In the past year, I've seen more and more black wheels come to the market. In most 2-page wheel ads in all the car magazines, half or more of the wheels nowadays are black.

Black wheels really intrigue me. My MCS is Electric Blue with a black roof/stripes, tint. So I'm kinda going for black as a secondary color here...

I've been considering ditching my ultra-heavy, ironically named stock S-Lite wheels/runflat tires that come standard with the MSC sport package. (Which weigh in an obese 55 lbs. per wheel/tire)!

I've been considering lighter wheels, and looking at black wheels more and more often. But I can't help but wonder if in a year or two, will they look old, expired, and/or "soooo 2005!". Will this black wheel trend dry up?

I know I'm kinda asking you to help me see into the future, here, but your opinions will help. Thanks! :smile:

 

They are certainly big in the tuner market. But a lot of that comes from the fact that people like how they look. I personally think they can look GREAT on some cars. It might be a fad, but the truth is, IF YOU LIKE IT GO FOR IT. Who cares if you are "sooo 2005", your car will still look great. What matters is what you think of it....not what the trends say about your wheels.

just my 2 cents

 

Porsche offered black wheels years ago. I've seen them around for a long time. I don't think it's a fad. I liked the look so much I bought a set for my car.

Seems like with your color combo, black wheels will look fantastic.

 

The black wheel fad will die soon. Go with something that will be viewed "cool" and "pimpin"forever............... 22" Spinnazzzzz Seriously though do what you want. who cares what people think

 

Hey,
First post on the forum so here it goes!! I am getting a 05 Hyper Blue hopefully in the next few weeks and I'm leaning the same way you are towards the black. Although I'm not too big of a fan of black I do like however the Anthracite look like on the R90 option. I think that with a color like blue, silver, even white with a black roof would look sick with dark colored wheels.
I work at a Porsche dealer on Long Island, NY and we just had a customer have this Turbo rims painted a metal flake black with a silver lip by our body shop. Looked phenomenal on his black 2004 911 Turbo. Just thought I'd mention that.
Steve

 

Lots of poor,ghetto people have had "black" rims over the years, they couldn't get the nice ones, they had rusty steel ones, just spray painted them black

Steel spares and doughnuts come with black paint = NICE

 

I think they look really good on a few cars...kind of like Yellow paint.

 

I went through much the same dilemma. My car is also electric blue w/ black roof. It came with stripes but I decided to tear them off because I felt they got in the way of seeing the beautiful form of the S bonnet. But that's just me.

I also went through a struggle to find just the look I wanted with wheels. First I ordered some Flik Artics in Anthracite (or gunmetal or whatever it was called), then I changed my order to Flik Wasps in Black. Although I thought they looked pretty cool, I am one of the elderly around here and I thought the Wasps looked a little too "Boy Racer" for the likes of me. I wound up changing my order once again to 17x7 5Zigens in anodized silver. They are kind of classic looking, and I am convinced that I made the exactly right choice ... for me. The guy at Edge Racing was laughing at me by the end.

My car looks just the way I want it. Only you can decide what the perfect look for you is. Be creative, and don't listen to the crowd... and happy decision making!!

 

With the EB/B, black or anthracite looks great! You can always get new ones in a few years if you tire of them.


Clover

 

Black and Anthracite wheels are the HOTTNESS! Two years ago I called that it was going to be the year of the Gun Metal wheel, and I was totally right.... I'm currently shopping around to find a place to have the 17" Web Spoke R98 wheels that are coming with my MCS poweder coated black. AND, my '76 2002 has black BMW 320i turbine wheels on it... HOT HOT HOT!

 

