Is there a trick to painting wheels while they're on the car or is it preferred to dismount the tire from them?

I have a Diplomat ex cop car that is white with the police slotted wheels and dog dishes. The wheels are black and I would like to repaint them white but don't really want to go through the hassle of pulling the tires off, taking them somewhere to dismount etc etc.

Is it ok to use just a regular spray paint like Krylon or something similar with a clear coat or is that going too far?

Thanks for any info.

Yes I have painted plenty of wheels without taking off the tires. Lot's of masking tape works just fine. I wouldn't mess with clear...just something to flake off, use single stage.

To do it correctly, dismount the tires...then you can properly clean, prep, and paint them completely.

some will tell you that you need to take them off, and will suggest expensive powder coating.


others will tell you to spray bomb it.


and then some will say "you get what you pay for"


your call!




but, as an FYI, I painted my wheels about 4 years ago now, with rustoleum spray bombs from Wal-mart. I used flat black. sanded the wheels with 400 grit paper inside and out, cleaned them up, wiped them down, I took probably 45 minutes per wheel, sanding it, cleaning it, washing it, looking for spots in the factory powdecoat finish that were still shiney, and sanding them some more.

once I was happy, I put masking tape around the edge, and sprayed them.


here's how they look today.





and with the rims in direct sunlight:

[image]oops...that was bigger than I thought...see attachment instead, different, smaller pic![/image]


no chips, no flakes, nice even color, I'm happy with it for the $12 I spent in paint.

if they ever do start to flake/chip on me...when it gets bad enough, I'll spend another $12 and spray bomb them again. ...and I did all this with the tires on the rims.

Remove wheel from car,mark wheel weight location with chalk on tire,remove wheel weight(s),cover tire with news paper,scuff wheel,prime,then paint. Stick them out in the sun till they dry,remove news paper,reinstall wheel weights and remount on the car.

Thanks for all the info guys, this thing is just a beater anyway but it's growing on me...

I don't use masking tape, it takes too much and is a nuisance and rarely wants to stick to the tire. Instead I brush paint the tires with straight dishwash detergent - its thick enough not to puddle at the rim and doesn't matter if it dries. I paint the rims then wash the detergent off when I'm satisfied the paint has dried long enough. If there is any minor seepage of paint through the soap it will come off easily with lacquer thinner. Oh, I do this with the wheels OFF the car and laying flat!

Remove them from the car.... no oversray on lugnuts etc. For driver beater wheels I've degreased, and sanded them, then used trash bags and carefully razored out the rim circumference, then masked/taped, then painted

If you decide to paint them with the tires mounted, I have found that masking the perimeter is easy using decks of cards. You just shove cards in between the tire and wheel all the way around slightly overlapping into the next, then do what ya gotta do. Works great and isnt a PITA like masking tape.

For a beater, or daily driver that isn't a $50000 car, its pretty easy to look good. Pulling the wheels off the car is a given... if only to get consistent color on the rims and take some hassle out ov the job. Pulling tires off the rim is the BEST way, as even the best masking job wont look quite as good. I've never bothered to blast or prep the rims though... just get 'em free ov tires, clean and bomb 'em. Looks damn good, unless your wheels are beat or have 5 different paint jobs on them already, in which case it really will be better to blast 'em first.

This cost $5. Goes nice with the $60 paint job.

Leave the tires mounted. Don't use masking tape. Go to the dollar store and but a pack of playing cards. Lay the cards on the wheels and spray paint your wheels.

I've also heard someone mentioning to let some air out of the tires so you have a gap to put say playing cards or cardboard in there.

Some great ideas here, thanks for posting them.