IAortho

Hello again guys! I have found a nice Spyder for sale, but the standard lightweight Spyder wheels have an aftermarket powder coat in a matte/semi-gloss black color.

I know that Porsche wheels are actually painted gloss black from the factory -- not powder coated. Why is that? After searching various forums regarding powder coating, opinions are mixed as to whether the high oven temperatures achieved in the "baking" process weakens or damages a forged wheel.

Any knowledge on this subject matter would be much appreciated, and I trust the RL'ers!

Do you think powder coating the lightweight forged Spyder wheel will weaken it? And would these powder coated wheels deter you from purchasing? Thanks in advance,

stevecolletti

In general, I'm a big fan of powder coating, but there are some negatives to powder-coating wheels. Besides everything else they do, wheels are a big dissipater of heat. Powder coating tends to degrade heat dissipation. Also (though I don't think it will apply as much to modern wheels), powder coating can hide cracking. Powder coating is (generally) heavier than paint, and getting the finish you want may be more difficult.

Most wheel people I've spoke with recommend a thin coating of paint (Porsche seems to use a very think layer).

Marine Blue

I have always thought that powder coating could cause weakening of the wheel by expanding any hidden bubbles within the wheels. I'm not sure how true it is but it sounds plausible.

Is the car CPO'ed?

IAortho

Hi Afshin and Steve, thanks. The car is not CPO'ed.......but has a great spec, never tracked, and under 5,000 miles. Was owned by a physician who got rid of it for a new 991 (and I heard from the new car dealership, he tired of the Sport buckets.

Anyway, I did not low ball the current owner (2nd owner who purchased the car from the physician) and have settled on a very fair price for both seller and buyer.......mid 60's......but after some searches, I am not sold about this wheel stuff. The current owner has many cars in his stable.......many Ferraris -- 458, 599, etc and has many wheels powder coated without incident. Yet, he purchased the car as is, and said he thought the wheels were powder coated, but may be painted......he is checking into this. I would feel much better if they were painted. I'd like to track down the physician (first owner) through the dealership, but they won't release any info.

Do you guys know who manufactures the Spyder wheels for Porsche? BBS? I ask because apparently BBS and other companies forbid powder coating for their FORGED wheels.

Btw........it isn't blue! So, this may end up being strike #2.

bensf

The Spyder wheels are manufactured by BBS.

bensf

I believe the wheels get hotter at a track event than in a powder coating oven. I guess if you end up tracking the Spyder, powder coating won't render the wheels any weaker than they already would be from track activity. I'd be more worried about what Steve said above about powder coating possibly hiding cracks.

IAortho

Well, I just got some photos of masking tape and overspray underneath the wheel caps......so I'm starting to think they wheels were painted as the color and texture on the wheels and wheel caps are identical.

I do realize that when wheels are powder coated, the wheel caps must still be painted otherwise they would melt. Short of contacting the original owner who "colored" the wheels (which I'm working on, is there any 100% certain way to tell if the wheels are painted or powder coated?

Here are the pics I received of the masking tape and overspray (hope you can see for yourself). Looks like paint to me........but you guys are experts since I'm kind of an OEM guy! Thoughts? Thanks again!

stevecolletti

The caps are plastic. Until very recently there was no process to powder coat non-conductive materials.
Powder coating is much tougher than paint (it takes bead blasting or nasty solvent baths to remove).

You could pull a tire and try scratching the paint on the inside of the rim. Powder coating won't easily scratch.

I think it is unlikely that the wheels are powder coated. Most people who would go to the trouble, would be put off by the potential negatives.

Marine Blue

Those definitely look painted to me .

Dave I

Agree with Afshin that they appear to be painted based on those photos. Is this the car in Boerne, TX?

IAortho

Thanks guys......I also think they are painted, but am waiting on confirmation today.

Dave I -- it MIGHT be where you say.......do you know anything about that car? If so, all good I hope.......

the_vetman

It is. I've been looking at it online for MONTHS while I considered my options, but for some reason has not sold like the others. Hmm..

Plavan

Even if they were powder coated, it would not hurt the wheels because they are not forged. You are probably thinking of the earlier Fuchs.

jaci

Black painted wheels were not available on the early Spyders. I had mine painted at Stoddards since I did not want to loose the first allocation spot. Don't let this deter you if the rest of the car is right.

Dave I

Probably have the same info as you do since I only spoke to the owner over the phone a few times. The owner did replace the windshield at the Porsche dealership and they did a DME scan at that time. Apparently had no overrevs, but they could not provide an actual report; however, they did note it as such on the service paperwork.

Sounded like a solid car, and I was ready to make an offer, but the seller went away for a couple of weeks. At the same time, jei-Porsche put his car up for sale here so I decided to go with that one.