So I decided to make my own DIY after reading a bunch of the other ones here on the forum. Alot of the them offer great info but I felt there was a few things missing. So here goes.

To start, gather all materials:

1. Cleaner/De-greaser (for cleaning rims) something like simple green will work. I bought something called orange cleaner at pep boys and was half price and worked great!
2. Primer: I used Duplicolor Sandable Primer in Dark Gray. The color of your primer will be determined by the color of the final coat. Find the primer color that is closest to the color you want to end up with. (4 cans)
3. Paint: I used Duplicolor High Performance Wheel coating in Gunmetal. (4 cans)
4. Sandpaper: Duplicolor suggests 320 grit sandpaper. I used 220 grit since Pep Boys was all out of 320 at the time. ( 5 sheets)
5. Masking Tape: Good 'Ol Masking tape. (2 Rolls)
6. Trash Bags: I trimmed trash bags to mask off the tires. Saves money on using a ton of masking tape. (about 5 bags)
7. Sponge/Scrubby: I used a dishwasher scrubby to aid in the cleaning process. I had a ton of brake dust and grime to get off.
8. Drop Cloth: If your going to be painting anywhere near anything, make sure you use a drop cloth and cover any over spray areas. Also, if you are painting outside, use the drop cloth in the direction of the wind to block over spray from drifting toward things you don't want to get paint on.
9. Cardboard Boxes: I used cardboard boxes as a platform to paint on.

Now that you have gathered materials your ready to get started!

1. Remove wheels from car.

2. Clean wheels as thoroughly as possible! For the first cleaning just make sure all brake dust and dirt is removed.

3. Take your sandpaper and get to work. Using 320 grit sandpaper you should not have to use too much force on the wheel. You really just want to scuff the wheel as much as possible over all areas of the wheel. I used water during this process as my sandpaper was water safe. I suggest buying wet sand approved sandpaper so you can cut down on dust and debris.

4. Clean wheels again. This time being very thorough, the cleaner the wheel, the better the paint will stick.

5. Masking is somewhat tricky and time consuming, but remain patient as it is a very important part of the process. I started with a trash bag and trimmed it as close to the wheel as I could and covered the tire about 90%. I then masked the rest of the wheel using standard masking tape making sure to get the tape under the lip around the wheel. Some people use index cards for this, but as it was somewhat windy they did not work for me.

6. Time for the primer, I prefer to make the primer a little wetter than most, so 4 cans of primer got me two somewhat wet coats of primer. If you are a light sprayer you should be able to get three or four coats of primer per can. Remember: Follow the directions on the can!! Our cans suggested waiting ten minutes between coats of primer.

7. Once you have used up your primer its now time to get something to eat, because you should wait at least an hour before moving on to your color coat.

8. Now you can go for the color! Remember, light coats are best. Start with the back of the wheel then go to the front as you will get some coverage in the back from spraying through the spokes of the wheel. (Word to the wise: If you drip or find a hair or other impurity in your paint, you have two options. First, you could leave it be, do nothing, and live with it. Or, your other option is to try and get it out, and if this is the direction you choose to go, make sure you let the paint dry first! We made the mistake of trying to get out a hair and it messed up the whole spoke. So make sure you let it dry completely first, then try and sand down any spots you may have.

9. Now that your color coats are all on, its time to wait again. Wait at least 1 hour before handling, and at least 3 hours before even attempting to put the wheels back on the car. Duplicolor suggests 7 hours to dry.

10. If your doing a clear coat, which I did not, you would follow the same process but wait an hour between color coat and clear coat.

12. Your done! Put the wheels back on the car and take some pictures to show all your friends!

Let me know if anyone has any questions and Ill try and help you out.

And the finished product! :wiggle:

Looks good. I am thinking about doing this, this weekend.

one question, living in Michigan it gets cold at night now that were getting closer to winter, what is the avg temp best for painting and priming, cause i kno if it is to cold, it wont stick.

-Brandon

Looks good. I am thinking about doing this, this weekend.

one question, living in Michigan it gets cold at night now that were getting closer to winter, what is the avg temp best for painting and priming, cause i kno if it is to cold, it wont stick.

-Brandon

I don't know off hand but I will check the cans when I get home and let you know. Im thinking though that if you are painting during the day and letting it dry over night you should have no problem. I believe the temp only effects when your actually painting but I could be wrong.

