I just got my rims and tires a few weeks ago. I had everything mounted and balanced and I have been wanting to put them on. They are 18" ADR Sokudo 10's silver finish with machined lip. I live in Lower Michigan and the weather here is kind of depressing. I beleive all the snowfall is gone and its just wet and all the snow is melting. My question is will the wet roads, rain, and remaining salt ruin my rims, or is it safe to put them on now? Thanks for your replys.

 

Assuming they're clearcoated, no problems should be encountered. I just put my summer tires/wheels on and I spray them off after salty drives.

 

the problem is that my dad is a chemist. He mainly works on car paints and evne more specific CLEARCOATS. haha so he is telling me that the salt and everything will rip off the clearcoat on the rims and ruin them. He also said that the rain and the salt will "destory the aluminum" or something along those lines. Can anyone tell me if he is just blowing steam or if he is acctually telling the truth?

 

If salt was a problem with clearcoats, I think we'd have heard about it by now considering Subaru's demographics...

 

From what I've heard, salt can destroy the clearcoat on cars. I don't know about other states, but California stopped using salt as a de-icer on roads years ago. But, there have also been improvments in car design to help reduce the effects of salt corrosion on cars.

Here is something google found for me.
http://www.saltinstitute.org/th2020s.html

EDIT: oh, it seems that the link is provided by someone who either sells or otherwise advocates using salt as a deicer. So, take what you read there with a grain of salt (my apologies for the bad pun)

 

thanx for the replys. I am more worried about the clearcoat on my new rims than on my car. Should i just throw the rims on the car or wait another month before i do it? Alot of my friends have been putting theirs on. Thanks for the advice.

 

Wax them with a good synthetic wax (the liquid kind) before you go on the road, then try a wheel protectant like the one Duplicolor makes. Wax is the best protection you can get, because it has a neutral PH and will "buffer" any acids that get on your finish. I wax my wheels every time I wax my car (obviously after I get them REALLY CLEAN).

 

Not postwhoring, just found a good link to add to the discussion:

http://www.autopia.org/

is a pretty nice site with TONS of reviews, discussions and how-to articles on all types of auto cleaning/maintenence. Mysteriously, all of the product reviews lead to an on-line store (GASP!) which however offers excellent prices and very fast service. I recently ordered some gel wheel cleaner, Klasse All-in-One wax (which is INCREDIBLE) and a few microfiber drying towels, and all the prices were well below AutoZone (even before subtracting sales tax).

EDIT: Here's one more link to an interesting product (which I have no experience with)

http://www.duplicolor.com/products/wheel.html