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Little paint on wheels. Better look

9K views 43 replies 31 participants last post by  hops23 
#1 ·
I have the stock 18" wheels on my 2011 Laredo X, and did not like the look. Too much flat silver metal. Wanted the look of thinner spokes instead of the pie pan look.

Was considering upgrading to the terrific looking 20" wheels, but saw lots of posts that they rode rough, got less mileage, and were kinda pricey.

Also considered replacing the wheels, but when considering offset, rubbing issues, and seeing some of the cheaper aftermarket wheels were coming apart, I decided to stay with the factory no problem wheels, and just try to paint the inset areas to make the spokes pop a bit.

I went with a factory matching color to my body, and think it came out pretty well.
 

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#2 ·
Looks good! I like the color match!
 
#4 ·
Nice! I really like the way they turned out. Much better than stock. I’ve been wondering how these flat “fan blade” wheels were considered an “upgrade” over the stock 17” wheels.

On a related note, I pulled the tires the other day and could not believe how heavy they were. I put one on the scale and discovered the wheels/tires weigh 68.5 lbs each! That’s just plain nuts! I was going to ask the JG community if they have any lighter weight suggestions. The lighter wheels would increase performance and mileage. In any case, your homemade custom wheels are sweet. Too bad Chrysler didn’t think of this.

Great Job, Uncle Paul! :thumbsup:

Bob.
 
#7 ·
Scott.

That was the idea. Kind of a poor man's 20"er.

First thought also was to go black, and if I was to do it myself that is how I would do it,but I had a paint shop do it, and they had all the factory paint availble, so I matched it up.

Because of the shadow area they sit in, they look just a shade darker than the fender.

My goal was to make the wheels look a lot classier than fan blades, but still keep the stock fitment.

Most people walking by these wheels would not even notice them, and that was the idea.
 
#14 ·
Very nice! May I ask what this cost, approximately??

Looking at my 18s, I see a nice clean edge on the inner portions you painted along the sides. The bottom edge is a very soft blended edge - how did your painter decide where to lay the mask for painting? Are you happy with the placement??

Can you show a more close-up view of the painted section?
Also, a wider sot of the Jeep and wheels to see them in context?

I would go for dark grey, but not quite black in my case (on green jeep). Glossy not flat.
 
#15 ·
Great mod to think of....Looks great!
 
#22 · (Edited)
All surfaces are shiney, like the paint on the car body.

They scuffed up the whole wheel, painted the relief, and then cleared the whole wheel. Gives it a show car look, yet subtle.

When you look at the wheels from a distance you only see the spokes, the inset area kind of disappears. Makes the wheels look much lighter.

Bonus is that now when going down the road, the spokes are clearly visible, where when stock it was all just a silver blur.
 
#35 ·
This was a great way to modify the wheels and it looks stock . For the benifit of the members who plan to do the same mod, could you let us know how much your Body Shop buddy charged for this work. It will help to compare to the price that we will get quoted for this job.

Thanks,

All surfaces are shiney, like the paint on the car body.

They scuffed up the whole wheel, painted the relief, and then cleared the whole wheel. Gives it a show car look, yet subtle.

When you look at the wheels from a distance you only see the spokes, the inset area kind of disappears. Makes the wheels look much lighter.

Bonus is that now when going down the road, the spokes are clearly visible, where when stock it was all just a silver blur.
 
#27 ·
My initial thought was to paint the relief black, but using the body color made the spokes really pop, and the unwanted thicker parts now just dissappear.

Maybe this is because the brake caliper is the same color as the spokes.

Painting the relief black might make the wheel more dramatic, and give it a more serious look, but I was wanting something more classy.

Next step may be to paint the fog light surrounds to match the body color too.

This simple wheel paint may open up a fresh design opportunity for vehicle owners to customize their rides.

Maybe the plastic dip fans will come up with their own solutions.

On my Viper I painted the spokes body colored, the rims black with a blue accent stripe. Different look entirely.
 

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