Hey guys, a friend of mine gave me a full set of 1G TSI wheels today.

They are white and I'd like to repaint them in gun metal or silver.

Can anyone give me some ideas on how I can do this?
Do I have to sand the wheels down, or use paint thinner...etc.
What kind of paint and clear coats do I need?

Thanks alot guys.

i painted mine black with i can't remember the brand of primer i used but it was from a nappa paint supply place and its an etching primer especially for aluminum. It works really well and so far it seems durable. Then i used duplicolor black high temp paint followed by duplicolor wheel clear coat. look amazing. oh and i left the lip polished.

I just painted my wheels this weekend. I really recommend sanding the wheels. I did this with a drill and a sanding disc, then primered the wheels and painted them gunmetal with dupicolor paint. Its fairly simple and doesnt take much time. Good Luck!

Thanks guys...I'll be sure to sand them down first, then use the etching primer and then finally pick a color.

Any suggestions on which color wheels to go with a yellow 2G?

BMW carbon (i think thats what its called) is a very sick colour to go with a yellow car, esspecially a 2g. Other than a polished finish, that colour or black are the only ones I can visualize looking good on a yellow car. Mabey you can leave the lip polished and just paint the spokes.

Hey Brian, I have a sand blaster. If you want to sand blast them, let me know I'll give you a good price.

I have 91 TSi swirlies, but they were the usual silver colour. They were really pitted and corroded, and looked like crap. You can use either a 3" wire wheel or nylon brush wheel on a drill, to get all the roughness off. Then use coarse and fine metal cloth (the black sandpaper with green backing - I think it is in the automotive section in CT). I can't remember if I used a finer sandpaper or steel wool after that. As long as there are no big scratches or lines, paint will cover fine blemishes and lines.

Then go to CT and buy the Dupli-Color High Performance wheel paint. It comes in several colours (light silver, graphite, white). Buy the Clear Coat that goes with it. Each are about $7 a can, and one can of each is more than enough. This stuff is easy to use, and looks great after. It isn't a professional job, but you can get 90% of the way there for 10% of the cost.

I put this on my swirlies in the fall, and they still look great after a harsh winter. Some minor marks inside the bolt holes from the air guns when the wheels were taken off at the shop for brakes, etc. No sign of peeling at all. The paint isn't as durable as the original finish, but you can easily repaint every year or so if you are really picky. It doesn't take long to do. I've got a set of Laser wheels (wire style) that I'm going to paint this weekend for my summer tires.

I put a couple of wheels with different color before, I prefer just the simple aluminum or white the most. I personally don't like black rims on my yellow car. Too bad I didn't take any pic to show you.