Difference between magnum 500 and road wheels ?

[mysil bergsprekken]

What is the difference between magnum 500 and road wheels? If there is any. Seems to like the two names are used on the same looking wheels. Thank you for any clarification on this issue.

[The70RT]

What is the difference between magnum 500 and road wheels? If there is any. Seems to like the two names are used on the same looking wheels. Thank you for any clarification on this issue.

Road wheels have the beauty rings and the chrome magnums don't.

[Nacho-RT74]

road wheels are painted with the trim ring around, magnums are chromed so no need for the trim

[mysil bergsprekken]

Ahh.. I see.
So I have the road wheels, but with no trim rings. See attachments.

But there exists both steel and aluminum Magnum 500s ?

[Ghoste]

Actually "Road Wheels" was the term Chrysler used to describe them and "Magnum 500" was the term Motor Wheel Corp. used to sell them in the aftermarket. (Ford adspeak may have used "Magnum 500" as well but I'm not certain)
There are differences in certain years as to the amount of chrome and use of trim rings and so forth as noted but the names used have become one of those mis-used bits of auto lexicon like "posi" or "tic-toc-tach" to the point where nearly everyone calls them Magnum wheels now.

[bull]

Actually "Road Wheels" was the term Chrysler used to describe them and "Magnum 500" was the term Motor Wheel Corp. used to sell them in the aftermarket. (Ford adspeak may have used "Magnum 500" as well but I'm not certain)
There are differences in certain years as to the amount of chrome and use of trim rings and so forth as noted but the names used have become one of those mis-used bits of auto lexicon like "posi" or "tic-toc-tach" to the point where nearly everyone calls them Magnum wheels now.

[The70RT]

Yes they now make aluminum ones and in bigger sizes as well....16...17 etc.

[John_Kunkel]

I think you'll find that the "Road Wheel" is as described with the beauty ring....Mopar called the Magnum 500 the "Chrome Wheel".

[Ghoste]

Actually if you look at Chrysler literature from 1967 and 1968 you'll find that it was referred to as a "Chrome Plated Steel Road Wheel".  In 1969 they list it as a "Chrome Stamped Road Wheel and Trim Ring".  For 1970 it became just "Road Wheel with Trim Ring" and in 1971 it became a "Road Wheel with Chrome Trim Ring" which seemed to carry through for the next few years as well.
So the "Road Wheel" portion of the name seems to be the one consistent from year to year with some of the other aspects (chrome, trim ring, chrome trim ring etc.) being the difference.

[TUFCAT]

I've called them "Road Wheels" way before the term "Magnum 500" was ever popular.  Dad had them on every car he owned since our beloved 1967 Coronet. We even had "Road Wheels" on our 1978 Volare station wagon. Do ya think he liked them?  

Must be genetic because its my favorite wheel also.

[twodko]

The aluminum Mag 500's are really good looking wheels but unless you have bags 'o discretionary money buy the chrome 500's. The billets are hideously expensive.

[John_Kunkel]

Actually if you look at Chrysler literature from 1967 and 1968 you'll find that it was referred to as a "Chrome Plated Steel Road Wheel".  In 1969 they list it as a "Chrome Stamped Road Wheel and Trim Ring".  For 1970 it became just "Road Wheel with Trim Ring" and in 1971 it became a "Road Wheel with Chrome Trim Ring" which seemed to carry through for the next few years as well.
So the "Road Wheel" portion of the name seems to be the one consistent from year to year with some of the other aspects (chrome, trim ring, chrome trim ring etc.) being the difference.

Depends on the source, I use the factory parts catalog which never uses "road wheel" and "chrome" together when referring to the Magnum 500 as made by Motor Wheel Corp. (subject of the OP). Sales literature might be different.

[Ghoste]

Never?  The 70/71 parts guide I happened to glance at shows an illustration of the wheel in question and describes it as a "Styled Road Wheel 14X5.50 Class Two- Chrome".  But you are right, the parts guide frequently uses different terms from general usage (the commonly referred to "Pistol Grip" becomes a "gearshift selector lever grip" and the SlapStik" becomes an "actuator with lever, plate, and gate gearshift control", although I'm sure you already know that).
I used the order guides for each of those years based on the assumption that the terms used by the marketing people to name the options and the ones the sales people used to pitch them would be more likely utilized in this case than the ones the parts people used to order replacements.
The bottom line is that the OP wanted to know the difference between Magnum 500's and Road Wheels and there are none save the fact one was Chryslers term and the other was Motor Wheel's. (leaving the hair splitting descriptions of chrome ring versus painted and blah blah blah aside of course)