[zaimer]

I got bored the other night and decided to take my wheels off to thoroughly clean them. I had wanted to polish the barrels and remove the (tar?) pieces as well. Anyway, I got a little carried away and ended up buffing/polishing the entire rim. I still have to put a layer of protection on rims and treat the rubber. I wanted to get rid of all of the micro scratches and scuffs. I'm a detail snob...

From my understanding, my wheels are "low gloss black" from the factory. I believe there were two options - low gloss and high gloss with red striping. For those who don't know, you can't really buff/polish matte or low gloss finishes. So I have essentially made them high gloss now. I think they might look better...they do have a deeper black now. I was just wondering if anyone else has done this?

(excuse the poor iPhone pictures - poor lighting and yellow is a horrible color to capture. Sadly I am into photography and have a decent camera..maybe next time )

[HCI2000SS]

I did the same thing to mine. Ideally I wanted a bit more gloss but not a high gloss. I used F11 Top Coat since it was more friendly to a satin type finish like this. I eventually added some Collinite 845 for a tad more gloss. It helped a little

[dpevans]

Same rims. after 4 years of wear and tear I had mine stripped and powder coated Charcoal. I had ceramic on them this time I put Graphene on them. Next year I plan on stripping them and re-done with a two step black chrome. I think they look better the higher the gloss.

[Silent_H_]

I think black rims look best shiny. Looks great!

[JT58]

Originally Posted by Silent_H_

I think black rims look best shiny. Looks great!

Agreed- I choose Gloss Black on my 20 X 10 Stance after market wheels and love them. They have a beautiful paint job and stay shiny and I get lots of compliments.

[gtfoxy]

Yes, gloss black looks better, IMO, than satin/flat.

Ya done good.

[zaimer]

Originally Posted by HCI2000SS

I did the same thing to mine. Ideally I wanted a bit more gloss but not a high gloss. I used F11 Top Coat since it was more friendly to a satin type finish like this. I eventually added some Collinite 845 for a tad more gloss. It helped a little

Did you polish and/or buff yours? If so, whatever is used for a top coat is going to make minimal difference in appearance.. There is no feasible way to go back to original (matte or low gloss) without having the surface redone.

[zaimer]

Originally Posted by dpevans

Same rims. after 4 years of wear and tear I had mine stripped and powder coated Charcoal. I had ceramic on them this time I put Graphene on them. Next year I plan on stripping them and re-done with a two step black chrome. I think they look better the higher the gloss.

Nice! Any pictures? I had thought about doing the powder coating, but I've decided against it (for now anyway). My rims had a fair amount of gloss before I polished them, so I didn't notice a huge difference. As I said, it did definitely give the black more depth and obviously removed much of the surface imperfections. Black chrome is one of my favorites.

[zaimer]

Originally Posted by gtfoxy

Yes, gloss black looks better, IMO, than satin/flat.

Ya done good.

The lower gloss blacks have their place, but I usually prefer a shiny rim.

[arpad_m]

Consistency is king IMO, if there is any other body panel on a car that is high gloss black (and there is, the rear diffuser at the very least), matching wheels will look the best.

I have gloss black MRR wheels and they look way better than stock with the same color and gloss level diffuser and splitter.

[zaimer]

Originally Posted by arpad_m

Consistency is king IMO, if there is any other body panel on a car that is high gloss black (and there is, the rear diffuser at the very least), matching wheels will look the best.

I have gloss black MRR wheels and they look way better than stock with the same color and gloss level diffuser and splitter.

I never really thought about that. In that case, Chevy chose incorrectly from the factory. There is nothing matte (or low gloss) on the car, other than the window trims, seals, etc. The rear diffuser, hood vents, front grill, are all gloss black.

[dpevans]

Of course the new GM models have the same finish. Go figure.
Most don't realize but the factory blacks are powder coated. Like I said I am redoing next year in a two stage black chrome.