Are all car wheels an alloy?

[ihaveacamaro]

I recently got a product from CG called Premium Blue Wheel Cleaner. It says its safe on alloys.

I know very old school wheels are steel, but apart from that aren't all wheels alloy?

For example, I've read that polished aluminum wheels are actually a polished aluminum alloy rather than straight aluminum as that is too brittle.

One of the reviews said that the guy put it on his chrome wheels (so I'm guessing it shouldn't affect chrome either)?

So are all or most wheels alloy?

[Setec Astronomy]

Very few applications use unalloyed aluminum, as it's very soft. Since almost all aluminum use is alloyed, almost always these alloys are just referred to as "aluminum" although purists may refer to them as AA, "aluminum alloy". In the wheel business, the original lightweight wheels were made from magnesium, which is where the term "mag wheels" comes from, but improvements in aluminums and processing and problems with magnesium alloys of the day lead to aluminum becoming the standard lightweight wheel material.

"Chrome" is never used to make wheels, only as a plating on either aluminum or steel wheels. So non-steel wheels are generally referred to as "alloy" wheels, but you've generally got 3 possible finishes: bare/polished, painted (clear or color), and chrome, which may all react differently to different wheel cleaners.

[ihaveacamaro]

Very few applications use unalloyed aluminum, as it's very soft. Since almost all aluminum use is alloyed, almost always these alloys are just referred to as "aluminum" although purists may refer to them as AA, "aluminum alloy". In the wheel business, the original lightweight wheels were made from magnesium, which is where the term "mag wheels" comes from, but improvements in aluminums and processing and problems with magnesium alloys of the day lead to aluminum becoming the standard lightweight wheel material.

"Chrome" is never used to make wheels, only as a plating on either aluminum or steel wheels. So non-steel wheels are generally referred to as "alloy" wheels, but you've generally got 3 possible finishes: bare/polished, painted (clear or color), and chrome, which may all react differently to different wheel cleaners.

Cool, thanks for the info. I guess until I try it out extensively, I will spot check first.

[Vegas Transplant]

Very few applications use unalloyed aluminum, as it's very soft. Since almost all aluminum use is alloyed, almost always these alloys are just referred to as "aluminum" although purists may refer to them as AA, "aluminum alloy". In the wheel business, the original lightweight wheels were made from magnesium, which is where the term "mag wheels" comes from, but improvements in aluminums and processing and problems with magnesium alloys of the day lead to aluminum becoming the standard lightweight wheel material.

"Chrome" is never used to make wheels, only as a plating on either aluminum or steel wheels. So non-steel wheels are generally referred to as "alloy" wheels, but you've generally got 3 possible finishes: bare/polished, painted (clear or color), and chrome, which may all react differently to different wheel cleaners.

Thanks for the quick history. Learned something new today.

Forgot one: anodised clear or color.



Anodizing
is an electrolytic (http://en.wikipedia.org/####/Electrolyte) passivation (http://en.wikipedia.org/####/Passivation_(chemistry)) process used to increase the thickness of the natural oxide (http://en.wikipedia.org/####/Oxide) layer on the surface of metal parts. The process is called "anodizing" because the part to be treated forms the anode (http://en.wikipedia.org/####/Anode) electrode of an electrical circuit (http://en.wikipedia.org/####/Electrical_circuit). Anodizing increases corrosion (http://en.wikipedia.org/####/Corrosion) resistance and wear resistance, and provides better adhesion for paint primers and glues than does bare metal. Anodic films can also be used for a number of cosmetic effects, either with thick porous coatings that can absorb dyes or with thin transparent coatings that add interference (http://en.wikipedia.org/####/Interference_(wave_propagation)) effects to reflected light.


Anodization changes the microscopic texture of the surface and changes the crystal structure (http://en.wikipedia.org/####/Crystal_structure) of the metal near the surface. Thick coatings are normally porous, so a sealing process is often needed to achieve corrosion resistance (http://en.wikipedia.org/####/Corrosion_resistance). Anodized aluminium surfaces, for example, are harder than aluminium but have low to moderate wear resistance that can be improved with increasing thickness or by applying suitable sealing substances. Anodic films are generally much stronger and more adherent than most types of paint and metal plating, but also more brittle. This makes them less likely to crack and peel from aging and wear, but more susceptible to cracking from thermal stress.