Good stuff. Answers some q's I've wondered about. :)

Looks good. I am thinking about doing this, this weekend.

one question, living in Michigan it gets cold at night now that were getting closer to winter, what is the avg temp best for painting and priming, cause i kno if it is to cold, it wont stick.

-Brandon

OK i checked the cans for you, Duplicolor suggests temperatures between 60 and 92F. But I did mine this past weekend and it was about 55F during the days. So depending on the weather where you are get out there and get those wheels painted!

Looks pretty good bro, although I would have definitely clear coated those. or gotten a shinier gunmetal color, they look really grey to me.

and...this is great for rattle can, but for a more permanent and higher quality finish i would suggest to everyone else to use legitimate auto paint. I painted my wheels using a chrystler paint code, and they turned out great and the finished product is like its factory. All for about 90 bucks, and my process was very similar to yours.

Again, great job!

Build thread Link on how I did mine in my sig.

Thanks Kinky.. I decided not to go with a clear coat because I liked the "flat" look. There is a good bit of metallic in the paint that can not be seen in the pictures because I took them just as the sun was going down. Ill try to get some better pics up when the sun is shining. What do you mean by legitimate auto paint? I used paint that was specifically for wheels. I do not have access to a spray gun or spray booth so that was not an option for me. Im really pleased with the spray can method as far as how it looks. We will have to see about durability though. Thanks for the thoughts!

Thanks Kinky.. I decided not to go with a clear coat because I liked the "flat" look. There is a good bit of metallic in the paint that can not be seen in the pictures because I took them just as the sun was going down. Ill try to get some better pics up when the sun is shining. What do you mean by legitimate auto paint? I used paint that was specifically for wheels. I do not have access to a spray gun or spray booth so that was not an option for me. Im really pleased with the spray can method as far as how it looks. We will have to see about durability though. Thanks for the thoughts!

Ah, yes. i can understand that, it's extremely difficult to capture the true finish of wheels on camera. When I say legitimate auto paint, I mean the paint that you can purchase from an auto body store. For example: if you got a new body kit, it would usually come in black, white, or primer grey. if you wanted to paint it yourself, you would use legitimate auto body paint to match the factory color. and i've just always known people in the auto business, so it wasn't difficult to get my hands on a gun. And I didn't use a booth, just did it out side! Yeah but I mean if you like it, that's all that matters. And if it starts to chip or anything, it's easy to just mask and respray real quick.

Great DIY I played with the idea of doing this for a long time but really could'nt think of a good reliable way to paint em, this would have been great! Eventually went aftermarket lol....

Great DIY I played with the idea of doing this for a long time but really could'nt think of a good reliable way to paint em, this would have been great! Eventually went aftermarket lol....

I think we all plan on going aftermarket at some point but this is a great inexpensive way to change the look of the wheel and the overall attitude of the car. If/when I do go for aftermarket wheels I will at least have a nice set of oems for winter!

Here is an updated close up pic for those who are wondering on the color and finish. As you can see there is a fair bit of sparkle in the paint, but again this shot was taken at night as well, we havent really had a sunny day here for a few days. Ignore the rusty brake rotor as well :sad: And yes, the wheels are dirty already, it rained all week.

One more comparison shot for those interested. Enjoy!

Im thinking about doing white on my shinka, photoshoped it and it looks bad ass.
HOWEVER

I do not see that duplicolor makes a WHITE color paint. This may be a stupid question...but can i go to a home depot and get some white paint there? or is there something special in this wheel paint, that makes it wheel paint..?

EDIT,

ok i found this..
http://www.duplicolor.com/products/wheelCoating/

now i just have to find a place that has it..

ok, I have found this...everywhere i go there is no such thing as white wheel coating...even though duplicolor says it exists in the link above.

will this paint work?

i found the right stuff...everyone only carried 2 of each? wtf..
had to do some driving

i found the right stuff...everyone only carried 2 of each? wtf..
had to do some driving

I found the same.. I went to three different store to get all the cans I needed.

i just did this today. i actually did the same color as you. but my 8 is silver so. It looks awesome. a little running on one or two spots but otherwise i couldnt be happier. thanks for the inspiration to do this!

i just did this today. i actually did the same color as you. but my 8 is silver so. It looks awesome. a little running on one or two spots but otherwise i couldnt be happier. thanks for the inspiration to do this!

