King or Fox

They are an experimental set I made from scratch. I'm working on perfecting the molds so I can reproduce and sell. Here's a link to the page on those.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/carbon-fiber-wheel-well-aprons.457848/

 

Check out the Cooper Stt Pro, im on my 2nd set now and probably going to buy a 3rd. Love them, and a little cheaper than others.

 

For some scientific clarification for those who may be wondering-

If it's "stainless" steel, the magnet test may not help, as chromium in the steel "cancels" the ferromagnetism. Depends on the amount of chromium. Chrome plated only, and it should work.

Aluminum will not rust (traditional red rust). Ever. You will get a thin layer of oxidation - aluminum oxide - on any exposed aluminum, but it is not detrimental. - Edit: not detrimental on its own. Removing the oxide layer will just allow a new layer to be formed underneath in its place.

Stainless steel works because the chromium in the steel. Whenever chromium comes in contact with oxygen, it instantly forms chromium oxide - a barrier to rust and corrosion on the iron. Since the steel is infused with the chromium, any scratches to the steel will just expose a new layer of chromium to the oxygen.

Chrome plated steel is the worst. Stainless > Plated.
The chrome plating acts as described above, but only as long as the integrity of the plating layer is not compromised. Any scratches or dings or any other less-than-desirable happenings to the plating can allow the steel underneath to become corroded. Just look at chrome bumpers.


Source: I'm a materials engineer

 

@Naturalness, how does magnesium chloride factor into this? My state of Colorado has for a number of years used mag chloride to de-ice and it seem fairly harsh on aluminum and less so on steel. This is just my observation, that steel doesn't rust nearly as bad as I remember as a kid in Missouri (which was 20+ years ago now) but things like aluminum wheels pit and develop leaks after a while.

They are moving back to using sodium chloride, which is of course going to be terrible on steel but might be less so again on aluminum.

Our state Dept of Transportation has done some research into this, but I'm not a chemist to really understand the reactions between chlorides and various metals.

https://www.codot.gov/programs/research/pdfs/2000/truckcomponents.pdf

 

Excellent question. The MgCl is also corrosive to various metals, dependent on the environment and type lf metal.
I mentioned above that aluminum does not rust, which is true. The impact is a different form of corrosion, where the oxide layer is formed on the exposed metal. This oxide layer (alumina, or aluminum oxide) usually adds a layer of protection from further damage or corrosion. If that is all that happens, you are in the clear, assuming you didn't need the unoxidized aluminum for precise properties like electrical conductivity (alumina has a different conductivity than aluminum).
The problem with the MgCl is that it reacts with the aluminum oxide and weakens it, causing that otherwise protective outer layer to thin and flake off.
Once that oxide layer is removed, a new one is formed in its place. You can see how this would eventually remove enough aluminum to compromise the strength of the part.

 

Dude, just checked them out. Those are some nice looking tires. They look like they can take a beating!top of the list now next to the BFG AT KO2s.

 

Very interesting @Naturalness

 

Yeah, it can be, if you're a huge nerd like me. I'll save the chemistry lessons for another thread. For now I'm also on the fence between King and Fox...

 

Best tires I've ever owned

Had them on numerous rigs over the years.

 

I would 2nd that !! On my 3rd set now and almost ready for a 4th.

 

Holy cow! How did that happen? How long have you had them?

 

please enlighten us