Has anyone had their MK3 standard silver alloys power-coated black? I want a more modern look to the car, so I thought I might as well get my current wheels power-coated.
If anyone has any pictures of their MK3 with black wheels please post.
Thanks,
Stephen
Just a few but it should help you decide
Anthracite here, it gives the spokes a chance to show up against the black wheel well - and imo, that’s better 
Morning Glory by PGDesigns.co.uk, on Flickr
My Black NC MX5 by PGDesigns.co.uk, on Flickr
I think the car looks much better with dark wheels and want to have mine painted.
I asked my local tyre refurb place about it last week. They were happy to powder coat the wheels but said they weren’t sure about the centre caps. Most pictures I see show matching centre caps with the chrome Mazda emblem still in tact. How was this achieved ? Did you paint the centre caps by hand?
I’m also considering a DIY plasti dip option but not sure about the quality of the finish and a lot of on line tutorials show the entire wheel ( bolts and all) being sprayed while the wheel is on the car which just seems wrong.
The chrome badges come off the centre caps, I’ve done my badges matt black for a subtle contrast.
Plasti dip is designed to come off easily, if you don’t want that to happen then don’t use plastidip.
Thanks Phil.
I thought people must be very nifty with the old masking tape!
I will give you another colour option as I also have a true red car like some above I debated black, white and any other colour really.
Ultimately I found black looses some definition of design from far away but I like dark wheels no lie.
So eventually I had this done to them…
Silver over Black, inner barrels have been wetsanded and polished, front face polished and then protected with Zaino Clear Seal, Z2 with ZFX and Z6.
The centre caps are easy 4 tags and the Mazda logo falls out. Much better than £59 from the dealership!
Cannot wait to get them on the car now I have done the hubs and calipers in silver.
Where can I buy the black wheels from that are on the MK3 on the first picture?
These are standard MK3 Sport wheels powder coated dark grey. I painted the centre caps myself with satin black spray paint.
I sprayed my centre caps, really quite straightforward.
Carefully remove the Mazda logos
Rub down and prime the caps
A few coats of satin black spray, replace the logos when dry. Job done.
I reckon that if I can do it, anyone can
Looks like my only option is to buy some MK3 sports wheels and get them power coated black.
I went on the Mazda web site and found some, see below.
But why are they are they saying it’s not possible with the 1.8 and they cost a lot per wheel.
Any advice on where I can get them cheaper.
17"
7J x 17", Design 111 (OE design) £184.57
wheel nuts, air valve and center caps not included
not possible with 1.8 engine model
Part Number: 9965-38-7070
RRP excluding fitting, including VAT £184.57
You could try E-Bay, they come up on there from time to time. It doesn’t matter if they are slightly kerbed, scuffed or bubbling as the powder coater will strip and refurbish them, but make sure they are not cracked or twisted or very badly damaged.
Powder coated should be around £60 per wheel.
Hi, before you go ahead with powder coating wheels. Look around at reports of wheels cracking soon after having the treatment. There are plenty around. Seems the heat applied during powder coating can make some alloy wheels very brittle. The castings are heat treated when they’re made. The baking process at high temps and cooling process messes with that temper and makes them brittle.
I looked into having mine done, and contacted a few people who’d previously had them done and seemed pleased with the results. I wanted to know if the finish had held up over time. The few people I contacted had all had wheels crack within a year of powder coating, and had to replace them. It put me off.
Worth a look at pxwheels.com they refurbed a set of wheels I had on a Volvo C70 and changed colour from Silver to Anthracite, parted with the car after 3yrs and they were still as good as new.
I was also thinking of powder coating but hadn’t considered cracking an issue…but now having serious second thoughts. My mates is getting his Focus ST wheels painted, so I’ll wait and see what they’re like before doing my MX.
Rich
They are std sport 17 inch wheels and I had them powder coated and at the time they cost me £200 to do which was back in 2010.
Find a top notch wheel refurb with a lot of feedback as their are so many back street quick fix wheel refurbs around now.
Wow, I could supply you new Team Dynamics wheels in just about any colour for far less than that.
Also I could refurbish your existing wheels, including straighening any dents and buckles for less.
There also is a place near Spaghetti Junction that will powder coat your wheels for about £20 each.