New Powder Coated MG ZR Hairpin Wheels

Bought a spare set of MG ZR Hairpin alloys, way back at the start of the year, with the intention of spraying them black myself.

After a LOT of consideration, I decided to have them powder coated. That then raised the problem of where to get it done. A number of recommendations were made to use City Powder Coaters, in Birmingham.

This is the place I used, and I have to say the finish is fantastic for the price, £25 per wheel inc refitting the tyres and balancing. The guy that I spoke to was a really nice bloke, always willing to help and let me examine the wheels at every stage of the process, which I imagine most companies would not allow without becoming agitated.

I'm still deciding what to do with the centre caps, but to be honest, I quite like the look with them missing. Almost a race feel to it, which is the direction I'm taking the styling.

Anyway on with the pictures, first up is how the wheels looked when I got them home. Look ok, but I'm a detailer so there is room for improvement.

The detailing began with a light jet wash to loosen up the tyre soap and dust from the factory, then a hand wash using a microfibre wash mitt and some Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo and Conditioner. They were then dried with a microfibre.

After that, two layers of Meguiars Step 3 Carnauba Wax was applied, this should hold off the brake dust and grime for as long as possible. Then finally, two coatings of Meguiars Endurance High Gloss Tyre Gel.

This left the wheels looking like this.

All cleaned up they looked absolutely awesome, very high gloss finish and a deep black. Exactly what I wanted.

So having spent ages cleaning them, I eagerly set about fitting them. Finally here are the photos of the wheels fitted to the car.

I think they look really good, they tie in with the rest of the car, giving it that aggressive race look that I was aiming to achieve.

(Note: Some eagle eyed readers will notice the tyres are low in the photos, directly after taking the photos I went to the garage and blew them up to the correct pressure)