leeham

I'm planning to have my wheels powdercoated or painted. I know they were originally painted, but powdercoating is considerably cheaper from a local place ($50/wheel) than painting to original specifications. According to what I read on the archives, the only downside to powdercoating is cost. With that out of the way, is there any reason to even consider painting? The powdercoater told me to glass bead the wheels before bringing them to him and that's it for prep. No primer, wheels ready to pick up in 6 hours. He'll also do the center caps. He will coat the wheels and caps with bright silver, which he says will be brighter than the factory paint and much more durable. What sayeth the list? Is powdercoating better? It's a street car driven in rain and a little bit of snow. The wheels are the factory 17's.

Thanks,

LeeH
Aiken, SC USA
1996 C2 Coupe, 120K miles (new brakes, wheel coating and tires for Christmas)

MLA911

Leeh, Powder Coating is definitely the way to go, versus painting, not only from a cost standpoint but also from a durability standpoint. My family has a powder coating business here in South Florida and they coat automotive components on a regular basis, and I am very familiar with the operation. The glass beading is an alternative to sandblasting, which is a MUST when doing a recoat, otherwise the powder will not adhere. And don't be thrown by the lack of primer, as powder coatings do not require it. More and more manufacturers are powder coating their wheels these days, so it is not uncommon. The only other thing I would suggest, is to factor in a clear coat on top of the base color coat, especially if the powder has any metallic properties. The clear coat will give you added protection, as well as a nice shine. If you have any other questions, feel free to drop me a PM, and I'll send you my e-mail and/or phone #.

Take care,

Mike in Delray Beach, FL

MLA911

Kim, any metal component can be powder coated as long as it has been sand blasted or glass beaded first. There may be limitations to coating the polished wheels, though. Are they chromed, or are they painted? If they are chromed I don't think they can be coated, but I'm not 100% sure, I'd have to check that out for you.

As far as the "gorillas" are concerned, the powder coating should hold up better than paint, as it has a much better pencil hardness (technical jargon)than liquids. I would try to avoid the possibility first, and find a dealer that appreciates the importance of handling our goods with due care. I won't tell you that powder coating is impervious, but it is very durable.

Mike

hn

these are powdercoated cups with polished lip:

max911

silver bullet, yes, you can powder coat polished wheels. I had a set done for my mother's BMW cab.
the good- super easy to clean (wipe off); do not have to polish; protects aluminum from corrosion if you are in a damp enviroment-salt air- salt residue on roads.
the bad - a little bit of the lustre is gone from the polished look; if you do get a bit of curb rash, or a scuff from the tire guy etc., you will have to redo the wheel (strip an re-coat), where as you could polish out the imperfection on a set of non-powdercoated wheels.


Al Reed in Anaheim did the set for me:



max

Ron

I've had wheels powder coated before and it's very durable. About the only downside is it's pretty hard to touch up and/or blend any minor damage like curb rash without redoing the entire wheel as max911 said.