Chrome Tech's are they Covers?

[BransAm]

I heard somewhere that the Chrome techs are actual covers on top of the regular Gt wheels. Is that true? And if so Does anyone know how to get that cover off? Does it just Pry off or what?
Also if so i wonder why they are 500 bucks at the dealer.

[Mystery8]

i heard that they are actual covers too...

I think one of the Gurus did something with his chrometechs...like peel it back or something.
I know, big help i am right? :)

[BransAm]

lol yea big help. maybe someone else knows

[Monello]

Its a cover but molded on. If you look around the lugs, you will see the real color of rim. Think of it as the Stock GT rims, with Chrome hub caps =P

[Jeremy]

Yes they're an actual chrome plated plastic (GuruII can get you the patent # if you want) cover that goes over the exsisting non-chrometech rim. You'll never get the cover off. There's so much goo on there holding it in place that you'll end up trashing the rim before you got the chrometech piece off.

[BransAm]

Ok thanxs. Can you contact guruII and get the number for me? Thanxs.

[MagiLLa]

they are 500 at dealership a piece i assume? because here they are 900$ a piece in Canadian money. Ya, anything you buy from the dealership is expensive because that's just how it is. And also cuz they don't specialize in selling parts just to anyone, nom'sayn?

[Xride]

Originally posted by GrandAmGuru
Yes they're an actual chrome plated plastic (GuruII can get you the patent # if you want) cover that goes over the exsisting non-chrometech rim. You'll never get the cover off. There's so much goo on there holding it in place that you'll end up trashing the rim before you got the chrometech piece off.

friends mom hit the curb with her last year, maybe the year befor, anyways, took a nice size chunk off the wheel and we peeled the rest of it off, and didnt take as much of the paint off the wheel as we thought, but i would still recomend that if you do that only do it to get them polished cause you will take the finish off some parts of the wheel.

[kong]

yeah, when i first bought my car, i was totally excited to get my 99 gagt with the chrome rims. in fact, i only looked at gagt's with chrome rims. when i purchased my car and took it to the car wash, i realized that the chrome rims that i was so excited about is not really chrome! it's only a chrome plated cover that dealerships put on. honestly, anyone who is looking for the stock chrome rims are just wasting their time and money. when i got my new rims last week, i told the tire tech and salesman about the stock rims and he was even amazed that they were only HUBCAPS! now, why that charge so much for them, i don't know.

[PontiacGTboy]

I think the rim unerneith is actually designed specially for the chromtech wheel. i had them on my car and if you look in the lug hole, you can see a lip in the silver part of the rim that allows the chrome cover to go back into the lug hole some... on the silver rims the lip is not there. also, with the ticknes of the plastic, the out lip of the wheel (where they put weights for balancing) would be huge on the regualr silver wheel because of the lack of the fairly thick chrome plastic. Either way, they look pretty good and are alittle easier to keep up than real chrome.

[ja_nd]

i work at GM and was in a meeting a while ago with a guy from the company that makes those covers. i asked him how to get them apart. he said there is nothing in the world that can be used to get them apart without ruining the rim under it. i had the same dissappointment as alotof you when i bought my car.

[Sternie]

I'm not dissappointed by the plastic at all. I mean after all, it is a real wheel, and some of the nicest looking stock rims I've seen at that. The plastic is very easy to keep clean and always shines. And not one person has noticed the "fakeness".

[BrianS]

Just a reminder to anyone that is buying the 99-01 chrometechs... If you use the part number from the Accessories Brochure they are only $199 a piece instead of $500.

part # 12497376

[GTmonyPit]

does anyone know if there is any thing you can do if they have little spots on them.

I was wondering if I could use a crome polish or an abrasive polish because I have tried everything .

[02andahalfgt]

I use Macquires, or maybe it's Mother's, either way it's called Chrome Wheel Cleaner. Spray on, leave sit for 30 sec, spray off with the hose. Beautiful shine.

[02andahalfgt]

Just a reminder to anyone that is buying the 99-01 chrometechs... If you use the part number from the Accessories Brochure they are only $199 a piece instead of $500.

part # 12497376


Off topic... Dude, sweet paint!! Do you have any more pics other than the one on your N-body page?!

[GTspeed]

personally, i like em. love the way they look, especially when really clean. also, u get the chrome look, without the weight, for anyone into performance. and i'd rather have a lightweight wheel.

