Wheel Colour - Opinions Please

alpesh26

alpesh26

Registered User
Joined
Mar 3, 2011
Messages
898
Reaction score
240
Points
43
Location
NULL
I'm going to be getting my alloys refurbed seeing as I managed to get down to the metal when cleaning them (someones done a horrific job refurbing them in the past) so I thought I may as well look at changing the colour of the wheels whilst im at it.

I was thinking of going for either a slightly brighter shade of silver or a light grey/gunmetal (but this might clash with the car colour - quartz grey). What do you guys think and what colour would you go for?

IMG_0747-1.jpg


IMG_0855.jpg
 
Last edited:
I had an Exeo done for a customer last week with the Wheels in Honda Nimbus grey, his car was silver no quartz but Nimbus is like a dark anthracite so should look really good.

Give it a go.
 
​I think gunmetal grey would look really nice. :)
 
Mines akoya silver which is similar ish to yours and mine are satin black and i like em

2012-03-23165016.jpg


And a long time ago my RS6s where audi titanium wich is a matt gunmetal colour

2011-01-10122008.jpg


Hope this helps
 
Go gunmetal grey, will stand out just right, will set the car off..........I had my wheels done in black on my dolphin grey, loved them for a few months (hate them now lol), now going either hyper silver or gunmetal grey.

Mac
 
audi upgrades
Marrow said:
And a long time ago my RS6s where audi titanium wich is a matt gunmetal colour

2011-01-10122008.jpg


Hope this helps
Click to expand...

This was the colour I was thinking. How easy are matt wheels to clean? I'm a bit OCD and I ideally want the insides to be lacquered (glossy) so brake dust doesnt stick to it.

I dont really want to go for black wheels as I think you lose the detail on the wheels and they look smaller
 
alpesh26:1545933 said:
Marrow said:
And a long time ago my RS6s where audi titanium wich is a matt gunmetal colour

2011-01-10122008.jpg


Hope this helps
Click to expand...

This was the colour I was thinking. How easy are matt wheels to clean? I'm a bit OCD and I ideally want the insides to be lacquered (glossy) so brake dust doesnt stick to it.

I dont really want to go for black wheels as I think you lose the detail on the wheels and they look smaller
Click to expand...

Matt wheels are just the same as normal wheels to clean dont worry about it !
I know what you mean about black wheels but i really like mine in satin its not quiet gloss and not quiet matt do details of wheels arent lost but i do agree they look smaller.
 
I've decided to go for shadow chrome. There was an RS4 parked outside one of the wheel place with anthracite wheels, but they just looked black. At the other wheel place there was a TT black edition with the titanium wheels on but they just looked dirty despite being clean (how picky am I lol!)

Should be picking the wheels up next week as they are mad busy this week. I'm rolling on my old 16" castors in the mean time. Will get some pics up once theyre back :)
 
Finally got round to fitting my refurbed wheels last week. Some pics:

IMG_0924.jpg


IMG_0958.jpg
IMG_0961.jpg


They've got a slight 'blotchy' effect on them due to them being shadow chrome and the wheels having big spokes (theyre powder coated black then they have 3 light coats of silver over the top to give the chrome effect).
 
I think the wheels stand out quite nicely, liking the colour, not sure about the blotchy effect it gives though imo.
 
would you have noticed the blotchy effect if i hadnt of mentioned it? i'm not sure how noticeable it is. Shadow chrome is meant for wheels with smaller spoke - wish they told me that before i got the wheels refurbed!

The wheels dont look as dark as they do in the second pic, its just the way the light has caught them
 
It is noticable up close, however i've got the same wheels and now considering the shadow chrome.
 
Alpesh,

I'm actually looking to go down the same route as yourself, but wasn't sure between gunmetal grey or shadow chrome on those wheels. Was just wondering what size wheels you have just now? And if they are rs6 or s line?

They're going on a sky blue a6, and after looking at yours i'm leaning towards the shadow chrome finish [the gunmetal seems to be a lot darker and as you said almost just comes out looking dirty..]

Is there any chance you could take a few more pictures when you get a chance so i can see what it looks like in different lighting conditions?

Cheers bud :beerchug:
Azzy.
 
Mine are the S-Line wheels so 18". Just remember that if you do go down the shadow chrome route it will look blotchy as the shadow chrome finish is really for wheels with smaller spokes (I wasnt told this as time of colour selection - but im happy with them).