Great to hear you had success, post some pics for us to see?

Great to hear you had success, post some pics for us to see?


Before and after pics. Enjoy. =)

Looks great Ghost! The dark grey rims goes great with the paint!

Did you seriously just spray paint your wheels? Why be a cheap ass and just get them powdercoated for ~$150?

Did you seriously just spray paint your wheels? Why be a cheap ass and just get them powdercoated for ~$150?

Yea it works great and holds up if you do a good job. I dont know what your issue is, but thanks for the bump... :yelrotflm

+1 on those wheels both turned out GREAT! Im planning on doing my wheels on my WWP white. Will post pics as soon as their painted!

Sounds great Trippwire, cant wait to see them!

ya ive done this as well but i did my black and with auto paint cause i own a body shop it wasnt nothing much it did turn out great and my gf is wanting me to paint hers white was a great suggestion to do this

^ The black wheels really set off the silver paint. Nice job 256rx8!

ya ive done this as well but i did my black and with auto paint cause i own a body shop it wasnt nothing much it did turn out great and my gf is wanting me to paint hers white was a great suggestion to do this


What kind of car does your girlfriend have?

unfortunalty has a black 350z

White rims on a black Nissan 350z?

Post pics when done. :)

Yes indeed I know a little odd but wanting me to paint the car as well girls are so needy

Yes indeed I know a little odd but wanting me to paint the car as well girls are so needy


I know what you mean :naughty:

Lol uh she's way more needy.... But if I decided to paint hers then I'll throw it on here

Chrishoky
That's the same color I want mine to be.. But I feel that if I do this, I'll mess up.
Was this your first time doing it?

^ yes this was the first time I had ever done this. There is no reason to be hesitant, this is a simple job if you take the proper steps and take your time. The prep job really is the most important part of any paint project. Also, remember to spray light coats and you should be just fine! Post some pics when your done.

Yea I did this a long time ago...

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2679/122/12/501754274/n501754274_1425797_5143172.jpg

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2679/122/12/501754274/n501754274_1425795_1170267.jpg

^ nice job !

^ nice job !

Thanks!

Theres some more in depth DIY's out there, just Google them. Also I use the 3m red sanding sponge, it doesn't leave any scratch marks and gets the job done.

Also to get out curb rash your going to wan tot use 400 grit then 200 grit then the red sanding sponge.

Did you seriously just paint your spare tire?

Did you seriously just paint your spare tire?

Uhhh yeah? I have to practice on somthing and see if it turns out good or not. Rather do it on my spare you never see then my rims first

Shady yours really look nice, looks to be the same color as mine, just your pictures are 1000's time better.

And Camilo, just go for it! The worst that can happen is that you would need to redo them.

hahaha stop trying to steal my flavor!

http://www.rx8club.com/picture.php?albumid=3518&pictureid=25392
http://www.rx8club.com/picture.php?albumid=3518&pictureid=25390
http://www.rx8club.com/picture.php?albumid=3518&pictureid=25391
http://www.rx8club.com/picture.php?albumid=3518&pictureid=25389
http://www.rx8club.com/picture.php?albumid=3518&pictureid=25388


Sure why not?

^sweet!

ok ok so guys i did it lol here are the pictures

^looks good!

i've been wanting to do this for a LONG time. problem is my rims (oem) are chromed and the chrome is peeling badly. i assume if i manage to peel off all the chrome, i can just sand and paint over? an added complication is that one of the wheels may be leaking thanks to the peeling chrome, so i dunno if i should remove the tires and peel/sand off all the chrome including where the tire contacts the rim...

Get your wheels sandblasted. The chrome will flake eventually. Removing the chrome finish by sanding will be extremely time consuming.

Or just send them to get powdercoated...they will sand blast them anyway.

Looks good camilo.

Get your wheels sandblasted. The chrome will flake eventually. Removing the chrome finish by sanding will be extremely time consuming.

Or just send them to get powdercoated...they will sand blast them anyway.

Agreed. If they need to be sandblasted, you might as well powdercoat them. Should cost about 250$.