[sweet98gagt]

i was the one that made a comment about it in another thread, when 2 other members that own 99 newer models tried to tell me it wasnt true....god i hate being right all the time

[Gimli]

yeah, when i first bought my car, i was totally excited to get my 99 gagt with the chrome rims. in fact, i only looked at gagt's with chrome rims. when i purchased my car and took it to the car wash, i realized that the chrome rims that i was so excited about is not really chrome! it's only a chrome plated cover that dealerships put on. honestly, anyone who is looking for the stock chrome rims are just wasting their time and money. when i got my new rims last week, i told the tire tech and salesman about the stock rims and he was even amazed that they were only HUBCAPS! now, why that charge so much for them, i don't know.

Lies, lies, lies...

It IS real chrome, only applied to a plastic surface instead of the aluminum wheel, because aluminum is very hard (and expensive) to apply chrome directly on.

It is not a cover that dealerships put on, it is a piece of plastic that is bonded to the aluminum wheel at the factory before chrome is applied to it.

They are not hubcaps, see previous comment.

[Slim]

Lies, lies, lies...

It IS real chrome, only applied to a plastic surface instead of the aluminum wheel, because aluminum is very hard (and expensive) to apply chrome directly on.

It is not a cover that dealerships put on, it is a piece of plastic that is bonded to the aluminum wheel at the factory before chrome is applied to it.

They are not hubcaps, see previous comment.

Thank you.... It drives me nuts when people call them hubcaps. Hubcaps are the nasty plastic grey things that cover up a steel wheel. Our chrometechs are chrome plated, boned plastic. Until I ruined one, I loved my stock rims. They were a lot more durable than traditional chrome rims and not nearly as heavy. One stock chrome tech weighs 16lbs.

[GTmonyPit]

so does that mean that i can use real corme polish and crome cleaners because I am afraid of wreaking them.

[kristin04gt]

does anyone know if there is any thing you can do if they have little spots on them.

I was wondering if I could use a crome polish or an abrasive polish because I have tried everything .


I use Turtle Wax Chrome Polish. Works wonders, I have pics if you are interested.

[Gimli]

I use Turtle Wax Chrome Polish. Works wonders, I have pics if you are interested.

Same here, I use TWCP for big jobs (beginning of summer, before I put them in storage, etc.) and Windex most of the time.

[Slim]

so does that mean that i can use real corme polish and crome cleaners because I am afraid of wreaking them.

Yup. Chrome polish works best.

[Hexx]

I tried to take my cover off. Of course this was on a broken rim. You seriously can not get these things off. They put a rung of goo around the edge of the chome cover, and i dont know where else because i didnt make it too far taking it off. That plastic is thick also.

[SkinzGT1]

Another nice chrome polish is called NOXON. Works great... buy it at homedepot or walmart though... not an automotive store... save a couple dollars... it runs like $4.50.

[tagurit]

Shoot.....i just use Meguires liquid soap, Eagle A-Z and nothing else. I have had the car 19 mos. and I don't use anything else. The Chrometechs are the easiest wheels to clean so far............

[braves511]

are the torqued rims done the same way? Or is that what is being talked about, I am picturing the 5 spoke normal rims in my head.

[boost21]

crometeks are the 5 spoke ones, i believe the "torqued" ones arnt covers

[5-lO]

crometeks are the 5 spoke ones, i believe the "torqued" ones arnt covers

Definately done the same way, I can take a finger and flick it on the stocker and you can hear the plasticy noise that comes back at you. I dont mind though, they look nice.

[AznGA]

I love my stock torqued chrometechs!!! They look very nice for a factory rim. I have a lot of people look at my rims. They think it's aftermarket until they see the pontiac logo on the cap.

[CUSTOMGAGT2000SEDAN]

i agree the 2001 to 2004 gt specific chrome wheels are not hub caps . but are a chrome plastic cover bonded to the aluminium backing . i have seen one of these wheels with the covering completely torn off . and the backing is not the excat same styling as the chrome covers look like. now if you had the 1999 to 2000 gt chrome cover wheels things would be different i heard . with that style when the covers where to be removed you do have the same style aluminium wheel in behind , just that it has a light grey or other colour primer on the surface. also if you had this style of wheel you can buy what the sellers actually do call hubs of the exact same styling that can be snapped on to the non- chrome gt style wheels of those two years 99/00. i have a set . extremely nice work menship . chrome as good or better then factory. but i am selling them brand new never used. just changed my mind on using them. the difference is with these they actually cover that little tiny 1/4 of the outer lip of your aluminium wheels ,( completely cover wheel) . as aposed to that lip you do see on the factory chrome gt tec wheels. sell price $100 cdn dollars not including ship no refunds or returns still in original box . throw in grafex center decals i had made up for them, < very close to colour and style of centers on 2001 to 2004 centers emblems. i don ' t believe these sellers make similiar covers for 01 to 04 style wheels., if you have non- chromed version of those years. if they did be cheaper to buy non - chrome version then get the covers agian if they make them.