I need to give the car a polish so i'll take a few pics then. I have a few of the wheels off the car, I can upload those if you want?
 
It doesn't look too blotchy on the car pic tbh, maybe it's the lighting but it's only the close up that you can really tell. Was there any other similar finishes that would be worth considering?

But yes in the meantime if you could please upload the ones of just the wheels that would be great. Would also quite like to see how they look on the car when you have time. :photo:
 
graphite looked nice, it had large flecks in the paint to make it look more metallic. The colour in general was quite dark though and might look daft on a sky blue car but end of the day its up to you. have a look at anthracite too
 
That's the issue i'm having just now, i don't want to go too dark because it would look ridiculous against the rest of the car. I reckon the colour of the wheels in your second picture [or possibly slightly lighter] would set the car off quite nicely.

Was the process as simple as powder coating a black base layer, followed by 3 light layers of silver? The reason i ask is a couple of places i'm looking into don't specifically have shadow chrome listed, so might be worth asking for a bespoke finish.

Cheers bud.
 
As far as I know thats the process. They had to acid dip mine over the weekend because someone had used two pack paint on the faces and it wouldnt come off. They were also sand blasted to remove corrosion that was starting on the back of them.

I'm not sure if all places do the shadow chrome. Where are you based?
 
Azzy said:
But yes in the meantime if you could please upload the ones of just the wheels that would be great. Would also quite like to see how they look on the car when you have time. :photo:
Click to expand...

IMG_0960.jpg
IMG_0921.jpg
 
I'm based in Glasgow mate, where was it you got yours done from? Also, can you tell me how much they charged you if you don't mind my asking?

I've found a place that does "smoked chrome", although i'm not sure if that's the same thing. :shrug:

The pics look good bud, for a chrome finish i like how subtle they are. I think seeing them on a car will make my mind up for sure either way.
 
edit: Just spoke with The Wheel Specialist regading their finishes, apparently they offer 4 seperate variations on shadow chrome -

1. black chrome
2. smoked chrome
3. flash chrome
4. hi-power silver

Was wondering if the place that did yours had a similar system or if it was just the one type called shadow chrome?

As always, help is much appreciated! :beerchug:
 
audi upgrades
I got a place in Preston to refurb my wheels and they definitely called the colour shadow chrome...not sure if they refer to it as anything else. Wheel Repair Centre - Alloy Wheel Repairs and Refurbishment:Diamond Cutting, Powder Coating, Smart Repairs, Straightening, Polishing

They had a few sample wheels hung up and I pretty much pointed to the one I liked lol and asked if I could see it next to the car

Best thing is to go to a few places and have a look at their work and try some sample wheels next to your car (if they have them), the place I went to showed me around the workshop and explained the processes, and I got to see how the wheel looks at each stage.

I paid £330 for all 4 wheels which isnt cheap (about £83 a wheel), but I believe you get what you pay for...buy cheap buy twice.
 
Nah it doesn't sound too expensive to be honest, most of the quotes i'm getting are around the £280-£300 mark because of the process involved to achieve the two-tone effect. I think you're right in the sense that it'll be easier to gauge what type of finish to go for when i actually see a few samples in person.

You still happy with how they look against your car? Were you advised of any cleaning methods to use/avoid?
 
Yeah i'm still happy with them they go well with the colour of the car, not got round to cleaning them yet so I havent got any more pics for you. btw dirt will take away the chrome effect so you'll need to keep on top of it

When you get the wheels done ask them to lacquer the whole wheel, inside and out. Then get some poorboys wheel sealant and apply 2-3 coats (i put a coat of autoglym super resin polish on and 2 coats of sealant). Its time consuming but worth the effort because they're miles easier to clean and stops brake dust eating into them. you'll need to re-apply every year or as you feel necessary if theyre becoming harder to clean.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Nathan Russell
Wheel Opinions
Replies
19
Views
2K
AL (A4 B7 Avant)
AL (A4 B7 Avant)
TOM.S
opinions please...
Replies
4
Views
835
Molnboman
Molnboman
viceroy
Opinions Please.
Replies
9
Views
2K
viceroy
viceroy
O
Opinions Please..
Replies
12
Views
918
jagojon
J
SKOOSH1970
Wrapping opinions please...........
Replies
6
Views
686
SKOOSH1970
SKOOSH1970
Top
Back