[fliptopbin]

Hi guys,

Dropped my wheels off yesterday evening to be refurbished, but the guy wants to know a colour for the centre (the lip is polished).

I've spent hours with google and all the Saab sites and I'm not coming up with anything positive.

I thought my wheels were original but comparing them with original images of the wheels mine look a bit silvery.

As far as I can establish, these are what they should look like:

From a brochure:

Old pic of Stuart on here's care (with fresh from a box wheels):

Now, my car is black, and that's what I'm after.

My wheels look like this:

...which seems a bit more silver.

It seems that quite a few people have had theirs refurbed a lot darker to match the Aero kit (Anthracite is the colour that keeps coming up, although there are a million topics on Aero kit colour saying Anthracite, Edwardian Grey, Odoardo Grey, and even paint code 281) but I'm not so keen:

Sorry Graeme!

But, what is the colour code?

I understand that "standard" silver wheels are Saab Silver (possibly paint code 247?) which is maybe what mine are, although they do contrast with the polished lip.

I thought the mid colour of the original wheels was Graphite Grey, but I can't find this colour in any Saab charts (only graphite green!), and the paint code I have seen for this is 176, which I have also seen listed as the code for Anthracite!

Anthracite has been mentioned as the darker colour for bodykits and listed as paint code 111 and 176 in various places.

The names and numbers seem to be interchangeable so I am afraid if I give either to the wheel refurb'er they'll come back the wrong colour

Does anybody have any idea what the colour is, or have any had theirs refurbed to look original and know what colour was used?

Please help! I need to try to get back to the guy this morning!

 

[philjohnhb]

Anthracite is the colour name, I can't remember the code. I'll see if I can find it.

Edit, Code 176

 

[fliptopbin]

Hi Phil,

Are you sure? I've seen that code/colour listed as the bodykit colour which is darker than I want to go (like on Graeme's 900 above).

I've also seen that colour code called "Graphite" although the Saab colour charts only list a graphite green!!

 

[arouch]

Mine are original colour as far as I know, the centre is darker than silver, but not as dark as anthracite if that is the standard colour of the bumpers.

For me, these are the most attractive wheels, must have a silver lip and darker centre, the deep dish look just shouts sports to me and the silver accentuates this look.

 

[philjohnhb]

Hi Phil,

Are you sure? I've seen that code/colour listed as the bodykit colour which is darker than I want to go (like on Graeme's 900 above).

I've also seen that colour code called "Graphite" although the Saab colour charts only list a graphite green!!

The difference you might have noticed might be due to the fact that the aero panels do not have a gloss finish and the wheels do, that can change the appearance and gloss will make a dark metallic appear darker in certain lights.

It is supposed to be the same as the grey body kit colour and will match it, if you don't want to go as dark as that then you're going non-standard and can choose any colour you want.

Some people call it Graphite but Anthracite is correct.

 

[fliptopbin]

Phil, do you have any pics of yours?

Found somebody on SaabLink who used a Ford colour

These are my wheels currently:

Dupli color #DSFM 225 X (Ford Medium Charcoal Metallic):

Original:

This is what I'm after and in that light I think that my wheels are original... If your wheels come out this colour too then I think I have an answer - just don't want to go as dark as some I have seen. OEM all the way

 

[fliptopbin]

Phil, just found this pic of your car in your project thread:

Your wheels look lighter in this photo - are they standard? Have you had them redone in anthracite?

If so then I wonder what colour Graeme's are?

 

[peva]

Mine are that colour and the original sticker under the cap says "SILVER GRAY 4424044". The number is the wheel part number, so my EPC says.

 

[fliptopbin]

Hmmm, don't think mine had stickers under the caps...

 

[McVities]

I reckon DanT16S (Paradise) would know, given that he has a company refurb these wheels for him all the time - why not give him a bell?

 

[philjohnhb]

I reckon DanT16S (Paradise) would know, given that he has a company refurb these wheels for him all the time - why not give him a bell?

Yes he certainly would.


