Painting Wheels..... HELP!

[TeamLord]

We'll be painting our stock 2003 T4R aluminum wheels black. Because this truck will be off road, I want the opinions of other users as to which black paint will withstand the most in regards to this. Is paint even the answer? Should we use Stone Guard or Plasti Dip? I don't want the paint peeling 5 minutes into the trails. Any help is much appreciated! ainkiller:

 

[Morphyne]

Well, here is how I see it. Painting wheels will look like shit if you offroad at all. Your only consolation is that it is cheap and easy to touchup as needed. so there's that.

 

[TeamLord]

Well, here is how I see it. Painting wheels will look like shit if you offroad at all. Your only consolation is that it is cheap and easy to touchup as needed. so there's that.

I agree, but really want black wheels. lol Honestly, I'd rather buy 17" black TRD wheels. I was just wondering if there was something out there that worked better than just plain ol' spray paint. *sigh*

 

[Morphyne]

I agree, but really want black wheels. lol Honestly, I'd rather buy 17" black TRD wheels. I was just wondering if there was something out there that worked better than just plain ol' spray paint. *sigh*

I feel your pain. I'm not saying don't do it. but just be prepared to touch them up. personally I hate seeing flat black wheels. I think gloss would look better. Black TRDs will run you $800 on amazon.

 

[TeamLord]

I feel your pain. I'm not saying don't do it. but just be prepared to touch them up. personally I hate seeing flat black wheels. I think gloss would look better. Black TRDs will run you $800 on amazon.

$800 plus the cost of new 35" tires because mine are for 16" wheels. GAH!
Once my 35's wear out I plan to get new ones and the TRD wheels. I appreciate your thoughts. :lookout:

 

[gamefreakgc]

Plasti-dip will be a waste of time.

If you strip the paint off to bare metal, take your time to prep and use a very good clear coat with a hardener agent it might just last. The clear coats with the second small can you press into the bottom or release into the can will be better than the cheap clears. I used cheap clears once and got the wheels aligned, only to see that the alignment equipment scored into the soft clear coat.

 

[TeamLord]

Thanks for the advice [MENTION=115347]gamefreakgc[/MENTION]

We ended up sampling a few spray options to see what adhered the best. We prepped the hell out of the wheels- sanding, cleaning etc. Sprayed Evercoat Rubberized Coating on them and let it harden. It adhered better than we could have ever expected. It won't even mark with a rock or finger nail. I am very impressed. This is mostly temporary until we get 17" black TRD wheels, but I'm pretty sure it will last for quite a while. :dancin:

 

[LUCKY JACK]

Powder coat your wheels!

Just have your wheels powder coated, like I have done in the past. A little more weight, but it's the BEST option, and forget painting, or any other 'cheap' method....And you have a huge selection of colors as well :artist:

 

[CF_Machete]

Thanks for the advice [MENTION=115347]gamefreakgc[/MENTION]
This is mostly temporary until we get 17" black TRD wheels, but I'm pretty sure it will last for quite a while. :dancin:

If you're looking for black rims that may get the hell beaten out of them, after market might give you a better bang for your buck.

Not sure about how they'll handle off road, but I have these with the Chaos center caps Wheel Details - Discount Tire Direct

way cheaper than TRDs