Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Daft question about wire wheels

As I bought my 4/4 used, I am not sure whether the wire wheels are chrome or stainless steel.

Is there a way of differentiating between the two? No doubt it is obvious to the seasoned Morgan owner!

Also what do owners recommend as the best way of cleaning them and are there any protective products available?

I am sure that this must have been covered before but I had a mooch and couldn't find anything. The car wash thread in the servicing section was very helpful though for the car in general.

Thanks in advance.

At a glance, stainless steel is normally slightly duller than chrome. Chrome plating has a greater possibility of pitting and rusting. Although, martensetic stainless steel can rust.

Fully annealed austenitic stainless steel is not highly magnetic, where as most metals that are plated with chrome are. Simple magnet test may make the determination easy, but some stainless steel has enough nickel to make it slightly magnetic.

If the results of the magnet test are inconclusive, chrome is passive to most chemical corrosives or agents, Cu So4 being a good one to tell steel from chrome, as steel reacts and deposits copper on the surface. Test in a small area not readily visible for a better answer.

This advice was swiped from the internets via the google, as I am not this knowledgeable on this subject on my own

Chrome is richer with more depth when newly applied, but is rarely flawless. Stainless never shows the depth of chrome, but has a more uniform texture.(That's with my concours hat on).

Has anyone fitted Turrino alloy wires yet?

I have Borranis since many years and if I would buy a new traditional Morgan I would order it with Turrinos. IMHO aluminum wire wheels ar far better than steel (I have no experience with stainless but they may be even heavier than the steel)

I was chatting to the guy on the Turrino stand at Shelsley Walsh today. The wheels look nice quality and in a variety of finishes although I'd go for the polished alloy. They certainly feel light! He confirmed that they do tubeless rims although he didn't seem keen on offering that option on the 4/4 sized wheels where the spokes are laced to the outer edge of the rim rather than in a well as the selling may not be as efficient.

Well I tried the magnet test, the rims were magnetic but the spokes not.

Does it matter which they are, is one better than the other and if so why?

I almost bought a chrome wheel cleaning kit from Halfords but declined in case I got it wrong and damaged them (if something is breakable I have a bad knack of breaking it!).

Does anyone have any cleaning tips irrespective of the type of metal?

I am a fan of the Blue Magic metal polish cream. I use this to keep my exhaust shiny on my BMW.



For all metal surfaces
Non-abrasive
Great on brass, copper, sterling silver, aluminum, stainless steel or gold
Removes tarnish and oxidation
Can be used with buffers and polishers
Provides lasting protective coating

http://bluemagicusa.com/index.php/blue_magic/products/210/blue_magic_metal_polish_cream_jar/

In general, chrome plating is hard and expensive to do well and applied to steel, will eventually get holes and rust. It can also suffer from hydrogen embrittlement, but wheel products should be properly baked to get rid of the hydrogen produced by the plating process.

Stainless steel can rust, but it's hard work and on a car, very rare. On a boat in salt water though, rust stains can occur.

Colour wise, chrome is white, with stainless steel being a bit more yellow. Not as yellow as nickel, but can pass for it whereas chrome never will.

For a modern car, if it has wires, stainless steel makes most sense as although spoked alloy rims can look super, I'm suspicious that electrolytic corrosion between them and the spokes could occur.

It is pretty common to have the rims in a chrome clad steel and then the spokes are stainless steel. It eliminates the need for chroming the piddly little pieces of the spokes. Chrome can get pitted over time. Wash the wheels with car soap. Use a wire wheel brush. Cleaning and waxing the chrome with any good product on a regular basis will help keep away the pitting. Also, keep the wheels dry after use in the wet.