I was thinking about getting that done to the lips of my wheels, but a sales rep told me that it's not a good idea because it will chip when rocks hit them and when the wheels are mounted on tires...

I then contacted HRE and they said it's a good idea if you're going to be driving the car in bad weather...which I most likely will in Jersey (rain, rocks from the street, and whatever...they'll be off in the winter of course so snow isn't a problem)

Any thoughts or experience???

If you clear coat the lips, chances are you WILL regret it. The lips of the rims get the most abuse and are the most susceptible area. From mounting, road debris, etc.

Eventually something will chip the clear coat, More than likely it will be road debris while the wheel is spinning.

Once the clear coat is chipped it is a pain in the rear.

The chipped area will begin to tarnish and the clear may even start to peel.

One of the labors about having nice shiny polished aluminum is keep it shine with some good ol' elbow grease every once in a while with some good quality mag/aluminum polish !