What color should I paint my wheels?

[thezentree]

I finally got some mud tires mounted on my 4th gen Sport wheels today. I need to paint them because they’re definitely 10 foot wheels, but I’m undecided on the color. I’m thinking gunmetal but would consider a really dark bronze. The body paint was Millenium Silver but MAACO decided to paint it a different shade of silver that has a very slight green or blue tint to it.

Anyway, what color do y’all think I should do for the wheels?


Oh, and if anyone wants to know, the tires are 255/75R17 Firestone M/Ts. And they are loud. Wow.

 

[Fern]

Leave them the way they are. Looks good the way it is.

 

[thezentree]

Leave them the way they are. Looks good the way it is.

I would if they were in better shape but they have a lot of corrosion and peeling paint. I need to do the stock 16” 5 stars with my 265s on them too. They’re even worse.

 

[psraff]

What's the long term goals of the truck? If the truck stays as it is, I would stick with that silver color, or maybe half way to gunmetal (just make it a shade darker). But if you get rid of the chrome bumpers and such and those end up darker, I would color match what the bumpers will be. Then Gunmetal bumpers, rock sliders, and wheels could look sharp.

 

[thezentree]

What's the long term goals of the truck? If the truck stays as it is, I would stick with that silver color, or maybe half way to gunmetal (just make it a shade darker). But if you get rid of the chrome bumpers and such and those end up darker, I would color match what the bumpers will be. Then Gunmetal bumpers, rock sliders, and wheels could look sharp.

It will eventually get armor. I hadn’t thought about painting the armor gunmetal - I think that would look awesome.

 

[Jaq7017]

If you're looking for a not so permanent solution and want to play around with what color to go with, you could always plastidip your wheels. Then when you get the color, you can peel and then paint the color you want. I've never used plastidip but hear if applied correctly they're surprisingly durable. But on the same boat with the other guys, can go wrong with a gunmetal or a matte black if you do away with the chrome.

 

[RS Dude]

What is your opinion on your MAACO paint job? I need to paint mine also.

 

[thezentree]

What is your opinion on your MAACO paint job? I need to paint mine also.

I hate it.

 

[Horsethief]

I agree that they look good as they are, Since they're ten footers though, I get why you want to paint them.

I like the idea of the gunmetal. And like what someone else said, you can later match accessories to that color. There's also that "hammertone" gunmetal, which has a slight texture to it. Might be cool if your wheels are really pitted. I see that stuff at Lowe's or wherever and always wonder how it would look on wheels.

Another option might be to strip and polish them, though that will be time consuming. When I was active in the F-Body community, as these cars were getting older a lot of guys were going that route with stock WS6 wheels. Once the clearcoat starts to peel that's kind of it for those wheels, but after a refinish they look better than new, unless they're deeply pitted or curb rashed. I still have my 4th gen Firebird, I actually need to do mine now. It may be a spring project if I get around to it.

I really like those wheels, btw. Are those 4th gen wheels? They look good on there, they're worth the effort to save.

 

[thezentree]

I agree that they look good as they are, Since they're ten footers though, I get why you want to paint them.

I like the idea of the gunmetal. And like what someone else said, you can later match accessories to that color. There's also that "hammertone" gunmetal, which has a slight texture to it. Might be cool if your wheels are really pitted. I see that stuff at Lowe's or wherever and always wonder how it would look on wheels.

Another option might be to strip and polish them, though that will be time consuming. When I was active in the F-Body community, as these cars were getting older a lot of guys were going that route with stock WS6 wheels. Once the clearcoat starts to peel that's kind of it for those wheels, but after a refinish they look better than new, unless they're deeply pitted or curb rashed. I still have my 4th gen Firebird, I actually need to do mine now. It may be a spring project if I get around to it.

I really like those wheels, btw. Are those 4th gen wheels? They look good on there, they're worth the effort to save.

The front face is polished and the look is growing on me, but I’m not motivated enough to spend that much time on them to refinish the polished look, haha. A friend of mine did that to his 300ZX wheels a while back and while they looked awesome when he was done, it was a huge amount of effort. I’m hoping that if I can get a good prep, primer, and paint coat on them I won’t be spending a ton of time to get a good finish that I can occasionally hit with some touch-up paint if they get beat up off road.

Thanks for the compliments on them though. I liked them when I bought them and I love them now. They’re 4th gen Sport wheels (off a 2003 I think) that I got on Craigslist for $100. I left my wheel spacers on when I swapped because the tire was about 1/8” from the UBJ but I like the stance a lot. I’m hoping this size tire works pretty well in the dirt, since it’s the factory JK rubicon size and there are a ton of BFG KM take-offs in that size on Craigslist. The tires that are on it now were on a grandpa JK rubicon, actually.

 

[etc.]

