Hello, I'm new to this forum and I've tried to search for this question before starting a new thread and didn't find anything. I have a 2011 Tahoe LT with the 20" 5 spoke wheels. I just picked it up and the wheels are a little discolored and have little corrosion. I thought I would clean them up and paint them for now until I get them powder coated and use them for a winter set up. Would anyone know what spray paint manufacturer has a paint match closest to the color of the GM aluminum wheels? THanks in advance for any pointers.
The wheels aren't painted, they're polished aluminum with a clear coat. Over time, the clear coat hazes and gives the wheels a dull, sometimes matte finish. It still has "chrome/mirror" properties and you can only get so close to replicating this with a spray paint. There are really good powder coat finishes that have a decent luster. As for spray paint, all you can do is research and pick what you like the best. I'm sure you can find YouTube reviews for any of the products you'd consider. At best, you'd end up with what they look like after some age, with a shiny but still "frosted" appearance. But, it'd at least be a fresh and consistent finish. Also, being spray paint, it'd be really susceptible to damage and might look worse after a few thousand miles once sand, rocks, etc. chip the paint all over. It'd also be more stuff for the powdercoater to have to remove. You might end up with more in labor and powdercoating than the wheels are worth.
For reconditioning, you're likely better off polishing what's there instead of trying to cover it up with spray paint. You polish clear coat like you do paint. It's different than polishing bare metal, like chrome or polished aluminum. If the clear coat is damaged, you could strip it and polish the aluminum underneath. Again, lots of labor for the value of the wheels. And they'd need periodic repolishing.
IMO, unless you're really bored, really love the wheels or really love polishing, just keep 'em as clean as possible until you're ready to have 'em powdercoated.
