I am going to paint or powder coat my wheels and would like some feedback with pros or cons with either process.

From what I researched powder coating is less costly and will last longer however the baking process can impact the integrity of the wheels? Anybody have any insight on this?

Painting is more costly and could chip off easier but you skip the process of baking.

Thanks

 

I'm not an expert but will give my 2c on my real life experience. On my other car I had Semi Solid Forged wheels that were light and strong. Decided to have them powder coated and had the spokes completely crack on track three different times. One time three spokes completely fail on track over one hundred mph in a turn, thought the wheel had come off, lucky I did not go off track. Another time felt shimmy on track at high speed, took a little bit to find one of the spokes had a crack that made the wheel slightly out of round.
Now I know it depends on what the rim is made of and how pro is the company doing the powder coating, but after my experience I just have rims painted.
Paint also gives you more choices of finish/ better matching colors to your preference.
That's my take.

joe

 

Highly debated topic for sure.. (the baking process / temperature affecting the wheels) Some people would say that powdercoating would affect the material property due to the temperature, but yet, there are highly reputable wheel companies that sell track wheels that are powdercoated.. (for example, Forgeline) I have also seen professional race teams that run wheels that are powdercoated as well.. (these are the people who can afford to paint their wheels just fine.. money isn't an issue here..)

I would guess that company like Forgeline probably uses a powdercoating company that uses temperature low enough to not affecting the material integrity.

 

I have done both painting and powdercoating of wheels, and I will never powdercoat wheels again. There are several reasons. First, it's a thick, plastic coating that can tend to hide flaws that you don't really want to hide. If there's a crack, it's likely to be more difficult to find. Also, you have to be careful not to powdercoat surfaces that shouldn't be coated -- particularly the surface that bears on the hub, the hub-centric alignment surfaces, the contact surfaces for lugnuts, and if they are multi piece wheels, the mating surfaces. If the coating is placed within a critical clamped joint, the plastic will "ooze" over time, causing the clamping force in the joint to be lost. This could mean that the wheel would come loose or the wheel can come apart. I had a 3 piece wheel fail because there was powdercoating in the mating surfaces that relaxed and allowed the wheel perimeter bolts to loosen, fatigue, and fail. Another reason to avoid powdercoating is that it's very hard to patch or match should you have to do a repair. And it's very hard to remove if you want to get rid of it. It's not impervious to a variety of cleaners, like carburetor cleaner or brake cleaner, and can easily be stained by them (maybe by brake fluid too, but I'm not sure). Powder coating is easily scratched, too, and can't be polished.

The one thing I wouldn't worry so much about is damage to the metal, or some weakening that may be attributed to the baking process. The temperatures in the baking process (if done properly) are not in a range that would cause a problem.

To me, there are certain things that do very well when powder coated -- they include household decorative items that aren't critical structures and won't be near chemical cleansers or abrasion, where the thick, soft, coating doesn't cause a problem, and where repair and redo are unlikely. It's main benefit is that it's cheap and easy to do, and it looks very nice as long as it doesn't get damaged.

I've had all sorts of things powdercoated -- I even powdercoated an entire 911 race car shell -- cage and all. It was interesting, but I'd never do it again. I also wouldn't powdercoat engine tin or anything that's near gasoline, oil, cleaners, or solvents.

 

I would powdercoat nething that doesn't incur stress like a rollcage but not wheels. Even if u powdercoat wheels it still incurs blemishes if u run over gravel. Wouldn't pc any wheels for the track maybe street but even that it's unlikely I do it. Mike

 

Powder coat if done correctly is a superior finish than paint. It resist chemicals, scratches and chipping far better than paint. If done correctly as well, it does not impact the strength or structure of the wheel. 100% of our racing team customers run powder coated wheels and love the durability and easy clean up of the finish.
On the other side of that, we powder coat all of our product in-house and have complete control of the process. If you take your wheels to a finisher that does not do wheels on a regular basis, then you take your chances. Stick with wheel finishers such as Wheel Medic here in Ohio or Wheels America who has locations all over the country.

 

David,

You may be right, that if it's done by a vendor that's proven themselves and has good control over the process, results might be better. But I have had bad experiences with it for all the reasons I mentioned; some of which have no bearing on who does it or how well it was done. It looks beautiful when new, just as does paint, and it may be somewhat more durable than paint when it comes to scratches and damage, but once it's damaged, it's a pain to repair. And I worry about it hiding flaws and cracks.

I do respect your knowledge and opinon, though, as a manufacturer of very nice wheels.

Rob

 

What is the process if done properly? Am I just concerned with the temp. of the baking process?

 

Thanks for the replys.

I should have noted that the wheels I plan on painting/powder coating are the stock 6gt3 wheels. And I have no plans to track the car.

The difference in price between the 2 processes is roughly $250 more to paint. Not a big deal, but if all things were equal would opt for the cheaper option.

 

Rob,
I agree with the fact that they can be more difficult to fix as they cannot be "touched up" but if you stay with a full gloss (90 to 95% gloss level) you can buff scratches out just like paint. As far as hiding cracks, if the wheel starts to crack the powder coat will as well. It really isn't any worse than paint. - At least our powder coat is not.

To answer your question BuckeyeDrew, the main thing is the temperature. Obviously I do not want to give away all our secrets, but the wheels need to stay below 300 degrees if possible. This can conflict with some powder coaters as the hotter they get the part the shorter it needs to stay in the oven.

 

Thanks for the info. I called 2 different shops locally and both said they bake at 400 to 420. Given that info it seems better to just paint (since I am not located near you).

Thanks again.

 

Unless you can get someone who has a great track record with powdercoating "TRACK WHEELS" in a roadrace application (spell that out, because many don't) then I'd stick with paint for all the debatable reasons above. I was told by several what David posted above. Above 300 degrees and you can damage the material.

When we had the CCws custom made for the V8Zcar we had them anodized instead of powdercoated. The guys at CCW said they're about the most durable finish you can get. I just did Plasti-dip on the GT3 wheels, but don't expect it will hold up under the heat generated by track conditions.

Mike

 

In the "I really didn't do that category", I managed to spray brake cleaner on my black powder-coated lobster forks. They are now discolored in several places. Is there anything that can be done to restore the original powder coat finish?

 

I had the wheels on my C2 painted gloss black a few weeks ago. They look great, to the point I probably will do the same with the GT3 wheels at some point.

 

I'm very pleased with how the painted wheels look.

(the bodyshop guys sent me this pic. They were futzing around with the car and managed to open the wing a bit - I am not one of those guys who cruises with the wing manually activated to look cool ....)