
NonAbrasiveMethod060.jpg

Wolfgang MetallWerk™ Aluminum Polishing System


This is also a chapter in my e-book but the e-book has more info and more pictures.



:)
 
Re: how to determine what a wheel is made of

Magnet test, over time you'll be able to tell by looking at them. Just like anything, the more exposure you have to wheels or anything, you'll be better at identifying what it is.
 
Re: how to determine what a wheel is made of

Regardless of what a wheel is made of, wheel cleaners like Sonax, WG, and GG are safe on all wheels. And for polishing and protecting anything, Flitz works great for coated and uncoated wheels.
 
Re: how to determine what a wheel is made of

Just to note,

Magnesium wheels are fairly rare in this day and age. Most of the talk about magnesium wheels will be focused on mag wheels from the 1960's and early 1970's when the raw material was a lot more affordable.

I know there was an option with some late model Corvettes to choose polished magnesium wheels but I've only seen one set in person.


Magnesium Wheels
Also most older magnesium wheels are going to be a dark, ugly gray color as this is the color they turn if not continually polished and maintained.


Years and years ago we did an extreme makeover on a 1973 Bora which had neglected magnesium wheels, they cleaned up pretty good but the pictures don't show all the scrubbing we did.


Magnesium wheel on a 1973 Maserati Bora


Photos courtesy of MeguiarsOnline
2BoraFirstRearWheelClean1.jpg


2BoraWheelBrushClean1-med.jpg



Notice the built-up dirt in the textured surface of the wheel face...

2DirtyBoraWheelCloseUp.jpg


The Bora wheels were neglected and very dirty, but with a little elbow grease you can see, the wheels came out spectacular!

2BoraWheelsFinished3.jpg


2BoraFinished10.jpg



:)
 
Re: how to determine what a wheel is made of

I have run into a set of rims that were chromed plastic pressed onto a aluminum wheel. these chrome wheels seemed to be real soft an need a softer touch than regular chrome. They were on a 2004 pt cruiser. Jonathan
 
Re: how to determine what a wheel is made of

Here's what Magnesium Wheels look like if they are not maintained... once you see a couple of sets they are pretty easy to identify...


Halibrand0MagnesiumNeglected.jpg




Halibrand0MagnesiumNeglected1.jpg






Here's what they look like polished...
PolishedHalibrand0Magnesium.jpg




Vintage ad
HalibrandEngineeringAd.jpg




:xyxthumbs:
 
Re: how to determine what a wheel is made of

Mike, youre showing your age, with pic like this....LOL



Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
Here's what Magnesium Wheels look like if they are not maintained... once you see a couple of sets they are pretty easy to identify...


Halibrand0MagnesiumNeglected.jpg




Halibrand0MagnesiumNeglected1.jpg






Here's what they look like polished...
PolishedHalibrand0Magnesium.jpg




Vintage ad
HalibrandEngineeringAd.jpg




:xyxthumbs:
Click to expand...
 
Re: how to determine what a wheel is made of

dchristo said:
Mike, you're showing your age, with pic like this....LOL
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I've just worked on a lot of cars in my life and this has introduced me to a very wide spectrum of enthusiasts of which some have been into vintage car racing and thus lightweight, strong magnesium wheels.


I work out regularly at the local gym and try to eat healthy... this picture was taken last week, Matt is in his early 30's and I'm 50

Video Shoot with Matt Steele at Autogeek’s Show Car Garage TV Studio

StudioWork15.jpg



Half of age is in your mind... one thing for sure... I'm in this for the long run...


:)
 
Re: how to determine what a wheel is made of

Mike, I also go to the gym and try to eat healthy but have difficulty staying away from hot wings ;)
 
Re: how to determine what a wheel is made of

ohmy34 said:
I have run into a set of rims that were chromed plastic pressed onto a aluminum wheel. these chrome wheels seemed to be real soft an need a softer touch than regular chrome. They were on a 2004 pt cruiser. Jonathan
Click to expand...


you'll find that most of chrysler/dodge/jeep "chrome" wheels for the past 6-8 yrs. have been plastic caps over steel or aluminum.
 
Re: how to determine what a wheel is made of

I just got back online and thanks to everyone that took the time to reply.

So I did check some auto mfg.sites and it seems many are using anodized aluminum alloy, painted and clear coated; as was stated.

The info that "most of chrysler/dodge/jeep "chrome" wheels for the past 6-8 yrs. have been plastic caps over steel or aluminum." was a great 'heads-up'.

And Mike, what is this 'e-book' you're referring to?
 
Re: how to determine what a wheel is made of

How to tell what the wheel is made of:

Steel or Aluminum is what 99% of your wheels today are made from. Steel contains Iron, and therefore a magnet sticks to it. Aluminum has no iron, and a magnet does not stick to it. Simple. Get a magnet.

If the wheel has a clear finish, you have to stay away from caustic cleaners. What is a "caustic" cleaner? Any cleaner containing a basic solution. I use "basic" as a chemical term (I am a chemist, among other things), meaning the pH is above 7. Think "oven cleaner" or baking soda or lye. Wheel and tire cleaners that are caustic contain Sodium Hydroxide or a different hydroxide compound that has a high pH like oven cleaner (not as caustic of course but still can burn your skin in some cases). Read the label of the product. It will at least say you need to wear gloves when handling the product, maybe wear goggles. Better labeling tells you about the hydroxide chemical in it.

To test a wheel for clear finish, there really is not a test. But if you buy Flitz metal polish, this can be used on clear coated metal and even on painted finishes and clear plastics such as lexan, so it is safe to use on clear finishes. I don't recommend using it for this purpose, however, except to take a small amount on a soft cloth and rub it on a small area of the wheel. If the cloth turns real black, you got an aluminum wheel that has no clear coat. If it doesn't turn black, you at least did not harm the clear coat.
 
Re: how to determine what a wheel is made of

The Heater said:
...Steel contains Iron, and therefore a magnet sticks to it. Aluminum has no iron, and a magnet does not stick to it. Simple. Get a magnet...
Click to expand...

I know I must have sounded like a box of rocks in my OP; but this every third grader knows :doh: I'll try and take more time in the future to be more specific.

My concern has more to do with any possible coating the wheels may have and any precautions that should be taken.

I did take your advice and ordered Flitz. And I will stay away from 'Oven Cleaner' ;)
 
Re: how to determine what a wheel is made of

LeMarque: It is hard to tell if a shiny aluminum wheel (even one with a gray finish) has a clear coat on some wheels. The issue of avoiding the caustic cleaners is because many sellers of wheel cleaners make their product so it is effective in removing brake dust with little effort, and it ends up being caustic in the process.

If you do happen to use an "oven cleaner" on a finished wheel, all is not lost if you don't let it sit too long on the wheel. I no longer buy any caustic cleaners for that part of the car except for the tires only, and it gets washed off quickly.

Smart move on buying the Flitz. You won't be disappointed in it.
 
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