2006 XK8 Victory Edition Convertible....

The 19-inch OEM Atlas Chrome Wheels on my wife's beloved XK8 continue to pit and flake in spots. The left front tire lost 10 psi during the past week due to pitting and corrosion at the rim. My trusty Discount Tire store manager removed the tire from the wheel this morning, wirebrushed the inner rims on both sides, applied sealant all along both rim edges, then remounted and balanced the tire. This fix may or may not hold air, time will tell....

At some point these lousy OEM chrome wheels will need to be replaced. I believe that shipping a set of 17-year-old wheels off to California Chrome for two months to have them refurbished and rechromed with no guarantee and no warranty is just throwing away close to $2,000. I learned today that my long-time preferred replacement wheel choice (Coventry Whitley Hyper Silver with Mirror Cut Lip) has been discontinued and is no longer available. That is truly unfortunate because these Coventry Whitley wheels are very attractive and were reasonably priced ($360 or so each in my 19-inch size)....

What other similarly-priced and similarly-designed new wheels are still available that will fit our XK8s? They need to be bright silver with NO chrome....

 

Has anyone had the failing chrome stripped from their OEM wheels and then had the wheels powder coated? If so, were you satisfied with the results and how did the finish hold up over the long haul?

 

Jon - have you checked with CarID (forum sponsor) to see if they have any in stock??

 

Steve,

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I checked the CarID website on Saturday and found nothing suitable. The guys at Discount Tire are checking their sources as well - there is a British-inspired TSW wheel that looks decent but the question is whether it will fit. Sure wish the Coventry Whitley Hyper Silver wheels had not been discontinued a year or so ago. They were very attractive, reasonably priced, and designed for these cars....

 

Bummer - did not know they were discontinued - wonder why they still have the on their web sites. I believe TSW makes the Coventry brand

 

Wheel Pros in California bought out both Coventry and TSW a couple of years ago. And I agree with you - the Coventry Whitley wheels should not pop up when we are searching for XK8 replacement wheels because they are no longer available. Very frustrating....

 

Update:

Unfortunately none of the TSW aftermarket wheels are available in the required 5 x 120.65 bolt pattern these cars require. Finding something that will work is becoming increasingly difficult....

 

Here is my input, having been in the same situation a few years back (19" chromed Apollos):

• Start your (slow) hunt now for a suitable set of stock wheels, anything 18" or larger. Wheel collision center has a long list on the Jaguar page with names, sizes, etc.
• There seem to be some agreement to index wheels by the Holander #.
• Looking online is frustrating as "everyone" has a catalog, but nobody has anything on hand.
• Check non traditional sources: Craigslist, Facebook marketplace, classifieds on this forum, recyclers, etc.
• Once located, deal with what you find: ship, refinish if you must, new tires, whatever
• Put this new set on your car, the sooner the better
• Then sell your current setup in whatever condition, the key being that it is a set of ok wheels with ok tires. Convincing someone to part with $ for something they can install on their car NOW is way easier. I priced my old set around the cost of the new tires for the new-to-me wheels. It was surprisingly fairly easy to sell, even with the chrome in so-so condition and tires with maybe a year left.

These paths proved to be dead ends for me (I did not put an infinite amount of time, maybe you will have more luck finding someone local)

• Refinishing the chrome the right way (Cal Chrome, just not cost effective)
• Sanding the chrome and wrap
• Removing the chrome and substrate (acid and electrolysis) to eventually repaint.

Best of luck, keep us posted.

 

Thanks for your input. Here's my response:

I spoke with Wheel Collision Center in Pennsylvania this morning. They do not have any refurbished or new OEM 19-inch Atlas wheels in stock and have no idea if they will in the future....

Same for the folks at Original Wheels in California. No refurbished or new OEM 19-inch wheels in stock and no idea if they will in the future....

I do not trust CalChrome. The front wheel that was not holding its air pressure is a rechromed wheel that was purchased from CalChrome back in June 2014 for $800 plus shipping (and no warranty). I have been watching that wheel's chrome pit and bubble for the past few years, knowing that sooner or later it would finally begin leaking. That time finally arrived. I asked CalChrome for some financial assistance on this wheel earlier this afternoon but have not received a response from them.

I do not trust stripping the chrome off these 17-year-old wheels and then powder coating them instead. Every pit and flaw may still show through the powder coating....

I do not trust used wheels on Craigslist, eBay, etc. I believe solving this problem once and for all means finding a set of new silver alloy wheels with NO chrome anywhere on them. The challenge is that my wife has to be willing to accept a set of new aftermarket wheels because after all it is HER car and unfortunately she still loves her lousy OEM Atlas chrome wheels....

