New FX45 owner. Rim questions

[joystix2]

I just purchased a new FX45 and was thinking of buying new rims for it. Would new Chrome rims ruin the ride or performance?Thanks in advance...

Ric

[ARH1956]

Uh, no. If you get the stock size wheels & use the factory tires how would there being chrome affect the ride or performance? If you go to 22" or larger wheels yes the ride will suffer as air volume is reduced in the tires.

[NISTECH]

gonna copy this to tires and suspension forum

[Ceptos]

chrome wheels, assuming they will weight more, would raise your unsprung weight, change your wheel rate (i assume it would lower it, tho im not that familiar with the calculations) and it would add to the rotational mass. im not sure how much an affect it would have on each of these, or how much you would actually notice it. you could go for polished/forged aluminum

[Q45tech]

TSB warning against chroming any factory wheel changes/weakens the alloy..............and negates the warranty on that part..........and any future safety recall.

[Grant@tirerack]

First of all, welcome to the forum. Any time you chrome a wheel you are going to loose about 16-16%+- of the alloy strength. They just don't hold up as well which is why we don't handle a lot in chrome here at Tire Rack. I would stick with a nice painted or polished wheel with an O.E. type clear coat. We list a wide variety of wheels that work on that application here:

http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?...x.jsp

18" and 19" make the most sense for most areas of the country. You can go 20" but you would be looking at a lot more unsprung weight and I would only consider that if you are looking for looks more than performance or handling. Feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions

[joystix2]

Thanks for the replies. My FX45 came with 20's. So are you saying that they are just for show? Since it came with 20" I was just thinking of going with an aftermarket rim like from Helo and using the same rubber. If chroming the rims make them a lot weaker in strength what about the 2004 models coming out with a chrome wheel option?

Ric

[Grant@tirerack]

O.E.M. chrome wheels are cast with that loss of stregnth in mind and typically will be a heavier casting to match the load rating. The problem is in taking a wheel that is not designed to be chrome and plating it. You will find that most of the aftermarket chrome wheels that have the correct load rating for the vehicle will also weigh a lot more than painted wheels.

[jimsbmw]

I would recommend just changing to different wheels, since wheel prices for 20" are getting so much cheaper. I changed the wheels on mine with the same offset and used the stock tires that came with the car. I will wait untill I wear these tires out before changing to 22" since tires seem to cost so much these days. I will post the pics of my car on the suv forum soon. I am still trying to find more things to do to my FX 35 in Asia.

Good Day

[joystix2]

And very happy with them. They are Helo Lotus 20"x8.5...I think they make a huge difference in looks...

Ric

[jimsbmw]

Great choice you made on your rims. looks great.

[solarex]

i preferred the stock rims; it's just me. 22" on FX's ...nice

[jimsbmw]

22" would look great but right now for the cost of wheels and tires its just so expensive.

[joystix2]

22" looks nice but takes a lot out of the ride quality.

IMHORic

[Grant@tirerack]

For most areas, the 20" is about as large as I would consider personally. It's all a matter of taste and what you want to get out of your vehicle. Style can't be ignored either. Everyone has different tastes. If they didn't we'd all be driving Honda Elements :pface (just kidding all you Honda folks out there!)

[jimsbmw]

yeah, I like the new 20" on my FX and will have it posted next week when I find the time to get the thing washed. I am running just a very basic 5 spoke wheel.

[Salsa]

Joystix, that chrome looks sweet. Nice choice. How much does something like that cost?