Accuride used the Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) Annual Meeting to introduce ProShield XGT. The company called ProShield XGT a next-generation aluminum wheel surface technology designed to combat corrosion while making wheels easier to maintain in harsh operating environments.
During a press conference at the event, Jayne Orr, senior vice president of sales for Accuride, described the patent-pending technology as a significant step forward in wheel protection, particularly as fleets contend with increasingly aggressive road chemicals.
“It’s rare you get to say you reinvented the wheel,” Orr told attendees. “But we actually reinvented the wheel coating.”
The new coating process is engineered to eliminate significant filiform corrosion, a threadlike corrosion that spreads beneath damaged coatings. It also maintains a factory-gloss finish over the life of the wheel.
Fighting a Growing Corrosion Problem
Orr said Accuride developed the technology in response to increasingly harsh winter road treatments and chemicals used in snow and ice melt products.
“Operating environments have become harsher,” she said. “The chemical makeup of snow and ice melt products is more aggressive than it used to be, and end users are impacted on trucks and trailers.”
Filiform corrosion can begin when a wheel coating is scratched or chipped, allowing moisture and contaminants to creep beneath the surface.
ProShield XGT uses a patent-pending metal conversion process that bonds directly with the aluminum microstructure of the wheel.
Orr described the approach as making the coating effectively part of the wheel itself, helping prevent corrosion from spreading even when surface damage occurs.
Testing Simulates Eight Years of Abuse
Before its debut at TMC, Accuride subjected the coating to accelerated durability testing designed to simulate up to eight years of real-world exposure.
In testing, engineers intentionally damaged wheels down to the base metal before exposing them to repeated cycles of temperature swings, humidity, drying, and chemical exposure. The process included exposure to magnesium, calcium, sodium, and potassium chloride compounds commonly found in deicing agents.
After 80 test cycles, Orr said the wheels showed no significant filiform corrosion, demonstrating improved resistance compared to traditional coatings.
“Anybody can claim their wheel coating is tough,” Orr said. “We decided to prove it.”
Triple-Layer Protection
According to Accuride, ProShield XGT provides protection across three key areas:
- Mechanical: Chip-resistant surface designed to withstand gravel and debris impacts.
- Thermal: Gloss retention up to 400°F.
- Chemical: Resistance to acids, bases, diesel fuel, brake fluid, oils, solvents, and road salts.
The company said these protections help extend wheel life while preserving appearance.
Hydrophobic Surface
One of the most visible benefits for fleets may be the coating’s hydrophobic surface, which repels water, oil, and contaminants.
That design allows fleets to clean wheels using soap and water instead of harsh chemicals, potentially reducing maintenance time and cleaning costs.
During the press conference, Accuride demonstrated the coating’s cleanability by applying permanent marker ink to both a competitor’s coated wheel and a ProShield XGT wheel. The ink adhered strongly to the competitor’s coating but failed to stick to the ProShield surface.
“The ink just doesn’t adhere,” Orr said. “It starts bubbling up and wiping away.”
Fleet trials for the technology began in April 2025, with early feedback from maintenance teams highlighting the coating’s ease of cleaning, according to the company.
Accuride expects to launch ProShield XGT wheels in the second quarter of 2026, beginning with part numbers 43644XGT and 42362XGT and expanding to additional wheel configurations in the weeks following launch.
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