All of your wheels look great! I have been wanting to do this for a long time. I either wanted new wheels or to paint the OEM wheels. After finding out that most aftermarket wheels are heavier than the stock wheels (besides some crazy high dollar ones) I decided paint was the best route. I was thinking of a gloss black wheel on my 05 Shinka. Has anyone done gloss black yet? Another thing I noticed was that some of you painted the Mazda emblem on the wheels and some of you didn't. Do you wish you would have/haven't? The rust on the brake rotor has been driving me crazy ever since I bought the car so I will definitely paint them with some BBQ(high heat) spray paint or something along with the calipers at the time of painting the wheels.

p.s. From what I have read powder coating aluminum is not recommended due to weakening the strength of the wheel.

Go for it Keldon! I have seen gloss black stockers a few times roaming around the site.. but I cant remember who had them. I would think it would look fantastic, especially if you clear coat the wheels as well. I would definitely suggest painting the center caps as well, it will look weird in my opinion if you dont. What you could do, is remove the Mazda emblem from the center cap and leave that Chrome. Then paint the center cap black. This will leave the wheel all black except for the chrome Mazda emblem and the lugs. Either way good luck.

I just got my Velocity Red 8 and am seriousy considering doing this. But i wanna do blue metallic on the rims. Any thoughts on how that would look on the red 8?

I just got my Velocity Red 8 and am seriousy considering doing this. But i wanna do blue metallic on the rims. Any thoughts on how that would look on the red 8?

I dont think blue rims on a red 8 would look good. If you really want to know though.. ask around and see if someone can photoshop it for you.

Pics of black OEM's for you Keldon. These are from member RX8SHNKVI's profile.

Thanks man that looks really good gloss with the center cap painted too. Yeah luckily my father restores and paints classic show cars for a living so the actual paint part should be cake. He recommended black epoxy or etch, base coat clear coat with 4 or 5 coats of clear (in case of rock chips). When I bought my car it had some crazy curb rash so Ill be using bondo to make them look fresh. Looks like RX8SHNKVI must have bought some black lug nuts as well, they look good. Thanks for the inspiration =D

I've been thinking about painting mine for a while, and you've officially inspired me to do so with this thread...However, I'm having a mental debate as to what the best color would be...Damien (my baby) is nordic green, so I'm pretty limited...I just want something that will definitely stand out...Any ideas?

^Black or Gold would look good I would think. Gold would stand out a bit more.

^Black or Gold would look good I would think. Gold would stand out a bit more.


Those were the only two I could come up with as well...*sigh*...I'm not a fan of gold, so most likely I'll go with black...Thanks!

^Post some pics when your done! Good luck.

^Post some pics when your done! Good luck.


Will do!

I've been thinking about painting mine for a while, and you've officially inspired me to do so with this thread...However, I'm having a mental debate as to what the best color would be...Damien (my baby) is nordic green, so I'm pretty limited...I just want something that will definitely stand out...Any ideas?

Well, I do think black and gold would work, and the right shade of gold or bronze could be sharp. Depending on how flashy you want to be, white might be okay. I remember a dark green FC RX-7 with white wheels that looked good.

For me, black hides the wheel too much. I've been seriously considering a metallic gray similar to the wheel color on a Saab 93 Turbo-X, because it is different than stock and a little on the steathy side but still lets you see the shape of the wheel easily. (Admittedly, black wheels generally look beter in person than in photographs.)

Well, I do think black and gold would work, and the right shade of gold or bronze could be sharp. Depending on how flashy you want to be, white might be okay. I remember a dark green FC RX-7 with white wheels that looked good.

For me, black hides the wheel too much. I've been seriously considering a metallic gray similar to the wheel color on a Saab 93 Turbo-X, because it is different than stock and a little on the steathy side but still lets you see the shape of the wheel easily. (Admittedly, black wheels generally look beter in person than in photographs.)