I resprayed my wheels all bright sliver. The last thing you should do is compare colours on digital pictures, you cannot guarantee the representation is accurate.

 

[arouch]

OK, I had to check my wheel caps, it's dark outside and my wife thinks I'm mad (no change there), but imprinted on the back of the cap is 8973018 SILVER-GREY but also cunningly 8987620-A SILVER. Checked another cap from the same set and had the same numbers.

 

[philjohnhb]

OK, I had to check my wheel caps, it's dark outside and my wife thinks I'm mad (no change there), but imprinted on the back of the cap is 8973018 SILVER-GREY but also cunningly 8987620-A SILVER. Checked another cap from the same set and had the same numbers.

Hate to say it but those numbers are not relevant to the 'Carlsson' wheel colours.

 

[Dans_t16s]

I reckon DanT16S (Paradise) would know, given that he has a company refurb these wheels for him all the time - why not give him a bell?

been conversing via PM on UKSaabs.
I suggested he ignore paint codes as the finished colour will vary according to type of paint finish (gloss, matt, clearcoat or not...), but goes and looks at the paint swab cards at the painters to choose the exact colour he wants. No ambiguity then.

FYI 176 is Anthracite, but also refered to as Graphite and even Charcoal Grey - all in official Saab sources (brouchures, EPC, etc etc...)

Dan.

 

[Dans_t16s]

OK, I had to check my wheel caps, it's dark outside and my wife thinks I'm mad (no change there), but imprinted on the back of the cap is 8973018 SILVER-GREY but also cunningly 8987620-A SILVER. Checked another cap from the same set and had the same numbers.

yep, those are the Saab part numbers for those caps, but not the actual paint code numbers.

Dan.

 

[arouch]

Hate to say it but those numbers are not relevant to the 'Carlsson' wheel colours.

That's OK, I thought they were Aero as I haven't seen Carlsson editions here in my neck of the woods. The wheel is a SAAB one and has a part number which I didn't write down, and is made by Ronal, but it looks exactly like the brochure picture in the first post (OK, it would if you photoshopped in all the gouges).

 

[arouch]

1986>1993 "Aero"
16"x6.5", 4-hole
SAAB # 89 67 036
Hubcap # 89 73 018

From http://jpowell.tripod.com/saab-wheels/#9000aero

which is the item with the picture in the first post

So if fliptopbin's wheel is this one then it is an Aero and the colour would be Silver-Grey, but if it is a Carlsson then it might be the other quote from the same panel, viz

1996>1997 CS/CSE
16"x6.5", 4-hole
SAAB # 45 45 687
Hubcap # 44 25 476

Cheers

 

[fliptopbin]

Thanks for the help all!

I think, given that I am fairly sure that my wheels are original, I will ask Lepsons to just get as close a match to the original as possible. If I start shouting paint codes/names at them, as Dan says I could get anything without actually going down there and seeing it.

With regards to the hubcabs, I have just pulled the ones off my 15" Aero wheels and I have 3 the same and one different so it looks like I got them mixed up with my 16" Carly hubcaps. Physically they appear identical and even the same colour as far as I can see, only the part nos differ.

3 of them say:

SAAB 8987620-A SILVER and further round 8973018 SILVER-GREY

and the other one says just:

SAAB 8987620-A

In the EPC 89 87 620 comes out as hubcaps for pretty much all the 900 and 9000 wheels, whilst 89 73 018 comes out as hubcaps for the 9000 Carlsson polished rim wheels!

So I guess the 3 are off the Carly wheels and just the one off the 15" Aeros, I guess I must have got them mixed up at some stage, although I'm damned if I can see a difference...

Does this mean that the 15" Aeros were painted in the same colour as the 16" Carlsson centres!? :roll:

 

[fliptopbin]

Is it quite sad that I'm considering driving to Gillingham to swap the hub caps around so that the right ones get refurbed? :roll: :lol:

 

[ejenner]

Well they must be done by now. Where are the pictorials?