“Should I choose satin black, matte black, or gloss black wheels?”. This is a tough question for many car owners when it comes to black wheel colors.
But no worries!
This article will provide you with a detailed comparison between these three-wheel finishes. Besides, we also point out the pros and cons of each wheel and recommend what suits you best.
Satin Black vs. Matte Black vs. Gloss Black Wheels: What Are They?
What Are Satin Black Wheels?
Satin black wheels feature a satin black finish. The satin black color is a slightly polished shade of black and can reflect an average amount of light with some level of gloss. Its color has more sheen compared to matte black color. These satin black wheels will match well with cars with gloss and satin finishes.
What Are Matte Black Wheels?
These wheels have a matte black finish. It’s an unsaturated shade of black low in brightness. Therefore, matte black wheels don’t have the ability to reflect light. They will be suitable for the cars with matte and gloss finishes.
What Are Gloss Black Wheels?
Gloss black wheels have the regular black color finish. But that’s not what makes it exceptional. Its black finish reflects light in dramatic fashion and is very shiny. You could say it’s the opposite of matte black wheels. Gloss black wheels suit a variety of car colors, including gloss, satin and matte finishes.
Credit: DINO87
Satin Black vs. Matte Black vs. Gloss Black Wheels: What Are The Differences?
Before we go into the detailed comparison, let’s take a look at the differences between these wheels:
Popularity
Starting with the most popular wheel finish is the gloss black wheel. Most people like shiny things, so the amount of love the gloss black wheel gets doesn’t come as a surprise. Overall, the gloss black wheel is flashy, elegant, and eye-catching.
Next in line is the satin black wheel. Although it isn’t as popular as the gloss black wheel, it sure does get its turn to shine. Lastly, the matte black wheel is the least popular amongst the three finishes. This is partly because of its much duller shade of black and flat look. To many, it’s considered unattractive.
Color & Color Durability
The satin black wheel features a soft black color and a medium gloss. Seeing as the satin black wheel color isn’t all that reflective, imperfections such as scratches on the wheel won’t show too much. As for its color durability, the satin black wheel lasts longer than the matte black wheel but not as long as the gloss black wheel. In powder coating terms, the satin black wheel has 70% gloss.
Meanwhile, the matte black wheel’s color is the least durable of the three and has a dull and flat shade of black. This wheel features a 30% gloss in powder coating terms. That’s why it lacks a reflective nature and is not much attractive. However, the matte black wheel may be your cup of tea because colors are a matter of choice.
You can’t talk about the gloss black wheel without mentioning its shiny black color. It boasts a shiny and highly reflective black color that stands out any day. Being the most reflective of the three, it has an 85% gloss. Also, its color is the most durable among the three.
Cleaning
Let’s start with the most challenging wheel to clean, and that’s the matte black wheel. The reason for this is mostly because the matte black wheel tends to hide dirt. So, it can be dirty, but it wouldn’t show much. Over time, the dirt accumulates the wheel and becomes clearly visible.
Following the matte black wheel in the difficulty of cleaning is the satin black wheel. It requires you less effort to clean in comparison to the matte black wheel. However, the gloss black wheel takes the win as you will find it the easiest wheel to clean among the three.
Time To Get Dirty
At this point, cleaning the matte black wheel becomes an arduous task. Keep in mind that when cleaning the matte black wheel, use a silicone-free wheel cleaner because silicone makes the matte wheel appear cloudy.
Thanks to the dull and non-reflective shade of black, the matte black wheel doesn’t pick up dirt quickly. Even when it does, the matte black wheel has a way of masking the dirt.
Unlike the matte black, the satin black and the gloss black wheel get dirty much quicker. However, it is supposed that the gloss black wheel gets dirty the quickest.
Ability To Hide Brake Dust
Regardless of your wheel finish, it’s bound to pick up some brake dust over time. It’d be nice if you had a wheel that hid it a little until you were ready to clean, wouldn’t it? Well, the matte black wheel is a master of this. Like most of its perks and downsides, this ability is thanks to its dull and flat color. In fact, with the matte black wheel, it’s often hard to tell whether your wheel is clean or not.