I agree with the idea of black hiding the wheel...Not only that, but I notice that both black and gold wheels hide the slight hint of blue in the nordic green paint when the sun hits it...*sigh*...I need photoshop...lol

ok fellas as you have seen my silver 8 i have already made the wheels black but im gonna try and step it up a notch my GF curbed my car for the first time the other day and so im gonna repaint them black unless yal think of another color that would look good... but if i repaint them black im gonna prob put a red pin stripe around the outside edge

^ Helll nawww on the red pin stripe! If you still want to put it, take pics and want to see how it looks.

hey chrishoky i got the same blue rx8 as you and im thinking of doing the same thing next weekend to my OEM wheels but im thinking of also buying these as well:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/20-Blue-Bulge-Acorn-Lug-Nuts-Mazda-RX-8-RX8-04-11-/330555484937?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4cf6a46b09

but idk if those lug nuts will look good with the dark grey rims you have or if i should just paint my rims all black, i kinda like what shadycrew did with his blue rx8 which was paint them grey like yours but how would the blue lug nuts look with it....

i have pics of my car on my album in profile check it out, its blue with blackout tail lights/side markers and blacked out tint.

Phsalex, because you have already blacked out other areas of your car I would go with blacking out the wheels as well. I definitely think a blue set of lugs would set it off nicely too. Post some pics when your done.

yeah man will do, hopefully i can do them this weekend :D

Taping up the wheel to paint the rim is too much work and can be really tricky... save yourself the trouble and some time and do this:

172333 172334

Flashcards will make your life so much easier.

^ Agreed, flash cards do work well if there is no wind. They kept getting blown off for me even with the smallest breeze.

Flash cards + tape my friend.

hey question did you guys take all the wheels off at the same time if so what did you use 4 jack stands? or did you do them one at a time

I did 2 at a time..

you guys should try plasti dip you can peel it if you dont like it ...

you guys should try plasti dip you can peel it if you dont like it ...

I was unaware of Plastidip when I wrote up this DIY. I have recently seen a good write up over on the lexus forums about it. Seems to be some good stuff, and if you dont like the color you can just peel it right off.

here are some pics of my results.
pics are attached.

^ Very nice! I would get some black lugs to set that off!

plastidip absolutely sucks. i had the wheels done black, and was a major PIA to take off. The front part was easy, but inside the wheel with the grooves was just the worst experience. took about an hour per wheel. if your going to spray them, do it right. if you use the cheap stuff, it will show.

^ Very nice! I would get some black lugs to set that off!

yeah i was thinking about that, not sure about black tho. my shinka is more of a black cherry, trying to find a place to color match lug nuts, i thought i saw a link while back, cant find it.

just a few questions that i guess would be good to know;
how long did it take you to do each/all four wheels?
how has the color and paint held up so far during these months?
have the wheels had any problems when tires are getting swapped out?
just asking because i guess once you sand them there's no going back. ie; if the paint starts to chip, spot or fade. you would have to do this all over again?

thanks and great diy, deffinatley going to do this when i get free time.

just a few questions that i guess would be good to know;
how long did it take you to do each/all four wheels?
how has the color and paint held up so far during these months?
have the wheels had any problems when tires are getting swapped out?
just asking because i guess once you sand them there's no going back. ie; if the paint starts to chip, spot or fade. you would have to do this all over again?

thanks and great diy, deffinatley going to do this when i get free time.

When I did mine it took a day and a half. I only had 2 jacks. So I could only do two at a time, wait to dry, then put one side on, then take off the other side.

IF you decide to paint the lug nuts, they will more than likely chip when tightening them back on the car. After I was done putting them on I went around and touched them up with paint, looks good as new.

As fas as swapping out the tires. I'm not sure if the paint will hold up, worse case, sand the area and reapply.

just a few questions that i guess would be good to know;
how long did it take you to do each/all four wheels?
how has the color and paint held up so far during these months?
have the wheels had any problems when tires are getting swapped out?
just asking because i guess once you sand them there's no going back. ie; if the paint starts to chip, spot or fade. you would have to do this all over again?

thanks and great diy, deffinatley going to do this when i get free time.

It took me 1 day, but I hd 4 jacks..
I would spend good time sanding it down.
And I have had mine for 3 months and no chips really just by the lugnits when u put them on, of if someone hit it with a tool but that's it.

great i will do this sometime soon and post pics, thanks!

Chrishoky, thanks for the DYI, my 8 looks great!

Man I've been following this thread for a while now. It has me wanting to try this out on my rims pretty badly.... How does Gunmetal sound like on a LY car? Or black?

Black goes well with any color

guys just did my car last night! turned out great!! here are some pics :) let me know what you think :)

Everyone's cars look great, Im so glad so many people are finding this write up useful. Keep up the good work!

yeah, i was hella nervous at first, but it turned out great.

