This may be a dumb question, but what is the difference between a polished lip and a chrome lip? (the rest of the rim is black)

Does one gleam more than the other? Is one more durable??

The wheels I want are offered in all chrome or black with a "polished lip." I want black, but don't know if it's worth getting the all chrome and having the spokes stripped and powdercoated in order to have a "chrome" lip ... thanks in advance.

 

they r prolly the same man. just diff names

 

Not the same. Polished is like it sounds, polished metal. They will a few different types of rubbing compounds and buff the hell out of the lip. Chrome will be acid dipped to clean the wheel then dipped in nickle and then chrome.

Chrome can chip and fade. Polish can fade. Much easier to get the wheels repolished vs. getting them rechromed.

 

The chrome lip would be a lot shinier then the polished lip....

 

the chrome lip ususally means the whole entire rim is chrome then they paint over the chrome with the black paint, so you would get a better visual, although the polished lip doesnt look bad as well, just wont be as shiny. I cant remember if mine are chrome or polished but i'll post pics when i recieve my new rims....I just buoght the Hp Hpr5 in black

 

Correct me if i'm wrong, but the polished lip requires you to actually polish it aswell in order to maintain the shine. Not a setback for people who enjoy spending the time polishing their rims, but for the person who just likes to rinse off his car and call it a day, the rims won't look that good after a while (Alot of people I know that bought polished rims said they never would again, but they were fully polished rims, as opposed to just the lips.)

I see alot of Camaro's around here that polished their stock silver/grey rims to make them look like chrome.

Downfall to Chrome rims is that they are a bit heavier than their painted counterparts (same rim in silver or black is a bit lighter and cheaper than in chrome alot fo the time) And like a chrome bumper on a vehicle, they show any little scratches or marks fairly easily in the right light.


Again I may be completely wrong about this but this was always my understanding when it came to these styles of rims. If anyone can correct me and educate me a little bit further it would certainly be appreciated.

 

polish is lighter.

 

Some high end polished wheels have clear coat on them to prevent fading.

 

it also depends if your rims are 1 or 2 piece.... chrome lips dont have clear coat and polished lips do. chrome lips are shinnier, but also can get dull over time if not polished and you wouldnt have any clear coat pealing problems. the problem with polished lips is they have a chance of pealing if you hit the curb. (happened to me with with my previous polished lip rims) well depends on how you take care of it... if you are always careful then there wouldnt be a problem!!

 

thanks for all the help gentlemen, now all i have to do is SAVE SAVE SAVE!! i'll post a pic if (when) i get them...

 

You can repair a polished lip.

After scratching you can sand it, polish it, make it look new.

Can't do that with chrome.