smwilsonmd

(new to me, only 1200 miles ) 2016 z51/3lt vert with oem black painted wheels
from reading posts it seems wheel pitting bad enough to require powder coating might eventually need done-- is this inevitable?--- when did it become (how many miles) bad enough that you did it? how much it cost (only the outer lip of the wheel is painted black)??
much obliged

Sixgun95

I have 18,000 mi on black OEM wheels, they look like brand new. I only wash the car every other week, not much need to in between here in AZ. All this talk about pitting, etc., is just a bit too much. Drive it, wash it, be happy. And I have the OEM pads, yes they are a bit dusty, nothing like our BMWs. So save your money until you need new pads.

Carvin

Mine are good at >30K

Greg00Coupe

I’ve had 2 C7s with black wheels and even had the 14 in the Ohio salt roads in the winter. I saw no issues. Drive and enjoy.

Avanti

No.

Zjoe6

Dude you're going to wear that emoti OUT!!!

JDMvette7

I think a lot of it depends on cleaning techniques. If you don't treat them like a painted surface, plan to powder coat them. The previous owner of my car didn't do a great job with them. I cleaned them up, but plan to powder coat them eventually. Mine only have 14k miles on them...I'm picky though.

sTz

I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Black tends to show inperfections more, however, the wheels wear like any other...

Fast Boat Guy

I am getting mine powder coated this spring.
Mine have less than 8K on them and they have stone chips on them. Both front and back.
Mine are flat black with the red stripe.
Going to gloss black powder coated.

Zymurgy

No. Mine's a 2014 Z51 daily driver. 20K miles. Wheel finish looks just fine.

23/C8Z

Probably depends on weather, area driven, all environmental imo.

Add in wrong cleaners for wheels like chemicals you wouldn't put on your paint yet think its pl for the CLEARCOATED WHEELS.

No biggie. Get them powder coated and care for them the right way should last long time.

smwilsonmd

thanks for the responses--- I've read to NOT use "wheel cleaners", but to use auto body shamoo only- is that your experience?--- thanks

JDMvette7

Honestly, I wash mine with car soap and wax/sealant periodically.

VENOM ACR

I have 5K miles and mine look like someone took a sandblaster and went to town on each wheel, it's ridiculous. I'll be getting them powder coated at some point. Really frustrating that the wheels look worse than my 2011 GMC Terrain with 75K miles. And I went to the dealership and they fed me some BS about how a GM engineer told them that its normal for that to happen because the tires pick up rocks and sling them from the inside, through the barrel, and then exit outside. WTF!?

JDMvette7

For the hell of it, try some clay bar on it. I had some marks on mine that looked like the area was sandblasted, but it was really caked on brake dust.

VENOM ACR

It's chips in the paint, clay bar wont do anything except get shredded going over the chips.

JDMvette7

Bummer. Mine was a bit of a mixed bag, so while the clay bar did shred a bit on some of the imperfections as I expected, it did pull some other crap off. I'll probably get mine powder coated in the next year too though...

Zymurgy

You can use wheel cleaners, just make sure they are safe for painted/clear coated wheels. I like SONAX Wheel Cleaner Full Effect.

Foosh

I also use Sonax Full Effect, and it is good stuff, safe for all wheels. However, most of the time on my painted black wheels, all I need to regular car shampoo with a Wheel Woolie brush.

If you keep them reasonably clean the paint finish should last a long time. Rock chips are also easy to touch up when necessary.

TorchZ51

I’m meticulous when it comes to detailing my car. My 14 had quite a few blemishes after only a few thousand miles. No dirt roads, or abuse per se. The paint just didnt seem to hold up. I had them stripped and powder coated and was much happier with the durability and results.