Plastic Rims

[xrac]

A friend emailed this to me. Have any on you saw these rims?

 

"Plastic Rims!

 

We are getting more calls about wheels with plastic fronts found on some GM, Jeep and Dodge products. Please see the following link for some detailed information on the rims (thanks to Ben for digging this up). They have a plastic fascia bonded to an alloy rim. The plastic is chromed so it not visually obvious. They sound hollow when tapped.

 

You can see them at http://www.wheelsandcaps.com/Chrome_Clad_Wheels.html

 

We have some preliminary notes on handling them.

 

Balancing: These wheels must be back cone mounted. The front is not structural and we have already had reports of cracking the plastic on the front of the rim from front coning. A pin or fixed finger is highly recommended and may be mandatory on some styles. Plus, on some rims a standard cone will go through and strike the plastic center before seating on the structural taper. A short cone should meet the need on these wheels.

 

Tire changing: When breaking the rear bead, the bead loosener pads must be in good shape just as with any chrome rim to avoid scratching. Having the tire square against the pad for support and making sure the BL blade does not touch the rim are also critical. Duckhead clearance is critical. On some rims, the plastic sits high so the “high spoke” plastic grey Duckhead (8184432) is highly recommended or required. With a steel head, set the clearance higher and out further. This means adjusting the shaft lock at the top which most techs are not prepared to do.

 

Having said all that, this is a sales opportunity against a center post style tire changers. Putting a cone down through the center will easily crush this plastic. Clamping the back of the rim eliminates this risk."