My local Discount Tire team may have come up with the best solution this afternoon. The 19-inch Vertini RFS1.2 Silver with Brushed Face wheel can be custom-drilled to fit our required 5 x 120.65 bolt pattern and is very reasonably priced . I think it is a very attractive wheel and my wife says she can live with it. I can get a set of four wheels made, shipped, her new tires (January 2022) swapped onto them, Hunter Road Force balanced, and installed for less than $1,700 total. The downside is that delivery is currently being quoted at 4 to 6 weeks. She will sleep on it tonight and if she is still good to go in the morning, I will get these things on order no later than tomorrow afternoon....

The saddest news involves the 19-inch Coventry Whitley Hyper Silver wheels that we both prefer (and were a perfect fit right out of the box) but unfortunately were discontinued a year or so ago. This afternoon I found 2 brand-new rears but just 1 brand-new front. If I could find the other front somewhere else, the decision would be a no-brainer....

 

Had the same problem. On my 03, chrome on my Atlas wheels was literally flaking off the wheels. Agree that after striping the chrome, there may be imperfections. However, if the powercoat folks are good, they should be able to fix them. Rothwell had his wheels redone and had to deal w/ the the same problem. Hyper silver looks pretty good and there's the clear coat option. Personally I think the VE wheels look great and it would be worth trying. I decided to find a used set ($500) since my 03 is a long way from concours. Probably wouldn't even be allowed in the parking lot.

 

Rothwell's Apollo wheels were NOT chrome to begin with. There is a big difference refurbishing and powder coating an alloy wheel vs. trying to strip off chrome, refurbish, and then powder coat a chrome wheel. Not willing to take that chance and I doubt if anyone can get me to change my mind on that subject....

 

Update:

Just now ordered the correct set of Vertini RFS1.2 Silver with Brushed Face wheels from my guys at Discount Tire. I appreciate all the work they put in on confirming the proper specs. Right now we expect a 4-to-6-week delivery timeframe. The wheels will be manufactured and drilled in California and then shipped directly to Discount Tire here in Raleigh....

Now I need to decide whether to just let Discount Tire recycle these old OEM Atlas chrome wheels or attempt to sell them myself. If I do elect to try to sell them, it will be as a set. I do not want to deal with the hassle of selling them off one at a time....

 

Obviously you can use a lot of different wheels that may not be designed originally for the Jaguar... I have wheels on my Jag that were on a BMW previously. They are made by Avante Garde and are 120mm lug pattern - I just had to have the center bore enlarged slightly (not a problem per the manufacturer). They fit perfectly and ride perfectly and I pump 390hp at the wheels and haven't had any problems. Don't let anyone tell you that 120mm wheels won't work... it's a difference of .65mm or less than 1/32". Just my , but there are thousands of possibilities on the aftermarket front.

 

Glad you were able to make those very attractive wheels work for you. Who did you trust to properly drill out the center bore? And did the 5 x 120 lug pattern work for you without any drilling?

 

Congrat's on finding a great set of new wheels. Much easier than dealing w/ the problems of refinishing. I only mentioned Rothwell because he was meticulous about taking care of all pits and imperfections (on alloy) wheels and they looked great. Two local powercoat shops said it is possible to strip chrome wheels, repair all imperfections and then powdercoat but it's a lot harder and more expensive. It was interesting learning more about powdercoating. There are some really classy finishes and treatments. I tossed my old chrome rims because they were essentially worthless. Glad to hear you found a solution.

 

Thanks for your comments. Still wish I could have found one more Coventry Whitley Hyper Silver front wheel so we could be running that set instead, but my wife is now okay with the look of these Vertini wheels. After a 4-year off-and-on battle trying to convince her to get rid of her gradually-deteriorating OEM Atlas chrome wheels, I look forward to the day when they are finally gone....

 

Agree the Whitley's look great. Trying to sell my old chrome wheels wasn't worth the headache. Stock wheels on my 06 look good but may upgrade at some point. Have to finish the 03 first. Blindside, those BMW wheels look great. It helps to know that drilling non stock wheels is an option. Boca Raton is a great place to find XK8's. Almost bought one long distance but then found my 06 in Napa.

 

The wheel shop that the original owner bought the wheels from in Fort Lauderdale had the proper equipment and did a great job. And yes, the 5x120's fit perfectly as expected. Luckily the offset and all was good so they sit properly enough in the wheel wells. Those ones you bought should look fabulous... can't wait for pics.

 

Thanks. I spent some time on the Vertini website this morning watching the robot at the factory build a wheel, then looking at the gallery showing the wheels I ordered on other cars such as Audi, BMW, and Corvette. The more I look at this wheel the better I like it. It will be interesting to see my wife's reaction once the new wheels are finally on her car. She has been so attached to her OEM Atlas chrome wheels so I hope the new Vertinis will finally break that stigma for her. We'll see....

 

Update:

The new set of 19-inch Vertini RFS1.2 Silver with Brushed Face wheels arrived ahead of schedule at my local Discount Tire store. They were supposedly properly drilled (5 x 120.65) in California before being shipped here. I will find out tomorrow morning when I am scheduled to bring the car in for the tire swap / wheel installation....