Wheel Color: Green Is The New Black, Gray and Bronze

Can green replace black, gray or bronze for wheels? Black wheels used to be cool, but now they seem rather ordinary and boring.  I installed a set of bronze wheels on a Subaru Outback a few years ago, which bucked the black wheel trend.  Now that I have a gray truck with gray wheels, I wanted to try something different than black, bronze or gray.  Enter the color green.

Related article:  Are Black Wheels Still Popular?

Inspired By SEMA Vehicles

Last November, I wrote the article Inspired By SEMA Vehicles.  That article shared some of the trends that were shown at the 2024 SEMA trade show.  One of those vehicles was a Ford Bronco with green wheels and accents.  It really caught my eye.

When I saw that Bronco, I thought “is green the new bronze?”  For almost a year, those green wheels stuck in my head.  The Cactus Gray Ford Ranger I bought last year came with dark gray wheels.  They were better than black wheels, but needed a little something more to stand out.

I added yellow vinyl graphics to the stock wheels, which satisfied me for a while.  Some time last summer, I bought a set of used Bronco wheels to customize.  I painted one of the pockets on the wheels with an accent color (see article below), but that just did not do the trick.  Something more was needed, so I went searching for alternative paint colors.

Related article:  Create Wheel Accents With Spray Paint 

Paint Shopping

I was at my local O’Reilly Auto Parts last month looking for a green paint to sample on my Bronco Wheels.  The manager noticed me leaving empty handed, so he stopped me to ask about my poject.  Once I explained my  challenge, he highly recommended a paint supply store about 20 miles away.  

Pete’s Auto Paint Supply was everything the O’Reilly’s manager claimed.  The owner, Pete, spent time with me looking through different paint samples.  I was set on a sage green, but Pete showed me a better color that is a dark green with a bronze tint (Citroen Bronze Persan).  I agreed, so Pete mixed the basecoat and gathered the primer and clear coat needed to complete the job.

I used to buy my paint online, but after this terrific experience locally, this is the only way I will buy auto paint in the future.  In fact, I will only buy from Pete going forward!

Prep And Paint

I brought the set of wheels to my basement workshop and prepped them for paint. The process is the same as I’ve detailed in the past, but this time I used a base coat, clear coat system.  

The pictures below show the key steps of the process.  Once the wheels were sanded, cleaned and masked, it was time to paint!

Since I used quality materials, this job went quickly with no errors.  This was a first for me, but using a base coat (for color) with a clear coat (for gloss) allowed me to make sure I had the proper coverage at each step of the way.

Final Thoughts

I am really happy with the end result, and think I have a unique look for my truck.  Since this project was on an extra set of wheels, I was able to take my time.  In fact, I built in extra time to fix any errors I made while painting.  

Finding Pete’s Auto Paint Supply made this a fun adventure for me.  I was able to use Pete’s expertise in picking the right color and paint, and as a result the job turned out great.