GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

been trying to figure out what color to paint my 18's for the summer tires.They were too silver for my tastethink i finally found a color that works with my car's color.only did one just in case i really wasn't feeling it but i think it's going to be a keeperwhat do you think?Since i liked it i painted the rest of the rimsbefore and after... don't mind the blue painters tapeup closeIn person they look copper/brownit's a hammered finish which i like, some people won't because it looks like orange peal

I think it'll look good!

looks good, especially the 2nd pic! i kinda like the idea of different rims on the front and back.

Quote, originally posted by tribalman » i kinda like the idea of different rims on the front and back.HAHAHAthe rim was actually on the car, I rolled it in position just to get the full effect. Which I am sure you could seeI would put the rims on now but, these are the rims i bought with the cupped tires that the igget didn't tell me about or even try and make right after i pointed it out to him after driving on them for 8miles.

Looks good... nice effect and cost effective

noice!!!!!!Rollin to boston with them???????

Quote, originally posted by kevera » Rollin to boston with them???????no need new tires, they are cupped so badly that any speeds above 35mph the car shakes very badly and feels like I am driving down a railroad track.

Nice! Love the wheels and the new color!

looks good with the salsa

Quote, originally posted by keithvibe »no need new tires, they are cupped so badly that any speeds above 35mph the car shakes very badly and feels like I am driving down a railroad track.Are you sure it's just not the Pa potholes? The color looks good.

Quote, originally posted by K-NINE »Are you sure it's just not the Pa potholes? The color looks good. positive it's the tires

i dig that color! like posted above, looks cool on the salsa

Great way to add new life to plain rims!! Great color combo!!

The new color is killer!

Niiiice.

Pappa like... I think darker would be better, but that's just me..I used the Duplicolor "Graphite" wheels paint on my older Subie... It was deffinitly darker than yours, but it also had flakes of gold and bronse in the paint... It'll be nice to see when finished and mounted on the car..

nice i like those a lot

nice, where'd you get them from?

the rims or the paint?the rims i got from a genvibe member who isn't so honest. So I will leave it at he got more than what the rims were worth. They are also discontinued.So instead of trying to figure out what to do with them. I decided to paint them to make them look better and start a new chapter.

I think that they look good painted like that. Nice job!

They look great that color. Do you have more photos?

Quote, originally posted by Tonyk27 »They look great that color. Do you have more photos? I will, have patience young paduan HAHAHA

a little off-topic, but have any of you ever painted your stock steel rims? I'm not crazy about them but the last thing I could afford or even want to spend money on right now are new rims. The tires setting me back over $500 was tough enough . I was thinking black, not sure how that would look though. Anyone wanna photochop a silver GT with black stock rims?

aren't the stock steelies already black? i know mine were/are black.and to answer your question... sure paint away... if you don't like it paint it again

Prob look amazing power coated that colour, but can not beat the price.

Aside from making sure the rims were clean and taping off the tires, what kind of prep work did you need to do? Simply shake and spray?

Surface prep is the foundation for which a good paint job stands on. You need to rough up the surface for the paint to adhere to, but it still needs to be a smooth surface, or any imperfections will show through the paint. after scuffing and sanding, make sure that the surface is clean and free of any sanding dust. If the wheel was previously painted, there is no need to remove all the old paint. If the wheel was polished or chrome an additional step of primering or applying an adhesion promoter is advised. Painting in a dust free environment. Pay attention to the directions on the can. Keep your distance, Take your time. Multiple thin coats are better than a few heavy coats. Allow plenty of time for the paint to cure. Good Luck

3m scotchbright pads are your friend.skuff the rims up with those... primer, scuff again, primmer again, skuff, paint, skuff, paint, skuff, paint, clear coat if you likeYou get the idea

quick question.. is it a good idea to paint directly under the sun on a warm day? ..or in the shade on a warm day? Thanks!

paint in the shade then roll in to the sun.You can paint directly in the sun, but there is a chance that the paint will be drying before you finish painting the rim and giving you an uneven paint look

Paduan patience running thin. Need to see pictures. Soon. Many months have gone by!

hahaha you are correct... I hope to have them this weekend. My new summer tires for the rims have shipped out today and should be here by thursday.

Quote, originally posted by keithvibe »hahaha you are correct... I hope to have them this weekend. My new summer tires for the rims have shipped out today and should be here by thursday.I can only look at my summer wheel/tire set sitting in the garage right now. Too soon to even consider sticking them on the car, yet. April is known as a cruel month around here. Paduan patience now extended, a bit.

awww... look what i got today.Getting them mounted tomorrow.

Nice. What size?

225/40/18

Nice! If you have slightly wider wheels, don't be afraid to run these at a higher psi than you should the OEMs. My shop set mine at 42psi and they were not harsh at all - Very quiet. I backed em off to 40psi last Summer then down to 37 over the winter. Treads still look fairly new after 15,000 miles and no odd wearing.Love the rims too!

glad to hear. I normally run my tires @ 38.. so 40-42 won't be much of an issue i suppose.I heard they were very quiet. Some guy on Tirerack got 70k out of a set.. I am guessing 99% of that was hyw.

Thought they looked pretty wide. Will look great when mounted. We all really hope you are going to have your camera handy, right? Make sure it's charged, or has good batteries in it, lens is clean, etc. Everyone says they are a very quiet tire. What kind of car got the 70k out of them, you remember? I haven't had my Vibe many miles yet, and I really don't have a handle on how this car treats its tires. Some cars do better than others, even when aligned well and driven normally.

New photos have been added to my garage... the link is in my siggy.."garage" lol go figure right??

Wow! What can I say. The offset turned out perfect for the width of the tires. The wheels look great on your car! How's the ride?

Not bad.. Though I haven't taken the car out on the highway yet to see how it reacts to the expansion joints and pavment breaks.I only had it on some back roads testing them out. taking 15mph curves at 45-50 is fantastic and not one bit of tire squeal