I like my stock 16 inch x-lites, just wish they were a dark grey or anthracite. Anyone have any expereince painting their wheels? Just curious what kind of paint to use, what kind of prep to do and how well it turns out.

 

I done a bunch of my wheels (including my classic wheels) with a dark grey paint and the key to success is excellent prep. It's best to do this when you have plenty of time, as having a clean surface and having the time to let the coats dry really pays off.

I use Eastwood products (and a lot of sandpaper/steel wool) to make sure that the surface is as smooth and clean as possible. I then use a spray called "Pre" by Eastwood that cleans all traces of oil and grease off. I wipe them down and put on my metal hoops (again, Eastwood) around the wheel area to avoid overspray. I mask off the tires with newspaper and masking tape. I also make sure that my tires are treated with my favorite tire dressing as it helps prevent the inevitable overspray from sticking.

Once the hoops are on and secure, I lightly spray a coat of grey or black sandable primer and let that dry. A little sanding and clean up - no more "Pre" - and you are ready for the color paint. I generally go over them a minimum of three times, just letting the coats dry a bit (10 mins) to avoid runs. I have tried clear coating them in the past, but unless you can wait days for them to dry, it typically screws up the finish. Remove the hoops and the newspaper immediately, but let the wheels sit for at least a day before running them. The longer you wait the stronger the finish, it seems.

Just buy a good quality paint (not necessarily "wheel" paint), and concentrate on prep, and they will come out looking pretty good. If you can wait a week or two, I'll try to get my s-lites painted (and DPO road rash removed ) and can show you the results! Wish me luck and warm weather...

 

good luck to you.


how much sandpapering is necessary for the x-lites? Everysingle surface well sanded and stripped bare, or just rough up the original paint/coating.

Do you do it by hand or use some kind of power sander?

I was actually thinking of getting the tires unmounted 1st, doing this in 2 days then swapping the run flats for some normal tires.

 

A very light Dremel on the road rash bits, and then a fine hand sand on the rest. You basically just want to sand the surface to give the primer and then the finish something to grab. The "pre" also removes any surface finish, so you really only need to spend a few minutes scuffing the stock finish. Make sure that they are clean and you will be fine.

With sanding deep gouges, you have to be realistic as what you can achieve. I try to blend deep, sharp edges into the surrounding metal, but you'll always be able to see the area if you know what to look for. A little Dremel goes a long way...

Tires off is a great way to do it, but they'll probably damage your paint when they put the tires back, so there you are painting with the tires on again. The metal hoops that surround the wheel part (tightly), actually let you get some paint on the lip, so it doesn't look too bad. I'll try to document my process so maybe I can do a write-up and pay it back to the great people on this forum

 

Powder coating gives a much more durable coating. The process usually involves "bead blasting" prior to powder coating. Then the wheels are put in an oven and the paint is cured.

Check in the phone book or with a local speed shop or motorcycle shop about good powder coaters in your area. Much less expensive than you might think.

 

I actually like the colors and finish that you can get with power, but around here (SE MI) it was about $80 each, and for that new wheels would be a better deal for me. On my XR4Ti, I took the 'spatula' wheel to the guy and "no problem", showed him the BBS-style mesh wheel and he said "no way"