WP0

The paint on some areas of my 20" carrera S wheels is discolored from the original silver, and the paint has peeled off in a few spots. I am planning on doing a full restoration of the rims, but they use a powder coat process, and don't paint the wheels.

I suppose many others have done this.

Is there any problem with powder coating the OEM wheels, with the temperatures that are used, etc.?

Is the cosmetic appearance of the powder coat similar to the paint?

Thanks.

asellus

There's anecdotal evidence that claims powdercoating alloy wheels weakens them. There's anecdotal evidence of people having powdercoated wheels without issue, track and street. I don't think you're going to get a straight answer on this.

Powdercoating is done around 400F. Tempering aluminum alloys is done somewhere in the 900F range. So long as you aren't exceeding the tempering final temperature, you will not effect the temper, and thusly will not meaningfully impact the strength of the wheel.

Full disclosure, I am NOT well-versed on metallurgy, so the above should be taken with a grain of salt unless someone can come in and confirm or correct it.

Sidvicious7

In my opinion powder coating is a more durable process vs painting. The powder coating finish is more resistant to chipping and scratches and has a high color quality. The heating process will not hurt the material from what I’ve been told. I recommend you ask the vendor for samples of their work for assurance on their process. Keep in mind wheels are prone to chipping from gravel and debris on the road.

andy7777

I've had wheels powdercoated in a low-temp method, supposedly preventing cracking potential. I track cars and have heard the powdercoating concerns. Don't know if they are real or ancecdotal. I've probably been in 100 track days and never saw a cracked wheel due to powdercoating. I did see a cracked wheel from a crappy wheel vendor.

For street driving I would have no concern at all. Make sure you choose a good vendor. Shoddy wheel prep will leave you with little imperfections that weren't there on your OEM wheels. IMO the resale value of powdercoated or repainted wheels is not very good.

Speed2k

Personally, I would paint wheels. Although I know of people that have powder coated their wheels with no problems, I wouldn’t want to take any chances.

It’s a good idea to check with the manufacturer of the wheel though. BBS does not recommend Powder coating of their wheels. https://rennlist.com/forums/racing-a...referrerid=843

myrr

FWIW - I happened across a power coated (by GlasWerksDMV) set of OEM 19's... looks and functions like a factory finish so far. They seem to be holding up really well.