The satin black wheel comes close to the matte black wheel in the brake dust hiding category. However, its average gloss and semi-reflective black color can’t hide brake dust much like the way the matte black wheel does.
Lastly, we have the gloss black wheel. The glossy nature of this wheel exposes brake dust to some level. It implies that the gloss black wheel can’t hide brake dust much. Also, when the wheel is dirty, it will lose some of its shine.
Proneness/Visibility of Scratches
If you are thinking the matte black wheel wins this category, then you are right. It is because that the matte black wheel shows far fewer scratches and blemishes than the satin black and gloss black wheels. Also, this wheel isn’t reflective, implying that it won’t highlight scratches on it. The visibility of scratches largely depends on the wheel’s gloss and reflective properties. Therefore, based on this, it’s no shocker that the gloss black wheel shows the most scratches.
As for their proneness to scratches, the order remains the same: the matte black wheel is the least susceptible, followed by the satin black wheel, and lastly, the gloss black wheel.
Surrounding Reflection
As mentioned earlier, if you want to turn heads, you should go for something shiny, and that should be the gloss black wheel. Its base color is the black we are all familiar with, but with shiny properties. However, it isn’t easy to see the spoke pattern due to the surrounding reflection of the gloss black wheel when we stand far from it.
The satin black wheel also features a level of reflection, making it the perfect pick if you want something in-between. Also, its spoke pattern is more visible than the gloss black wheel from afar.
Without a doubt, the matte black wheel is the least reflective. In fact, they hardly reflect at all, which means that they have no surrounding reflection. As such, their spoke pattern is entirely visible.
Maintenance
The most delicate car parts often require more maintenance, and this statement is true for the satin black and gloss black wheels. Maintenance implies more cleaning in-between use and more checks for scratches.
Furthermore, the satin black and gloss black wheels show more brake dust and are more susceptible to scratches. Based on this, it is safe to conclude that they require more maintenance than the matte black wheel.
How to maintain stain black, matte black and gloss black wheels:
Satin Black vs. Matte Black vs. Gloss Black Wheels: Which Are Better?
Picking one among the three-wheel finishes is a matter of preference and depends on the color of your car. Also, it would help if you consider the advantages and disadvantages of each type of wheel finish before making your decision.
Here’s our suggestion. If you want something shiny or flashy, then you should go for the gloss black wheel. It is indeed a common wheel finish.
However, if the gloss black wheel is too shiny for you, the satin black wheel will do just fine instead. It still gets your vehicle some shine from this wheel.
The matte black wheel may be the least attractive. However, if you want a wheel finish that doesn’t shine one bit and require less cleaning, the matte black wheels should be your choice.
| Satin Black Wheels | Gloss Black Wheels | Matte Black Wheels |
| + Use nice pH neutral cleaners | + Use nice pH neutral cleaners | + Use nice pH neutral cleaners |
| + Apply a wheel coating to satin wheels properly and thoroughly. Then, the maintenance will be much easier and wheels will continue to look longer | + A wheel coating is not necessary. However, the cleaning process must be taken carefully to avoid causing scratches | + Apply a wheel coating to matte wheels properly and thoroughly. Then, the maintenance will be much easier and wheels will continue to look longer |
| + Use a soft microfiber wash mitt to clean the wheels | + Use a soft microfiber wash mitt to clean the wheels | + Use a soft microfiber wash mitt to clean the wheels |
| + Don’t clean the wheels with harsh chemicals | + Don’t clean the wheels with harsh chemicals | + Don’t clean the wheels with harsh chemicals |
| + Don’t clean the wheels when they are hot | + Don’t clean the wheels when they are hot | + Don’t clean the wheels when they are hot |
| + Don’t clean the wheels in direct sunlight | + Don’t clean the wheels in direct sunlight | + Don’t clean the wheels in direct sunlight |
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Conclusion
Thanks to this article, you know the key differences between these wheel finishes. As a result, picking the best one for your needs wouldn’t be an issue.
Keep in mind that while a specific wheel may outplay the others in certain categories, it does not discredit them in any way. Instead, they are all unique in their own way. And if you are a fan of black wheels, you can’t miss any of these wheel finishes.
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