Painting stock wheels

I am thinking about painting my stock wheels. Is this a bad idea? I would like to go with a darker gray. Has anyone painted their wheels and or have good tips on how to do it?

I am getting new tires soon so I am not worries about getting paint on them etc..

 

I painted my steelies with duplicolor gunmetal gray. Didnt sand them or anything either, just cleaned really well with alcohol, no primer either, still sticking really well, I even power wash them on a somewhat regular basis. I did about 4 coats I believe. One thing I noticed with the duplicolor in particular is it reacts with the toyota paint on the center plastic caps, I think, if you have those. thats the one spot its peeling for me. But my caps had chipped paint before I painted them and I think that had something to do with it.
edit:
guess I should add a pic since everyone else did

 

Im about to paint my stock steelies this weekend and im also going with a darker gray as well. Im using gray automotive primer, and ill probably do a couple coats of that after i hit the wheels with a little scotch bright or some sand paper. Then i plan on putting 3-4 coats of the base coat. I went with rustoleum universal Dark steel with metallic flake in it. The paint i bought says that its paint and primer, but im going to do some gray primer prior to that as well so they stay looking good for longer.

Heres a pic of a center cap that i primed and put 2 coats of base coat on to see how the color would look in relation to the stock silver steelies. Let me know if youd like me to post up pictures of mine whenever i finish up.

 

It's not a bad idea if you want to change the look of your wheels. Just do a google search and you'll find lots of how to videos and such. The prep work is the hard part and the amount you have to do will depend on the condition of your wheels. I bought a set of corroded to shit sport wheels to use for my winter tires. Lots of sanding, primer and duplicolor graphite wheel paint and it's held up surprisingly well over 2 winters.

 

Those look damn good!

 

Thanks!

 

used Duplicolor Hyper Silver wheel paint. used recipe cards tucked in between the rim and wheels. power washed the rims, sanded them, wiped them clean, hit them with brake cleaner the primed with Tremclad gray. then 2 coats of the hypersilver and one coat of clearcoat (comes in the kits. It's lasted about 3 years through our winters here as well. lotsa road salt. gonna do them again this coming spring.

 

@rjbiii That looks awesome. Color looks spot on! Are you going to paint the wheels with the tires on them? And yes, I would like to see the after product.

 

Thanks! And yep, thats the plan. Im gonna use newspaper and painters tape and just take the wheels and tires off the truck and tape them up. Ill post up some pics when i finish up!

 

I plasti dipped mine yesterday think they may have a silver/Grey color

 

got mine powder coated. they turned out awesome but the only downside is when they get scratched you cant touch it up like u can if you paint them.

Before



After

 

Looks super clean! Im jelllly of those with black tacos! The wheels put it over the top

 

@Bocsy44 looks real clean.

 

They're nice when they're clean

 

This looks great too! Heres the paint i used when i tried going back to the stock silver from black on my first set of steelies. You really cant tell the difference. I was surprised how close the silver was.

All the paint ive gotten has been from lowes

 

I know what youre saying! I have a dark green taco and i live on a dirt road and its a total pita to keep clean!

 

Lots of how to threads for painting wheels.
As with all paint work...It's all about prepwork
Like another member mentioned plastidip has a few different gunmetal colors in a spraycan.
I have had my winter set dipped for about 3 years. Still look good for this year too.
Paint can chip and be a hassle to fix.
PD is cheap no real prep and most damage you can rub naphtha on the spot(s) to lay back down and flatten out then just touch up or easy enough to peel and repaint.
Wheels and emblems is where plastidip shines

 

Untitled by Steve Sankovich, on Flickr

Untitled by Steve Sankovich, on Flickr

Untitled by Steve Sankovich, on Flickr

Untitled by Steve Sankovich, on Flickr


Duplicolor Graphite wheel paint and gloss clear.

From another thread -

 

Used Rustoleum Hammered Black # 7215. Cleaned them, light sanding, clean, spray painted 3 coats. Painted them a couple years before the photo was taken. They have a few nicks and the paint is starting to fade a bit. Will touch them up eventually. Really liked the outcome; the hammered finish hides the nicks well.