Accuride Corporation introduced a new aluminum wheel surface technology designed to combat corrosion and extend wheel life during a press event at the Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) Annual Meeting in Nashville.

The patent-pending coating, called ProShield XGT, was developed to address filiform corrosion — a threadlike form of corrosion that forms beneath coatings and can spread across aluminum wheels once the protective surface is compromised.

“Filiform corrosion is the ninja of corrosion,” Jayne Orr, senior vice president of sales at Accuride Corporation, said during a TMC press conference. “It’s quiet, it’s fast, and it always seems to sneak up on you when you least expect it.”

The company said the new coating was engineered with a clear mission: create a wheel finish so durable, easy to clean, and resistant to environmental damage that filiform corrosion “wouldn’t only struggle — it would give up.”

Filiform corrosion often begins when a wheel’s surface coating is breached by scratches or pits, such as those caused by striking a curb. Once the base metal is exposed, corrosion can spread beneath the coating. The problem has become more pronounced in recent years as snow and ice-control chemicals used on winter roads have grown increasingly aggressive.

To validate the technology, Accuride subjected wheels treated with the ProShield XGT coating to extensive accelerated testing.

“We essentially put these wheels through boot camp,” Orr said.

Engineers intentionally damaged test wheels down to the base metal and exposed them to 80 cycles of extreme temperature swings, humidity, dry conditions, and chemical exposure designed to simulate deicing chemicals and road contaminants. The testing was intended to replicate roughly eight years of real-world environmental abuse.

According to the company, the wheels showed no significant filiform corrosion following the testing.

“It held up where traditional coatings fail,” Orr said.

Accuride said ProShield XGT also features a chip-resistant surface, maintains gloss at temperatures up to 400°F, and resists chemicals including acids, bases, oils, fuels, brake fluid, and road salts. The coating also incorporates a hydrophobic finish that repels water, oil, and contaminants, allowing fleets to clean wheels using only soap and water.

The company said the finish is designed to maintain a factory-gloss appearance for the life of the wheel.

ProShield XGT wheels will be available beginning in the second quarter of 2026. Initial offerings will include part numbers 43644XGT and 42362XGT, with customers able to order the technology by adding the “XGT” designation to existing wheel part numbers.

Fleet trials have been underway for nearly a year, Orr said.