Questions for the guys that painted their stock wheels.

How are they holding up? How long have you had them painted? How often have you had to reapply? Thanks.

 

most of the wheels i have seen painted were actually powder coated. i personally think this would be the better way to go. but, i suppose if you did your prep work well, paint could work but i would imagine it would still chip and flake to easily.

 

Epoxy-based paint is the only material besides powder coat that will hold up on stock wheels. This is what MOPAR uses. Regardless of if you paint or powder coat you will need to remove the OEM finish down to the base metal. Sand blasting is the easiest way to strip the paint, but it takes a blast material specifically designed to use with aluminum. If you strip with material designed to use with steel it will create an irregular finish. When I did mine, I had to take them to a shop that could strip the original paint and another one to do the powder.

 

I painted the factory wheels on my wrx. I used the duplicolor wheel paint and it held up very well. Not a single chip or flake in 4 years. Prep is the key to it holding up.