Jimmy-D

Ok - stopped at my Dealership because happened to be passing it while out running errands. I asked if they knew some one who could powder coat my rims black in the Spring. It just so happens they use a Company not too far - and quite often. It is only $120 per rim, which I think is a bargain. It takes a couple of days but they will take care of every thing. Car stays at the Dealership while this is done. Saw the workmanship and different colors. I chose a "matte" black and it does have a clear coat on it. Really matches the black trim. I am pumped because this will look cool with the CL with the Porsche emblem I am going to purchase from Suncoast

LAGinz

That GT3 cl with the emblem has a bit of silver or chrome surrounding the emblem, right?

Jimmy-D

^ Yes - what do you think?? Should I just leave the GT3 cap on?

Mike in CA

Jimmy, I hope you read the recent info that was posted here regarding forged wheels and the heating process that is used when powder coating. IIRC, if temps used are too high, the strength of the wheel can be compromised. Just make sure whoever is doing the work on your wheels knows what they are doing.

Jimmy-D

^Thanks. I will inquire about forged wheels and heating process. They do them for the Dealership quite often. The Dealership will manage this.

LAGinz

I've kinda gone back and forth on that myself. So far I'm sticking with the black on black.

Jimmy-D

If some one has the Porsche crests on the CLs can you please post a few pictures??-Thanks

ScottKelly911

Personally, I'd just have them painted rather than powder coated. Especially if you're planning on trackwork. Powdercoating is more durable, but if you're planning on tracking those wheels, you don't want to find out at 120mph that the powdercoating compromised the integrity of the wheels. Also, I think usually paint looks a little better. If you're not completely sure that you want to keep the wheels black, you could plastidip them too. When proper care and patience is taken, plastidipped wheels look very good! Then if you get bored of the black, then you just peel the plastidip off and viola, back to your original finish! It's an easy process, but if you're afraid of doing it yourself, you can find places that will do it for you and it'll cost a lot less than 125/wheel. Just another option for you that I thought I'd throw out there. BTW, a lot of people are turned off by plastidipping their wheels because they've seen jobs that look terrible. Those are usually as a result of doing it in a hurry and not taking their time, or applying it in too cold or damp of weather. For optimal results, take your time, thin coats so it doesn't run and allow plenty of time between coats to dry. When done properly, it looks fantastic and as an added bonus gives your wheels an extra layer of protection from curbs and debris.

Mike in CA

From a GTS on the Porsche web site. Not a great pic but it gives you an idea...

LAGinz

Yeah, the GTS center cap with the emblem has a black background.

Jimmy-D

They just delivered a White Convertible GTS to my Dealer today and I did notice that cap. I wonder if it will fit on the GT3. BTW-the GTs looks pretty nice.

Jimmy-D

I just found this:

A word of caution regarding the powder coating of aluminum.

Forged alloy wheels are desirable because they are known to be both strong and lightweight. To achieve these characteristics, they are typically manufactured from 6061-T6 grade aluminum. At some time during the manufacturing process this alloy must undergo a two-step thermal process in order for it to attain the desired mechanical properties, which include high strength and resistance to fatigue. These thermal processing or heat treating steps are known as solution treatment (985°F) and artificial aging (350°F). With forged 6061 aluminum, the artificial aging step requires the material to be held at 350°F for about 8 hours.

The majority of powder coating materials require a cure temperature ranging from 300 to 400°F with a cure time of about 1 hour. Since this overlaps the temperature of the artificial aging step, the powder coating process has the potential to "overage" the aluminum causing embrittlement and reduced fatigue life.

Recent advances in powder coating compounds have brought about lower cure temperatures of 250°F. These new powder coating compounds are more desirable, since they do not impact the prior thermal processing steps for heat treatable alloys such as 6061-T6 aluminum.

When considering powder coating of heat treatable aluminum alloys (6000 and 7000 series), it is always advisable to confirm that the temperature of the part will not exceed 300°F. Ignoring this fact may result in a sudden and unexpected failure of a critical component. A critical failure in a forged alloy wheel could ruin not just one, but possibly the rest of your days.

Before allowing someone to powder coat your forged aluminum wheels, ask them to use a lower cure temperature (250°F) compound and to maintain the temperature below 300°F at all times while they are processing your wheels.

STG

You'll be fine with powder coating.

I'd consider a "satin" finish though. You still get the matte look but they will stay looking better longer. The matte tends to water spot easily and looks like a cheap paint job sometimes. The satin finish is forgiving and looks like a more finished job in my opinion.

I'd just look at the satin to compare to see what you like best.

Jimmy-D

Good advice - I am hoping this will protect my rims also from the inherent chipping we are experiencing

STG

It will. Something is faulty with the current finish.

Powder coating will be much more durable.

The satin finish is a more worry free and less maintenance finish. Check it out and let me know your thoughts.