Actually they weren't. Just a regular black steel wheel. I don't believe they were powder coated either, just regular paint like mine. He and I both wondered if the mold of the wheel was off a very small amount in diameter. When we looked at the other tires and wheels, it looked like the wheel had been spinning a small amount inside the tires. I had never seen this happen, only heard about it. Something with his wheels are not right, have you ever heard anybody else having this problem?