[scottminor]

I am going to paint my wheels black this spring. I will have to do it with the tires mounted. Do I need to strip them or just sand them? Self etching primer? I know there will be lots of opinions here. Please let me know if you have done this and have before and after pictures.

[MADBMWX5MC]

So I am assuming you are looking for a permanent vs temp like plasti-dip? I did the dip on my 2019 (which I traded for the X5M) and was pretty happy. Then when I got tired of it, reversed back. Was good to have the option.

[scottminor]

I was goin to paint them permanently.

[bagd0003]

Originally Posted by scottminor

I was goin to paint them permanently.

I'd suggest to have them professionally powder coated. It will be way more durable. Prepping and painting something like that would require a lot of time and patience. My 2 cents.

[BlkGS]

Powder coat requires the same amount of prep as paint. Powder coat is more durable, but doesn't look as good and unless you're doing some serious gravel offroading, you shouldn't be hurling rocks at your wheels. Neither will hold up to curbing your rims.

My take, hit the wheels with some wet sanding, and then a good primer compatible with your paint. I've used VHT wheel.paint and primer before with excellent results. I've used whatever cheap spray paint cans they had at the hardware store in the past too, and while it still comes out fine, the finish isn't as nice or as hard as the VHT paint delivers. If you really want to do it right, hit the wheels with a 2k clear coat, especially if you're going for a gloss finish.

I typically prefer a satin finish and don't run a clear coat, it holds up fine, but a 2k clear coat would make a big difference. Just make sure you wear a respirator and spray the 2k stuff in a WELL ventilated area. Like outside. 2k clear coat is very nasty stuff for your health.