Everyone's cars look great, Im so glad so many people are finding this write up useful. Keep up the good work!

im lovin it dude, thanks alot!

Did you seriously just spray paint your wheels? Why be a cheap ass and just get them powdercoated for ~$150?

So where can you go and get them powdercoated for $150 for all 4 rims?:dunno:

Hey Chris how did you do your center caps to still have the emblem chrome?

I didnt leave my center caps chrome.. I painted the whole center cap gunmetal along with the wheels, I would imagine the chrome Mazda symbols should just pop on and pop off if not mistaken.

Yeah, it does pop off but I left mine on and covered it with tape very carefully. It was very time consuming but as my pic shows its worth it. The lugnuts and emblem stand out.

I think the OP painted the inside and back of the wheels.
I only did the outside, so I used 1 can for all 4 wheels together. (1 can primer, 1 can black paint, 1 can clear coat)
If you want really wet coatings, you could use 2 cans.
Start to finish shouldn't take more than 6 hrs

I think the light catches the clear coat strangely in photos, in real life it looks like an even shade of black

Once my car is back and fixed, i will be painting the rims white and tossing on some black lugs to offset it. I will upload pics shouldnt be later then next friday.

might do mine in dark bronze as soon as i remove my oems and put my winter 17's on

ok so a while back i sprayed my wheels black and they turned out great on my SS.. so i had a hankerin to change the wheel color once again i sanded them down and sprayed them once more so what yal think ?

ok so a while back i sprayed my wheels black and they turned out great on my SS.. so i had a hankerin to change the wheel color once again i sanded them down and sprayed them once more so what yal think ?

pic is small, but looks nice!

pretty dope

hi all
just read through the whole thread, looks like some great results coming out of just a little hard work, good work.

i've got a 40th anniversary 8 in pearl white looking to do my rims in gloss black to really make the white pop even more, i'll post pictures when i can. fingers crossed it will work out well

Has anyone changed the tires with painted rims? did it chip, crack or scrape off? Ive been holding off cause I slide alot and I need new tires in the rear. Once their changed I will paint but I dont want to paint and have it come off?

Looks good. I bet baking the rim in the oven for 15 mins or so would yield a stronger bond. I've done it with other metal parts in the past with perfect results everytime. Yes. The same oven I use to cook food.:eyetwitch

Used 320 grit sandpaper and red scotch pad to scuff the surface, etch primed emblems, and filed and filled curb rash from previous owner. Put four layers of Rustoleum Satin Aerosol spray paint. First two layers were thin to avoid craters from silicone wheel brightener I use... second two layers were extra thick.

Used 320 grit sandpaper and red scotch pad to scuff the surface, etch primed emblems, and filed and filled curb rash from previous owner. Put four layers of Rustoleum Satin Aerosol spray paint. First two layers were thin to avoid craters from silicone wheel brightener I use... second two layers were extra thick.

Looks Awesome!

Has anyone changed the tires with painted rims? did it chip, crack or scrape off? Ive been holding off cause I slide alot and I need new tires in the rear. Once their changed I will paint but I dont want to paint and have it come off?

I recently bought new tires... Don't ignore the tire sensor light... Yea they got a little chipped around the edges so they aren't perfect any more. All I did to fix it was spray a little of the same paint into a cup and brush touch up the chips. You don't really notice unless you are looking for defects up close, like really close. So far the spray paint has held up well to normal wear and tear. I also painted my emblems and have since liked the stealthy look the black wheels and black emblems give.

Any recommendations for a paint that is as close to OEM color as possible? My rims have a lot of chipping and flaking on the inside edges and I'd just like to repaint them the factory color.

Any recommendations for a paint that is as close to OEM color as possible? My rims have a lot of chipping and flaking on the inside edges and I'd just like to repaint them the factory color.

You are going to need to sand them down primer and paint anyways (or else the paint wont stick over time). Just find a silver that matches and do all 4 wheels.

