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Aftermarket Palmerston wheels

Y

YorkshireCali

Messages
52
Location
Leeds
Vehicle
T6 Beach 150
Hi all

My 17" Cascavel alloys are quite corroded so I'm thinking if changing them. I've mentally gone through the spectrum of sizes 18-20, and I'm currently leaning towards 18" and maintaining max OEM tyre size. Now I need to decide which wheel to go for.

Has anyone experienced aftermarket Palmerston style alloys which retail at around £600 for a set of 4 18"?

I'm wondering what the quality is like. One website I found said that the face has a 3-month warranty which doesn't seem much. They appear to be non-branded, and I wouldn't want to buy them and find they start to corrode 6 months later.

Original Palmerstons (and other nice OEM like Tolucas) are more than I'd like to spend.

Alternatively, I could go down a non-OEM style route but I don't want them to be too bling, maybe something like this style (or similar) - but not sure if the face will be any less susceptible to corrosion vs non-branded.

IMG_3212.jpeg
 
When I changed wheels I looked for ones specified as having 'winter coating' which rules out all Diamond Cut ones.

Some years back I bought 'Style' wheels to match originals on an EOS and found that the alloy wasn't nearly the same quality and the had spigots plus aftermarket type wheel bolts included.
Look the same but----
You get what you pay for.
 
Thanks, the non-branded bit worries me the most as I can't find any details about them. I accept that most polished wheels will corrode at some point but I'd like to think a manufacturer will guarantee them for longer than 3 months!
 
YorkshireCali said:
Thanks, the non-branded bit worries me the most as I can't find any details about them. I accept that most polished wheels will corrode at some point but I'd like to think a manufacturer will guarantee them for longer than 3 months!
Click to expand...
I wouldn't touch 'style' wheels on a Cali for dubious load and cracking resistance capabilities.
 
Yeah I think I'll avoid non-branded. The sea of wheels to choose from is endless though, someone should make a virtual wheel viewer so you can change wheels and ride height to see how they look before buying!!
 
YorkshireCali said:
Yeah I think I'll avoid non-branded. The sea of wheels to choose from is endless though, someone should make a virtual wheel viewer so you can change wheels and ride height to see how they look before buying!!
Click to expand...
If you go on Tyreleader site, click on the Union flag, select Ireland then set wheels, VW model etc you will be able to get rim size colour etc. When clicking on a wheel it will show it on the van selected earlier.
Not on UK for wheels since Brexit hence need to change Country to get it to show rims.

Play around and you'll get there.
The spec of rims can usually be shown but might be in German
 
Ahh fantastic, I'll take a look - thanks!
 
Awesome, thanks Kev - will take a look. Nice looking van - same as mine only I have a Beach. I take it your Cali was lowered in that photo? One reason I was thinking of sticking with 18" is that I don't want to have to lower it (at least not in the near future!) and anything bigger than 18" seems to make it look jacked up!
 
Hi YorkshireCali,
yes it was lowered on STXA coilovers, tyres were General Grabber AT3 it was a great ride over pot holes ect and at speed.
 
As a comparison.... the Palmerston non-branded wheels have a 3-month warranty. Wolfrace, which isn't a particularly expensive brand, have up to 2 years warranty on polished wheels! I think that says it all about the quality of the non-branded Palmerstons.
 
YorkshireCali said:
Hi all

My 17" Cascavel alloys are quite corroded so I'm thinking if changing them. I've mentally gone through the spectrum of sizes 18-20, and I'm currently leaning towards 18" and maintaining max OEM tyre size. Now I need to decide which wheel to go for.

Has anyone experienced aftermarket Palmerston style alloys which retail at around £600 for a set of 4 18"?

I'm wondering what the quality is like. One website I found said that the face has a 3-month warranty which doesn't seem much. They appear to be non-branded, and I wouldn't want to buy them and find they start to corrode 6 months later.

