what color to paint my wheels?

[not yellow]

would like to paint/refinish my wheels soon. unfortunately, the previous owner did not take great care of my car. there is mild-moderate curb rash on over 50% of the edges of all rims and damage near two or three of the lug nuts. i have no idea how they managed that one?! anyway, just looking for ideas on a color that would go well with my car/calipers and any suggestions on smoothing/repairing damage. thanks!

lil' curb rash sample...
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3377/3422376297_79ee3b2ff8_o.jpg

damage near lug nut...
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3331/3423182888_04abaaf9b6_o.jpg

the car...
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3362/3423182714_5e0d376b66_o.jpg

[zuku26]

Black or bronze would look HOT
Nice job on the calipers BTW I wish mine had come out that glossy

[bgibb68]

i vote black....maybe bronze....but there's not a whole lot of colors that will look good with yellow....


i'll be doing mine black when ever i get new tread

[ForceFed]

Whatever you do.....
Don't paint.....Powdercoat.
It'll be worth it...Trust me.

[zuku26]

Whatever you do.....
Don't paint.....Powdercoat.
It'll be worth it...Trust me.

x2

[not yellow]

i like the idea of DIY, which i obviously can't do with powder coating. how much better is it? convince me!

also, big fan of bronze rims in general... just not sure how good they would look on a yellow car with yellow calipers.

[tweakingmsp]

I'd say powder coat them black. I don't think that bronze would look good on a yellow MSP.

[satyr36]

i like the idea of DIY, which i obviously can't do with powder coating. how much better is it? convince me!

also, big fan of bronze rims in general... just not sure how good they would look on a yellow car with yellow calipers.

you can PC them yourself. its not that hard actually. just need a PC kit + a nice sized oven to bake it in~ (guitar)

[bgibb68]

you can PC them yourself. its not that hard actually. just need a PC kit + a nice sized oven to bake it in~ (guitar)

needs to be an elec oven.......once i run a 220 into the garage i'm half tempted to find a free oven off CL to use for this purpose

[not yellow]

looks like the basic powder coating kits aren't that expensive. but i don't have an air compressor or an electric oven...! painting is a lot more realistic for my garage. otherwise i need to find some one who does powder coating.

[o0n8]

i would say black, what paint did you use for the calipers? they look great

[bgibb68]

what did you use for the calipers.....i like that yellow.....i might just change mine from red to that.....nice and shiney

[not yellow]

it's dupli-color caliper paint, pretty easy to find. the key was doing at least 5-6 coats(just what it takes to get good coverage with a lighter color like yellow), and letting each coat dry completely(about 15 mins). i took some patience, but i'm very happy with the results!

[Wagonbacker9]

I think duplicolor makes a wheel paint kit as well, but as was said, you'd be a LOT happier in the long run with a powdercoat. My current wheels were painted by the previous owner, and i guarantee when the tires run bald, I'll be redoing it... if I'm running them as anything but winter wheels by then that is...

[not yellow]

yeah, powdercoating definitely sounds like the better option. i might paint them just for fun. then once i see how crappy it is i can powdercoat them later....

[Wagonbacker9]

mine are holding up really well everywhere but the centercaps.... (Mz3 wheels btw)... but I still wouldn't recommend it.

[judman13]

The powdercoating is just a lot tougher of a finish!! Its more expensive up front but in the end it will pay off because you wont have to worry about painting them over and over again.

[not yellow]

ok, so i repaired and painted my wheels just to see how it would look. i figure i can always powder coat in the future if i want to. ended up going with "graphite," it was a bit darker than i imagined but i'm happy with it. also went back to stock tire size and put on black lug nuts.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3555/3583288017_e43cbea9a2_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3660/3584094538_0bc2c3cc65_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3629/3584094152_a7609772d7_o.jpg

[kudakev615]

looks good:)

[greasemonkey524]

Does look real good. Did you not paint the inside of the wheel?

[not yellow]

no, didn't paint the inside. it will be covered in brake dust and grime soon enough... and i never get around to cleaning that part of the wheel.

[greasemonkey524]

Well they still look great. I do like the graphite color with the yellow.

[not yellow]

thanks, man! it was actually a ton of work...

ps- totally love those bronze wheels you've got. would love to have gone with bronze but i just don't think it looks good on a yellow car. super hot on the spicy though!

[greasemonkey524]

Haha thanks man! I guess the wheels will either make or break the car. It's such a tough decision deciding on what color to go with.

[BadBandar]

wheels look better in person. Good job Z. Now come paint mine. haha.

[not yellow]

btw- also painted the front emblem to match the wheels... hehe.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3362/3590950617_d2e570882b.jpg

[Outlawstar98]

Doesnt look bad :P

[brian2029]

btw how did u fix the rash i have some rashed rims and i wanted to fix them but i never looked into it.... (lazy) i guess plus school :/

[not yellow]

fixing the curb rash takes sanding, filling with "bondo" putty, sanding again, priming, and then painting. it's a lot of work even if you are not lazy!
here's a good how-to thread:
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123668132

[2-8-1]

Powdercoat Black Chrome, otherwise known as "Hypercoat"

Looks like sex on a yellow car. Polished aluminum looks good also on yellow, but is a bitch to keep looking good.

[bubba019]

black yeyeye

[sandspeed]

I really like the graphite color. Nice prep work too

[Speedkid]

paint them black.