PROCESS & FINISHES
If you drive a heavy SUV, an EV, or a performance car with aggressive brake pads, you know the relentless struggle of keeping your alloy wheels clean.
If you drive a heavy SUV, an EV, or a performance car with aggressive brake pads, you know the relentless struggle of keeping your alloy wheels clean. Brake dust is a highly corrosive mixture of carbon, metallic shavings, and adhesive residues that bakes onto your wheels at high temperatures. Within days of a thorough wash, bright silver or white wheels can turn a dull, dirty grey. If you are tired of scrubbing your wheels every weekend, choosing the right custom colour during your refurbishment can drastically reduce your maintenance time while giving your vehicle a premium, upgraded look.
The absolute worst offender. White wheels show every single speck of brake dust and road tar immediately. Requires daily cleaning to look good.
Standard silver provides high contrast against dark brake dust, making the wheels look dirty very quickly after washing.
Surprisingly high maintenance. While it hides the dark colour of the dust, the dust dulls the gloss finish, making the wheels look matte and dusty.
Matte finishes have a microscopic texture that actually traps brake dust, making them very difficult to clean without aggressive scrubbing.
Highly reflective surfaces show a hazy film of brake dust immediately, ruining the mirror effect.
The contrast between the dark inserts and the shiny metal face is ruined as soon as a layer of dust settles on the polished aluminium.
The ultimate choice. This deep, metallic grey naturally mimics the exact colour of brake dust, meaning your wheels look clean for weeks.
Unlike gloss (which shows dust) or matte (which traps dust), satin black has a slight sheen that hides dust incredibly well while looking aggressive.
A dark, metallic bronze is highly popular on modern vehicles. It offers a custom look that disguises the brownish hue of heavy brake dust perfectly.
A dark base coat misted with silver. The dark undertones help hide dust accumulation while still offering a metallic shine in direct sunlight.
A very dark grey with a slight brownish/gold flake. Extremely effective at masking the metallic particulate in brake dust.
Certain specialist powder coats offer a heavy metallic flake that distracts the eye from light dust accumulation.
Regardless of which colour you choose, the best way to manage brake dust is to prevent it from bonding to the wheel in the first place. During the refurbishment process, our oven-cured clear powder lacquer provides a highly durable, non-porous surface. To further enhance this, we highly recommend applying a dedicated ceramic wheel coating immediately after refurbishment. A ceramic coating creates a hydrophobic, high-temperature barrier that stops hot brake dust from biting into the lacquer. With a ceramic coating applied, even heavy brake dust can usually be removed with nothing more than a pressure washer and regular car shampoo—no harsh acids required.
Generally, no. In fact, upgrading standard silver wheels to a premium Anthracite or Satin Black often makes the vehicle look more modern and desirable. However, extreme colours (neon green, bright pink) will likely reduce your buyer pool.
Not at all. We have access to hundreds of powder coat colours, from standard OEM silvers to custom metallics, pearls, and candy finishes. We can match almost any desired aesthetic.
Brake dust contains tiny metal shavings from the brake disc. These shavings are hot when they hit the wheel and embed themselves in the lacquer. Over time, they rust, causing the lacquer to pit and eventually fail.
Absolutely not. Any new paint applied over brake dust will fail immediately. The wheel must be chemically acid-dipped and media-blasted to bare metal before any new coating is applied.
Ready to ditch the high-maintenance silver? Contact us to view our extensive range of low-maintenance, premium powder coat colours.
