So I've been debating whether or not I should paint my wheels white for a while now... And since I'll be replacing the tires this spring, it's probably a good idea to make up my mind while the rims are bare. I've got a HB/W MCS with white bonnet stripes, but the rims are gunmetal... It actually looks decent, but part of me feels like solid white rims might look better. I've seen a few cars with the white roof / white wheels combo before, and I always thought it looked good.

Any thoughts? (Yes, I know dust would be a pain, but my HPS pads have been fairly low-dust)

Prior to the bonnet stripes:

 

Are they Rota SubZero's? If so, it'd probably be cheaper to just buy new ones in White and sell those

I think white would look good on your car

 

Consider the fact that they will never be white for more than the time it takes you to use the brakes next. White wheels get covered with brake dust in seconds after you wash them, and look awful when they do.

The white wheel thing started when racers wanted to cover up the scrapes and scuffs of hard driving - it was not originally a fashion statement...

 

I love the look of the white wheels on my 03 If you put a good wheel wax on them it is easy to keep them looking great. Any wheel looks like dung if they get dirty IMO.


Mark

 

You have all the components of a perfect white wheel MINI already.

Forget the brake dust excuse.

People who keep their wheel clean, do; people who don't, don't.

No other car can pull of white wheels except a MINI.

You will love it!

 

Do what you think will look good. Personally, white wheels don't do anything for me.

 

White wheels would look GREAT !!

And yes, any dirty wheel looks bad. And if you apply wheel wax or Prima Slick to them (I put a coat of Epic AND Slick on mine) then they're easy to wipe clean in between washings. That, along with the low-dust pads... no sweat.

Go for it !

 

White wheels would look great. Here's a before and after of mine...

 

I like my white wheels. Yes, brake dust shows up on them pretty well, but I wash my car often. I'll have to try the wheel wax.

 

I think I'll be OK on the dust situation - I really haven't seen much dust on the wheels at all since I went to HPS pads. Wax is probably a good idea also.

 

White wheels will look fantastic, of course! But ya gotta go with what you like, since all of us with white wheels will tell you yes, and those who chose silver or black will tell you no!

Just be ready to obsess about them, since they look MUCH worse than any other finish with dust on them. I just put snows on my MINI, and will be cleaning my white wheels while they are off the car...
Simple Green with a Magic Eraser, then claybar with Simple Green as lubricant, then a polymer wax, like Zaino, to make them easier to keep clean once I get them back on.

If you DO go with white, apply a strong sealer to them BEFORE mounting them! Then don't use anything harsh to clean them - only what you use to wash the car itself, or you will strip off that protective finish.
(I wish the dealer had told me that when I took delivery!! :( )

Once they no longer come clean easily, means you must clean/wax again.

Hey - is that the Saugatuck Reservoir? Or is it Lake Lillinonah...

 

I don't think that's close to true. Tons of other brands pull off white wheels successfully and have been doing so since before the MINI even came out.

And perhaps some of these will help the OP decide whether white looks good on a nice blue as well I personally love white on a good blue

 

White wheels look great when they're clean, and when they're dirty.... They look gray. Win-win especially since you've ditched the dusty stock pads.

 

Any wax will work, but wheel wax will last longer, as it is designed to withstand the high heat wheels get to.

Mine are now getting to be 6 years old, and although they look good from about 5 feet away, there are some stone chips, stains I just can not get off. I'm thinking of getting them powder coated this spring, white of course .

Mark

 

Not quite the same wheels, but I always liked this combo.



Well, I guess it's worth a shot. I might try my winter rims first, just to be sure I like it (and because light silver and white look terrible together, lol).

 

Go with the white.

 

Did you ever decide? It's pretty funny I did the same thing on tire rack, those were the SSR Type-C's weren't they? Damn shame they stopped selling those so I could preview them. Anyways, I eventually went with all white Rota Grids(similar style just the spokes are a tiny bit thicker) since they were cheaper. Regardless, I ordered my car with the OEM R84's in white so I'm pretty used to the cleaning. I don't actually think they look that bad after a week or so, just a little dull. However, I do clean them with some wheel cleaner, hose, and towel at the least every two weeks. Haven't timed it but 25-35 minutes for all four wheels at those intervals is really a drop in the bucket for me. Once you get in the regular habit, the brake dust isn't that much of an issue to wipe off. When it really gets bad is when I've seen people who haven't washed off their white's in months or probably years, yeeecch.