Powder coating--vs-- painting

[Nickodafsh]

Hey I'm tired of my rims and thinking of changing the color instead of just replacing them.

I was thinking powder coating because it is stronger than paint. but from reading online it sounds like the high heat process is bad for the rim?? Powder coating seems to be pretty common so I'm prob concerned for no reason but I was hoping for some input. :D

[Digital K]

i would be more concerned of getting tired of the powdercoat ;) it comes off alot harder than paint does if you get tired of it again.

[JPB]

from reading online it sounds like the high heat process is bad for the rim??

If your wheels are aluminum, you should rule out powdercoating for this reason. AFAIK, it's not impossible to do, but the cure temperature has to be lowered, and that limits what PC compound you can use. When I looked into this I found that there are way way wayyyyy more options with paint.

[WnxGTI]

I powdered my 2 piece alum wheels without a problem. Only 450F in the oven and you wouldn't have to worry about warping until around 1100F.

[Zach]

Only 450F in the oven and you wouldn't have to worry about warping until around 1100F.

You can still dick with the heat treat, depending on the alloy. 6061-T6 (for example) is aged well below 450F. Overaging = bad, since you'll fuck up the size of the precipitated particles and negatively affect the strength/hardness/etc. I suppose this probably isn't the case for non-precipitation hardening alloys, but I think 6xxx is pretty common.

edit: Your wheels may still be fine, since the actual affect is probably minimal and there is a decent design factor built into wheels. Realistically, a lot of folks powder coat Al stuff without problems.

[toasted]

No. Powdercoating aluminum wheels is perfectly safe.

Powdercoat is a much more durable finish than a regular liquid paint is. I would go powder if it is a reasonable option for you.

[Nickodafsh]

Cool.. Thanks for the input! Now.. The hard part picking a color I won't get sick of! Hmmmm....

[JTapper]

The majority of the folks above are correct. PC'ing aluminum wheels is no problem. The prep is where you can get into trouble.

You should have them chemically stripped. Do not have them blasted. Blasting opens the pores in the aluminum and increases the risk of out-gassing when you bake the finish.

JIT in Farmington has done an amazing job on several sets of wheels for members here. They outsource chemical stripping to a company called InThermo(sp) that is just down the street from them. They pass on the cost without markup, and do a stellar job with powder coat. They've got all the colors everyone else does, and more.

Maybe a few other satisfied customers will chime in. Kris had a valve cover done there, I've had four sets of wheels, a valve cover, and intake manifold done there, MisdemeanorMatt had his O.Z.'s done there, all with stellar results.

[MisdemeanorMatt]

x2
My wheels look some someone oozed liquid sex over them.

[WnxGTI]

The majority of the folks above are correct. PC'ing aluminum wheels is no problem. The prep is where you can get into trouble.

You should have them chemically stripped. Do not have them blasted. Blasting opens the pores in the aluminum and increases the risk of out-gassing when you bake the finish.

JIT in Farmington has done an amazing job on several sets of wheels for members here. They outsource chemical stripping to a company called InThermo(sp) that is just down the street from them. They pass on the cost without markup, and do a stellar job with powder coat. They've got all the colors everyone else does, and more.

Maybe a few other satisfied customers will chime in. Kris had a valve cover done there, I've had four sets of wheels, a valve cover, and intake manifold done there, MisdemeanorMatt had his O.Z.'s done there, all with stellar results.

I had mine done at JIT and they are my business' major vendor for powder coating. JIT FTW
pic related
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v475/wnxkrayzie/IMG_1710.jpg

[Nickodafsh]

x2
My wheels look some someone oozed liquid sex over them.

And who doesn't love liquid sex!

[MisdemeanorMatt]

And who doesn't love liquid sex!

Traction is an issue, think ahead and have towels handy.

[TrillyPop]

What kind of prices have you guys paid for chemical stripping + powder coating 4 wheels?

Specifically for 17 or 18", 5 spokes, standard colors.

[JPB]

What kind of prices have you guys paid for chemical stripping + powder coating 4 wheels?

Call for quotes.
If you go with JIT (who use Inthermo, as mentioned), you will be paying approx $30-50/wheel. They charge based on how much work it takes... every wheel is different.

For instance, my wheels (link in my sig) cost $40 apiece to strip. 15" aluminum wheels, but the finish will be different than what's on yours, so there is no telling.

[WnxGTI]

I paid 450 to have them stripped and powdered. Looking back it seems a bit high.

[MisdemeanorMatt]

Also OEM is much more difficult to strip, or at least I was told due to the filler they use to smooth the rough cast.