Alloy Wheels

[GeeJay]

We have 7K axles, HWT Series 4, 16" x 6", HD alloy wheels with "G" tires on our 2008 HHII.  

The wheels clear coat is crazing and cracking.

Anybody else have this problem?

Thnx

GJ

[Donr827]

We have the same trailer and set up that you have.  My wheels do not show any cracking as of yet.   Might call the factory tomorrow and see what they have to say.  Post back and what us know what they say.
Don

[warthog]

I have the same wheels on my 2006 HHII and my finish look bad also.

Nate

[JandJ]

I noticed just the beginnings of crazing on my wheels on my '09 when I was washing them yesterday.  Jan

[Jeff Collingwood]

What happens is the wheels are coated with lacquer.  After a while it comes off.  As it comes off, the wheels will tarnish.  On my Freightliner, they didn't bother with coating, so I have to polish the wheels every few months.  It is not too bad of a job.  If you want the wheels like they were on day one, you will have to strip off all the coating, polish them, and then recoat.  Or you could just polish the wheels every few months.  This doesn't just happen to trailers, it will happen to any aluminum wheel that was coated with lacquer.  It is kind of like having to varnish the wood on a boat.  Coatings don't last forever.  Sometimes not for long at all.  Hmmmm, do you think they are coated in China?  Some lacquers are better than others.  There is not much incentive to use really high grades of lacquers when it comes to wheels.  People choose wheels out of initial appearance.  Otherwise we would all have painted steel wheels.
...Jeff..

[Ancient Mariner]

I think Jeff may have something in the "China" theory.  When I compare the aluminum wheels on my truck (purchased July, 2006) and my trailer (purchased August 2006), the trailer wheels look downright dingy.  The truck wheels don't require polishing, just a good washing with regular car wash soap whenever I do the rest of the truck to keep them looking good.  I wonder if they have "American" clear-coat on them?   

[Hitchhiker]

I noticed mine have a few spots of corrosion starting on them too. I agree with the Chinese theory. If the problem isn't directly caused by coating them in China, it's probably some inferior Chinese lacquer they used to do it with here in the states. 

Richard

[talltexan]

Of the 4 alloy wheels on our relatively new rig, one looks really bad another is starting to look that way, but the other two are like new.  Go figure.

We have the larger wheels ("H" package) and do not care at all for the chrome plastic hubcaps that come with these wheels.  One or two of them are always loose....we lost one the other day while driving and did not notice it until we stopped and camped for the day.

We love our trailer, overall, but, it seems the quality of the wheels do not measure up to the quality of the rest of the unit.  I don't mind doing some cleaning and polishing, but, to have to remove all the "factory" finish and repolish.  That seems to be alot of work. 

Maybe the white painted steel wheels of our first NuWa product was a better idea.

["Highlander"]

We lost one of our chrome plastic hubcaps on our very first trip..... Like most I purchased a replacement cap. Lost it on the next trip out.
Removed the remaining 3 caps, trashed them, cleaned the chrome looking center cap and painted the hub black, the wheels where white. Looked pretty good for a redneck job....Never lost another cap, never had to remove the caps to tighten the lugs.
 Best of both worlds....
Roy

[Exploring Wises]

We were in the habit of losing hub caps until Denny (RVPuller) told me his trick of putting a bit of silicon caulking inside the hub cap to hold it in place.  Seems to work.  Remember to re-apply the caulking after you have checked the lug nuts.

Stacy

[Jeff Collingwood]

The caps on the H-rated wheels are junk, and no matter what you do they will fall off.  The mechanism that hold to the nuts isn't great but it works as long as you have the ones with the wire springs and not the rubber o-rings.  The trouble is that the part that goes onto the lugs is glued to the hub itself.  If you ever remove the hub this glue bond is usually broken and then you are going to loose your cap.  I'd like to find those chrome lug nut covers like I have on the lugs on my Freightliner.  Then all that would look bad would be the hub itself.
...Jeff...

[Big Greg]

Interesting, the Series 7 Hi-Spec wheels we have with the H rated tires have a metal hub cap with a flange that fits inside the wheel.  The only way to loose that hub cap is if the wheel comes off!     Greg

[Jeff Collingwood]

Because you don't have 5/8" studs like I do that come with the package.
...Jeff...

Interesting, the Series 7 Hi-Spec wheels we have with the H rated tires have a metal hub cap with a flange that fits inside the wheel.  The only way to loose that hub cap is if the wheel comes off!     Greg

[Larry B]

Greg
We have aftermarket wheels on our trailers that may have a better hub cap. But saying that, the stock alloy wheels that were on never came loose on our trailer, and even had an axle cap rolling around in one of them.

Larry B

[talltexan]

I like Jeff's idea of buying chrome lugnut covers.  And, if you could get a hub dust cover that was also chrome (and the right size) that would be a good look and not so prone to falling off.

[Ancient Mariner]

I'd like to find those chrome lug nut covers like I have on the lugs on my Freightliner.  Then all that would look bad would be the hub itself.
...Jeff...

I was in Costco in Norfolk a few months ago looking for the chrome lug nuts for my wheels.  They had a good selection of different sizes of lug nut covers like you describe in bins in the tire shop along with the chrome lug nuts - just nothing that would fit te 9/16 lugs on my trailer.