Rhambler

I was always confused about the various semantics of hyper black, hyper silver, dark chrome.

The first and last are actually similar, while the middle is different, at least based on what I've read.

Here is a paraphrase of what one wheel manufacturer stated: hyper means a fine mist top coat of silver over whatever base. Hyper black is a gloss black base coat with a fine silver top coat. Hyper silver is is the same with a silver base coat finished with a fine mist silver top coat. Although this varies.

However, one give away is that the black base coat "hyper black" will give the wheel a dark color under low light and almost a silver color under bright light. So if I had to characterize my wheel, it would be hyper black.

Black chrome is similar to hyper black. But again varies from manufacturer to manufacturer in regards to dual or or three stage layers and the amount of gloss. The amount and depth of the hyper part (I.e., silver top coat mist) is what makes one hyper black look different from the other.

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=792664

Here's Apex Hyper black (left) vs hyper silver (right):

R Z

Yep I believe my telios wheels like the last photo, are considered black chrome.

SW17LS

But Lexus calls our wheels "hyper silver".

The Telios wheels are different. Our wheels are painted, not chrome at all. The Telios wheels are like a medium chrome, not quite black chrome.

Rhambler

Oh I'm sure there's no formal naming convention, or right or wrong way to name the color. That's why it's so confusing to me.

My wheels definitely has a black base coat with a glossy silver hyper finish. In fact, the way the lighter finished products come to be is due to lighter base coats, finished with the same hyper coating. Gray base coat for example.

But the hyper coating is typically always silver, so saying hyper black versus hyper silver for the same black base coat wouldn't give any indication to the base coat for the latter.

It's just easier for me to understand now. If you see a really dark silver and it's called hyper silver, just know that there's probably a black base coat underneath. If you see a really light silver, but has that different angle light reflection, it probably has a silver base coat (hyper silver).

SW17LS

Yeah you can't really rely on the nomenclature is my point.