Original Palmerstons (and other nice OEM like Tolucas) are more than I'd like to spend.

Alternatively, I could go down a non-OEM style route but I don't want them to be too bling, maybe something like this style (or similar) - but not sure if the face will be any less susceptible to corrosion vs non-branded.

View attachment 116426
Click to expand...
This company isn’t too far from you, have an excellent range of wheels. The wheel and tyre package i purchased was excellent value. Quick service and very helpful people.

Alloy Wheels, Tyres and Performance Parts from LK Performance - LK Performance

Buy alloy wheels and tyres from LK Performance, the UK's leading performance car parts supplier based in West Yorkshire. Get free local fitting or fast UK-wide delivery.
www.lkperformance.co.uk www.lkperformance.co.uk
 
You're right - only 40 mins away - I didn't realise they were so close! Looks like I'll be visiting LK soon!
 
YorkshireCali said:
Hi all

My 17" Cascavel alloys are quite corroded so I'm thinking if changing them. I've mentally gone through the spectrum of sizes 18-20, and I'm currently leaning towards 18" and maintaining max OEM tyre size. Now I need to decide which wheel to go for.

Has anyone experienced aftermarket Palmerston style alloys which retail at around £600 for a set of 4 18"?

I'm wondering what the quality is like. One website I found said that the face has a 3-month warranty which doesn't seem much. They appear to be non-branded, and I wouldn't want to buy them and find they start to corrode 6 months later.

Original Palmerstons (and other nice OEM like Tolucas) are more than I'd like to spend.


Alternatively, I could go down a non-OEM style route but I don't want them to be too bling, maybe something like this style (or similar) - but not sure if the face will be any less susceptible to corrosion vs non-branded.

View attachment 116426
Click to expand...

When I purchased a set of winter rims for my BMW X5, I was worried about after market not being the correct spec and having insurance problems.

At the time the advice I was getting, is make sure they are TüV certified, a european quality certificate, mainly used in the German area, I got a certificate with mine.

You might find this is the spec of all alloys, but worth checking.
 
Last edited:
Kevthegas said:
Have a look at Super Metal alloy wheels, I have bought more than 5 sets of wheels by this manufacturer since 2014 and never had a problem with corrosion ect.
My favourite 18 inch wheel which I put on my last Cali Ocean.

Kev
( I do regret selling this one )
Click to expand...

I have a set of SuperMetal Trident 20” - these are the only 20” wheel that I’m aware of that are offered as an OEM option by UK VW dealers. VW even have an OEM centre cap for them. Good price, TUV-approved, supposedly made in Germany. I’m very pleased with them - and I’m pretty fussy with wheels.
 
I bought the VW 10 spoke wheels from VW, the diamond cut variety as per their accessories catalog, letting my heart rule my brain, took 8 months for 2 to start corroding the other 2 were fine. 2 were replaced under warrantee as vw give 2 years on parts. Had 18 months now and all Seem OK but would never buy diamond cut again, should have gone for the Bronze set!
 
My exdem Cali came with 18" Palmerston's fitted, cleaning them is terrible. The slots are so narrow your brush catches and you can forget about getting into the inside of the wheel to clean the brake dust off. They look great when clean but would have preferred the sport wheels. The diamond cut looks good but you have to keep them clean and protected.
 
If I go for Diamond cut, I'm hoping that if I keep them sealed and cleaned then they may last longer. Agree that a simpler, easier to clean design would be preferable!
 
YorkshireCali said:
If I go for Diamond cut, I'm hoping that if I keep them sealed and cleaned then they may last longer. Agree that a simpler, easier to clean design would be preferable!
Click to expand...

Both my BMW summer and winter wheels are diamond cut, still looking good after 5 years. I have used Gtechniq Wheel Armour and Carbon Collective Platimun Wheels. Very similar products. They seem expensive for such a small bottle but seem to seal and last.
 
Awesome, thanks for the recommendations. Will make a note of them.
 
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