t0talacuratl

iTrader: (3)

I'm thinking about doing an exchange to OEM 17" chrome wheels for my 04 tl 6mt. My only concern is I don't want my performance to suffer due to heavier wheels. Has anyone done this or have these wheel that can give me some feedback? Thanks guys!

darksom1

I have those wheels and I haven't noticed a difference at all. I have an o6 NBP 6MT. I think it is also fair to point out that I bought my car and immediately (as in at the dealer) changed my rims to the chromed version of the stock ones. So I've only rode on the chromed ones. But I throw my car around with no problem!

pohljm

I have had both on my 06 and I cannot tell a difference. I did not weigh the individual rim, but the chrome model is a similar alloy just chromed, I would be suprised if there was any measurable weight difference between the two wheels.

t0talacuratl

iTrader: (3)

Thanks alot for the feedback guys!

Pohljm, I saw pics of your car. It looks great! I wish I could have gotten your color. What can I use to get my car to shines like yours?

Retired 93LS coupe

I have been seeing alot of rim exchanges on ebay as well ....do anyone have a pic of the chrome rims mounted ?

Ernie Golfs

Here you go:

Ernie Golfs

These were installed by the dealer the day I purchased my 06 TL. This is my first attempt at posting pics.

triggle

From: Socalwheel.com
Our Exclusive 10 Point Process
1. Test – all castings are tested to comply with roundness and safety specifications
2. Clean - wheel castings are cleaned using safe blast and cold-strip methods.
3. Polish- wheels are polished combining automated and hand techniques
4. Nickel Base Plate – initial step of the triple chrome plating process
5. Copper Plate – additional layers help to smooth the surface imperfections
6. Copper Buff – hand polishing develops depth and shine
7. Bright Nickel Plate – adds to brightness and prepares surface for final plate
8. Chrome Finish Plate – final triple chrome step insures long lasting mirror finish
9. Final Inspection & Re-Test
10. Packaging & Installation

In order to plate the wheels they have to remove all stock finish which is REALLY REALLY thick. Under the stock finish is a rather rough aluminum casting, which has to be polished to a near perfect surface before plating, or the plating will be bumpy. Removing all that material means less weight.

I'll bet the wheels weigh less than the stock finish and a lighter wheel always performs better for acceleration and ride quality. The difference in weight would be in grams, but after polishing my own stock TL wheels I can tell you I removed one hell of allot of material before I got down to good metal.

My summer wheels are the stock TL wheels which have been polished and my winters are normal stock TL wheels. The stockers look really boring by comparison so I am sure you'll like the chrome. Kick it up a notch!

t0talacuratl

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for that info! That was definitely what I was worried about. That will be one of my next mod!

pohljm

Meguairs all the way baby!

triggle

I forgot to add that the ONE thing that chrome or polished wheels need is a better center cap. A glossy black cap with an Acura crest would really set it off. I bought what I thought was 4 center caps for the A-spec wheels but it arrived as a package of 4 emblems only.

I also found an earlier model Acura center cap that was black with an emblem embedded in plastic but the size was off by about 3mm. The cap looked like the steering wheel crest on the 04 TL (not '05,6,7). It would have looked nice.

IMO the plain chrome caps the plating shop offers won't look good. If you are going to spend more for caps, get a set of the A-spec caps that are for the A-spec chrome-look wheels. A bit spendy but nice.

t0talacuratl

iTrader: (3)

I use Meguairs also, but I can never get mine to shine like yours! Did you use a buffer? Plus I have alot of paint chips and scratches on mine.

t0talacuratl

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for the tip. I will need to get new lug nuts, because mine are rusted from nicks.

pohljm

I would say the single best thing you can do for your finish is to clay it, then if your paint is still not quite where you want it use a paint cleaner. I just go straight from clay to #7 polish and then top coat it with a paint sealant like #20. paint is as smooth as a babys butt. I have a DA orbital but I do not use it on this car. If you have light scratches in your clear coat you should use some scratch-x, If after 3 tries with scratch-x by hand you are still not satisfied you will need to go with a DA and some #80 0r possibly #83.

t0talacuratl

iTrader: (3)

Thanks, I will try it this weekend.