I pulled the trigger on getting my '97 Tacoma repainted after coming here for input awhile back. Should have it back it in about a week. Been thinking about touching up the wheels once I get it back. Paint is the stock Emerald Pearl which is a dark metallic green. Been leaning towards the gun metal or anthracite plastidip, but have seen several other options.

Any input/thoughts on the pros/cons of the different methods? Painting definitely looks more labor intensive. Is it more durable? TIA guys!!!!

Dip it. Looks easy enough. Ask Silvy.

Spicewood Plast-i-dipped his NSX wheels and they turned out amazing.

DIP

My Z06 used to have dipped wheels....until a curb hit me

Buy 3-4 cans of Anthracite and get after it. I wasn't big on the outcome of gunmetal on my S10 wheels

Dip is durable as long as you know how to drive and maintain it

I still like the PlastiDip on my NSX wheels. Surprisingly durable. I've had tires replaced, and when the DT guys used enough slime it hardly damaged the dip. I touched up afterwards.

Buy a wheel kit from Dip Your Car.

https://www.dipyourcar.com/True-Metallic-Wheel-Kit.html

My tips:

- although they say you don't need to mask the tires, I recommend you do so. It kinda peels off tires later, but not so easily with "dry" tires or when the Plastidip coat is thin
- it doesn't run much. So you can put it on heavier than you think on each pass. That produces a smoother finish.
- at least four coats.
- I put nickels in the lug holes while spraying.
- I would not dip my wheels while they are on the vehicle.

Old:

New:

Add: Plastidip gunmetal looks like gray primer. Not so appealing. Anthracite is a much better color (IMO).

Those do look sharp, Spice.

Spice, do you think that the plastidip would stand up to some abuse on a metal basket roof rack? I need to sand mine down and repaint the sucker.

Bedliner the roof rack maybe?

That was the original plan.

If I ever get to it.

Those look great Spicewood! Thanks for the tips! Anthracite looks great and that is the exact look I had in mind.

A few questions:

Is that a matte finish?
Do you recommend their protective spray product?
Will simple green suffice or should I get the Brake Dust Pro?

I wouldn't worry about any additional cleaners, just be sure to keep them clean.

Being a darker color will help

And it's a matte metallic finish

If you buy a wheel kit from the Dip Your Car folks they include a pre-spray cleaner with 4 cans of spray. You use it after you wash the wheels, but before dipping.

The "metallic" is very subtle. It doesn't look like a bass boat or the big metal flake in Ford paint today.

I have not used any protective spray. The finish is easy to touch up if necessary. Not sure it would blend as well if you use another product on top of it.

cool. thank you!

I did an old school redneck rattlecan job with Rustoleum a couple weekend ago. Clean, sand, primer, paint, coat. Did 4 coats at each step. Cheap and easy, took under 3 hours and much of that was waiting between coats, so you can do other stuff. Cost around $20.

Depends on the car - mine was an older truck. For a nicer car, I would plastidip.

Ordered the kit from dyc.com this morning. Hopefully get it in time to do next weekend. Pictures to follow.

Spice/Silvy/Anybody-

The stock '97 Tacoma rims have a large center cap. Is the Plasti thin enough that if I remove the center caps, and plastdip them front and sides, they will clip back in without any issues? Just mask the clips. I have manual locking hubs so the front center caps have the hollow center.

Is the center cap larger than what is in my wheels? All I did was avoid intentionally spraying dip into the cap area. You can do that simply by aiming the spray correctly. The caps on my wheels are just snap in and they fit without problems.

Looks like this

[url=http://s89.photobucket.com/user/nathanhenry81/media/20141117_092442_zps482da504.jpg.html][/url]

Looks like this. Diameter is 5". They are pretty large

Yes, they should snap in place even if you dip them. It will mess up the dip on the clips, but that won't be noticeable at all.

Be careful with those caps in particular, they're pretty delicate. I've broken quite a few of them myself.