I recently bought new tires... Don't ignore the tire sensor light... Yea they got a little chipped around the edges so they aren't perfect any more. All I did to fix it was spray a little of the same paint into a cup and brush touch up the chips. You don't really notice unless you are looking for defects up close, like really close. So far the spray paint has held up well to normal wear and tear. I also painted my emblems and have since liked the stealthy look the black wheels and black emblems give.

yeah ended up painting mine white...looks bad ass, especially at night, break dust is killing me though. lots of self car washes. power hose does the trick.

hi all
just read through the whole thread, looks like some great results coming out of just a little hard work, good work.

i've got a 40th anniversary 8 in pearl white looking to do my rims in gloss black to really make the white pop even more, i'll post pictures when i can. fingers crossed it will work out well

Nice, i got one of those things only US spec. If your curious, i photoshopped what it looked like if i plasti-dip'd my rims. Im not going to though, i like the metallic finish way too much even though i have massive pitting and paint flaking around the edges. looks hot 10ft away, looks like complete shit within 1/2 a foot.

http://i890.photobucket.com/albums/ac102/F1GURIN/PlastiDip_Rims.jpg

Decided to have some fun with the oem winter set :wiggle:

...lots of rock chips i know :(

Nice, i got one of those things only US spec. If your curious, i photoshopped what it looked like if i plasti-dip'd my rims. Im not going to though, i like the metallic finish way too much even though i have massive pitting and paint flaking around the edges. looks hot 10ft away, looks like complete shit within 1/2 a foot.

http://i890.photobucket.com/albums/ac102/F1GURIN/PlastiDip_Rims.jpg

Id say do it, 2 cans of plastidip and some flash cards for under $15 for some matte black wheels is a good deal. if you dont like it you can always peel it off without any problem

Love this idea, and loving the neon green wheels :)

Update: Since the winter in Pa is pretty much over I figured I would update everyone on status of my wheels. The paint has held up surprisingly well, and still looks good even close up. I did however move to an area where there is on street parking only, so I often have to parallel park, which has resulted in some curb rash (Opps!). Anyhow, looks like a re-paint is in order this spring (mostly because Im anal about the curb rash) But the paint lasted for over a year and a half so I am satisfied with that result, if it wasnt for my own faults I would think it would have lasted even longer.

I am also going to go with a clear coat this time, should provide better protection and look better in the long run. Ill post new pics when I do them.

I've been thinking about doing this myself here shortly. Haven't decided on a color yet.

I've been thinking about doing this myself here shortly. Haven't decided on a color yet.

Post pictures when you decide! Good Luck!

Awesome write up man, I found it really helpful. I'll be going aftermarket hopefully in the next few months if I can get rid of my Jeep :fingersx: , but I think I'm going to paint up the stockers anyway just so I have something that looks decent for the winter!

Anyone done bronze yet? I was thinking about just painting them that color anyway so I could see if I really like it before I make any purchases.

Awesome write up man, I found it really helpful. I'll be going aftermarket hopefully in the next few months if I can get rid of my Jeep :fingersx: , but I think I'm going to paint up the stockers anyway just so I have something that looks decent for the winter!

Anyone done bronze yet? I was thinking about just painting them that color anyway so I could see if I really like it before I make any purchases.

First off, Im glad you found the write up helpful. What color car are you planning on painting the rims bronze on? I would think it would look good on almost all the colors, I remember seeing pics of a white and a blue 8 with bronze rims and both looked great.

Mine is Galaxy Grey.. Nice rich dark grey color, Just not 100% sold on the bronze yet.

I'm looking at MB Battle wheels, and they only come in gunmetal or bronze, but I kinda think gunmetal would be a little tooo much grey.. Tough choices coming up in my life lol.

Mine is Galaxy Grey.. Nice rich dark grey color, Just not 100% sold on the bronze yet.

I'm looking at MB Battle wheels, and they only come in gunmetal or bronze, but I kinda think gunmetal would be a little tooo much grey.. Tough choices coming up in my life lol.

Personally Bronze on a galaxy grey would not look good in my opinion. I would go with the gunmetal and see how you like it. If you grow tired of that you can always have them painted or powder coated another color later on. I personally think black would look good with gray.

Yea I'm with you there, I think black looks good on anything lol.. Thats what I originally wanted, but theres another guy on the forum, I don't remember what his name is with a grey rx8 and the gunmetal wheels that I want and they actually look really good, so I'll probably go that route.

And sorry about getting your thread so off topic, I still plan on painting my stock wheels! haha