Dark bronze or gunmetal.

Duplicolor wheel paint has great reviews.

 

[Scramble]

You should have sanded & painted them before you had the tires mounted. You could have even gotten them sandblasted. Sanding wheels is a pain in the ass, $100 - $125 for sandblasting all 4 wheels is well worth it. I love those wheels & ran them back in 2014 before I got a lift & 33's. I painted them Rustoleum Aluminum, I was hoping for a darker Silver like the cap but they came out a little too bright for me.

 

[Horsethief]

The front face is polished and the look is growing on me, but I’m not motivated enough to spend that much time on them to refinish the polished look, haha. A friend of mine did that to his 300ZX wheels a while back and while they looked awesome when he was done, it was a huge amount of effort. I’m hoping that if I can get a good prep, primer, and paint coat on them I won’t be spending a ton of time to get a good finish that I can occasionally hit with some touch-up paint if they get beat up off road.

Thanks for the compliments on them though. I liked them when I bought them and I love them now. They’re 4th gen Sport wheels (off a 2003 I think) that I got on Craigslist for $100. I left my wheel spacers on when I swapped because the tire was about 1/8” from the UBJ but I like the stance a lot. I’m hoping this size tire works pretty well in the dirt, since it’s the factory JK rubicon size and there are a ton of BFG KM take-offs in that size on Craigslist. The tires that are on it now were on a grandpa JK rubicon, actually.

Haha, I hear ya. Yeah, the refinishing and polishing seemed to take those guys pretty much a whole afternoon PER WHEEL.

Maybe just get some sort of abrasive ball or disk for a corded electric drill and have at them before you paint.
And yeah, those Rubi tires should work well. I rented a Rubi in Moab and it did quite well with them on the rocks and sand, and they didn't seem particularly loud on pavement.

I'm looking for a 4R now, and was thinking that route may be a good way to go. How much lift to fit that size?

 

[thezentree]

You should have sanded & painted them before you had the tires mounted. You could have even gotten them sandblasted. Sanding wheels is a pain in the ass, $100 - $125 for sandblasting all 4 wheels is well worth it. I love those wheels & ran them back in 2014 before I got a lift & 33's. I painted them Rustoleum Aluminum, I was hoping for a darker Silver like the cap but they came out a little too bright for me.

Yeah I know but I’m impatient haha. I thought about doing that but I want to go 4wheeling and my fiancé is getting irritated with my wheel and tire collecting, so I needed to get these mounted and the unused sets on Craigslist.

I’m going to do like Horsethief said below and strip them with a wire brush in a drill, scuff them with some 320 grit, and go to town with some duplicolor. They won’t be concours quality but neither is the rest of the car.

Haha, I hear ya. Yeah, the refinishing and polishing seemed to take those guys pretty much a whole afternoon PER WHEEL.

Maybe just get some sort of abrasive ball or disk for a corded electric drill and have at them before you paint.
And yeah, those Rubi tires should work well. I rented a Rubi in Moab and it did quite well with them on the rocks and sand, and they didn't seem particularly loud on pavement.

I'm looking for a 4R now, and was thinking that route may be a good way to go. How much lift to fit that size?

I’ve got about 2.5” and it seems like plenty. You might be able to get away with these on a stock 4Runner - they’re about 1/8” taller than my 265/75R16s.

 

[gamefreakgc]

Oh, and if anyone wants to know, the tires are 255/75R17 Firestone M/Ts. And they are loud. Wow.

Haha, which is why I still have Highway rated M+S tires! Very quiet.

I love the Graphite duplicolor, I think it looks really good on lighter color vehicles. Like others said dark grey is a nice look: it's not as "bro-esque" as flat black wheels, but not as plain as just silver like you have right now. Be sure to de-grease the tires very well. I didn't and my paint is starting to come off, only been on there for 18 months.

 

[Scramble]

Yeah I know but I’m impatient haha. I thought about doing that but I want to go 4wheeling and my fiancé is getting irritated with my wheel and tire collecting, so I needed to get these mounted and the unused sets on Craigslist.

I’m going to do like Horsethief said below and strip them with a wire brush in a drill, scuff them with some 320 grit, and go to town with some duplicolor. They won’t be concours quality but neither is the rest of the car.



I’ve got about 2.5” and it seems like plenty. You might be able to get away with these on a stock 4Runner - they’re about 1/8” taller than my 265/75R16s.

Haha, I hear yea, I have a bunch of tires & wheels I should sell. LOL

 

[Fern]

I'd try a Powerball on the end of a high speed drill and try some headlight restoration liquid or a polishing compound if you decide to try to keep OG.

 

[thezentree]

I finally got around to painting them last month and got a chance to swap wheels and tires this morning:

I still need to figure out what to do for center caps but I'm happy with how they turned out so far.