I'm old school and when I saw GM putting a black wheel on the 96 Corvette Grand Sport, I cried wondering what the hell were they thinking? I'm glad so many people love painted wheels, I can't stand them but that's just me and it's good that we don't all like the same thing, I can live with silver but I don't usually keep them for long, I know chrome is heavy and it loses strenght, I know all that but I can't have a car or truck without chrome wheels, I just can't, I tried real hard but it never last.
And those who say they are hard to keep clean, I bet you never had a chrome wheel, I've had them since 1979 and to me it's the easiest thing to clean, never need polishing, just wash with water and dry, that's it, I have one set of polished and they are a burden, everytime the car is dirty, the wheels need to be polished with a special aluminum cream and it takes forever to do.
When I see a black wheel, I flip, I live in winterland and most people take their fancy wheels off to protect them from the salt and end up with black steel rims with winter tires and it's not for look let me tell you, so when I see a nice car with black wheels, I just can't stand it, I would say it has to be one of my only weakness, I see black on a wheel and I think "spare tire?"
I've seen some nice dark wheel with a deep polished lip and I don't mind that but the lip has to be very shiny, I almost bought a set of Hamann but I couldn't get over the fact that the lip was painted, so I gave up and now I'm looking for a Chrome 5 spoke once again, I think they look awesome on a black car but hey, that's just my opinion from and old street rod kind of guy.

 

No fads w/ black wheels, had them on my '89 Firebird. It was all black and those black 5 spoke w/ machined lip 15 inchers looked good 16 years ago and that look still looks good today. Just take a look at all the muscle car guys w/ those American Racing Torq Thrust wheels. That wheel has been around since the 60's and is a 5 spoke w/ dark gray spokes and machined lip.

Later

p.s. I'm currently running the Flik Wasps w/ the black spokes. Still love that look.

 

Black wheels are not a fad.

Black is quite versatile and comes in a variety of finishes:
Gloss black
Flat Black
Metallic Black/Black pearl
Black with polished lip

If your MINI has any black in it then black wheels will tend to match.

Black doesn't show brake dust and is easy to keep relatively clean.
Black wheels give a rather aggressive look and stand out in a sea of silver wheels.

I'd say orange, green or yellow wheels is more of a fad. :impatient

 

I, too, plan to add black wheels when my MC arrives. I think it will give it a more aggressive apearance and cut down on the brake dust. My biggest problem is finding decent looking 16's. I assume that these wheels are as strong as the stock MINI wheels. Dont plan to autocross.

 

I too grew up in the SNOWY Buffalo, NY, hence ...saw lots of steel black "winter wheels" go on to protect the "nice wheels" you put on for the spring and summer use

IMHO, Black wheels only look "classy" IF and when ...
they are mated with a machined or polished LIP, then they are COOL

 

Black wheels have been around for quite a long time and they're here to stay. That said, their current high popularity may well fade ... but, again, they won't disappear.

 

I also can't shake the feeling that black wheels = snow tires. Especially when the car is in motion and it is hard to see what the wheels look like. I think they would look nice on my car, but...hey wait a minute! I'm planning on putting black steelies on for snow tires! I will be teh kewlness too, for at least six months out of the year. Well, when my car is moving; when it is parked the fact that they are snow tires will be apparent. :D

 

Some people will choose black wheels to aid in showing off big brakes/slotted rotors/painted calipers, since lighter or silver wheels tend to visually mask these items. Depending on the car color and the look trying to be achieved, black wheels can look awesome. I have a DS MCS with anthracite SSR Comps, I did this because the anthracite color on those wheels is a pretty close match to the body color, and the machined lips and caps pick up the chrome lines on the car, giving it a more 'unified' look in my book.

Some new wheel styles combine an 'out front' spoke set in black or other color with a machined outer rim from behind, which I find very cool (RDR and PIAA I think are two). These look awesome in black. Combined with a BBK you have a very unusual look, something that almost seems 'impossible'.

 

Hey, Alex, give us your opinion on black wheels. And while you are at it how about a "shameless commercial plug" on black 16's that you have for a MC.

 

flat black reminds me of steelies, but if hyperblack or glossy and design
of the wheel is attractive I think they can look very nice. Add some
polished lips and you got a sporty looking car.

I personally prefer bronze and gunmetal over black for contrast but
that's just me.

 

doubtful. I had black wheels on a porsche more than 20 years ago and anthracite now.

 

I think some of the more recent black entries into the tuner market can be called a fad. The popularity will fade but I'm glad to see so many choices now. In the past it was hard to find black or gray wheels unless you went w/ a steel wheel. I've always liked painted or powder coated rims especially if it help set off the vehicle. I put black ARE rims on my last truck because I thought that only another painted color would stand out against the yellow paint.

 

black is the new black.

 

Actually new black is the new black, old black is old school.

Or... something. Like... that.... :impatient :impatient :impatient

 

Greatbear- why is your signature running Kosei K1 wheels?