Powder Coating Sport Rims

[Smitty7611]

I have a 2020 Tradesman,
would like Sport rims , dark shiny black as my truck is silver.
I can get a set of aluminum that have the clear coat coming off.
Has anyone tried to powder coat them?
As long as no dents, deep scratches, i sure they would be ok?
opinions appreciated
thanks

 

[Plankton]

I PC'ed my Rebel rims to match the Brilliant Black Pearl on the two-tone paint on my truck, and they're steel so the heat in the PC process didn't warp them much but it took a lot of balancing weights to get them into balance. They're real nice though and match the paint perfectly with the metal flake and color.

If you do go the PC route, keep in mind the extreme heat will cause some warping.

Also, I'd recommend using a shop that uses Road Forced Balancing.

 

[88ROOK]

I PC'ed my Rebel rims to match the Brilliant Black Pearl on the two-tone paint on my truck, and they're steel so the heat in the PC process didn't warp them much but it took a lot of balancing weights to get them into balance. They're real nice though and match the paint perfectly with the metal flake and color.

If you do go the PC route, keep in mind the extreme heat will cause some warping.

Also, I'd recommend using a shop that uses Road Forced Balancing.

come on, theres no way its going to warp, its only in the heat for 15-20 minutes and 350-400 is not extreme heat. ive had tons of things powdered and nothing of the sort. and know lots of people with powdered wheels and never heard of them warping. pretty sure if wheels were warping guys on motorcycles wouldnt have a good day

 

[NJMOPAR]

I'd media blast the clearcoat off first.
Hellfire & brimstone aren't part of the PC process so you'll be fine.

 

[Plankton]

come on, theres no way its going to warp, its only in the heat for 15-20 minutes and 350-400 is not extreme heat. ive had tons of things powdered and nothing of the sort. and know lots of people with powdered wheels and never heard of them warping. pretty sure if wheels were warping guys on motorcycles wouldnt have a good day

It took more weight to balance than previously, so I assumed they warped. Just my experience. I certainly don't mean to mislead anyone.

 

[Mike Townsend]

Whoever had my truck before took the stock R/T 22's and replaced them with SRT10 22's and my dumb self curbed two of them over the years. I have taken them to get fixed and powder coated back to black. The strange thing is the two that have been fixed actually require less weights than the other two. I guess when they fix the chunk I took out of the wheels they got them to balance better

 

[regal81455]

I have to agree with 88rook on this.

The problem you're experiencing is likely due to the PC being put on unevenly. It certainly could potentially throw the wheel out of factory balance. That being said, if you're taking it to someone whom is legit I wouldn't expect to have any major issues and definitely nothing that couldn't be corrected when being machine balanced.

 

[Plankton]

Uneven coating didn't even occur to me. The place I took it to was recommended by someone at my work, and it was close by so that's where I went, but the process of handing over my rims for coating left me a little worried. No paperwork or anything, and I was instructed to set them on the front lawn of the building, then a girl came out and took a pic of them, asked me what color I wanted them and my name, and that was it. She said they'd be ready in 7-10 business days. I got them back about a month later. Trying to get them balanced after that was a lesson in where and where not to go, for me anyway. I thought they might even be ruined. I took them to 2 different local shops and the balance was off, each one worse than the previous, but after taking them to Discount Tire, they're smooth as glass.

 

[88ROOK]

Uneven coating didn't even occur to me. The place I took it to was recommended by someone at my work, and it was close by so that's where I went, but the process of handing over my rims for coating left me a little worried. No paperwork or anything, and I was instructed to set them on the front lawn of the building, then a girl came out and took a pic of them, asked me what color I wanted them and my name, and that was it. She said they'd be ready in 7-10 business days. I got them back about a month later. Trying to get them balanced after that was a lesson in where and where not to go, for me anyway. I thought they might even be ruined. I took them to 2 different local shops and the balance was off, each one worse than the previous, but after taking them to Discount Tire, they're smooth as glass.

sounds like a **** shop to me, even if they said u want them black theres literally numerous options of black and they should've showed u swatches(color samples) of the color u wanted. i wanted something gloss white and had to pick from like 20-25 different whites to get the right color. and a side note wheels should be done 2 coat process or 1 with a clear

 

[Plankton]

sounds like a **** shop to me, even if they said u want them black theres literally numerous options of black and they should've showed u swatches(color samples) of the color u wanted. i wanted something gloss white and had to pick from like 20-25 different whites to get the right color. and a side note wheels should be done 2 coat process or 1 with a clear

Yep. Lesson learned I guess. I did tell them "Brilliant Black Pearl", and that's what I got.

 

[Smitty7611]

Thanks everyone for the comments

 

[Salty Ram]

This has been an intersting thread because I just curbed my sport wheels last week and thought about the PC option. I have never in my life curbed a wheel and have had this truck for 5 years and finally joined the "curbed club" I guess. It's not bad, but I damn sure notice it. I've been waiting on the new lug nuts for my TIS wheels and thankfully didn't have them on there. Anwway, I'll keep coming back to this thread for opinions and options.

 

[BlackOps6]

I have PCd several wheels and never had a problem.

 

[regal81455]

I used to own a PCing company. The issues here are all about bad application. I've PC'd hundreds of items from the smallest of small ( think RC parts ) to things as large as RoadGlide frames, thin as inner fenders to thick as axle housings. Wheels aren't going to warp at the temps PCing requires.

Out of balance and taking alot of weight to true it up due to uneven coating - sure.

 

[regal81455]

its only in the heat for 15-20 minutes and 350-400 is not extreme heat.

@88ROOK and others I might as well let you in on something while this discussion is taking place. Items are not only in the heat for 15-20m. They are in the heat for as long as it takes + 15-20m after reaching Part Metal Temp. Depending on thickness and make of material - items can be in the oven for easily an hr before the PC has cured.

Additionally, alot of PCer's outgas items ( especially automotive related ) at temps that are 50+ degrees higher than cure temp for as long as it takes to stop smoking which can at times feel like an eternity before ever even beginning the application process.

 

[88ROOK]

@88ROOK and others I might as well let you in on something while this discussion is taking place. Items are not only in the heat for 15-20m. They are in the heat for as long as it takes + 15-20m after reaching Part Metal Temp. Depending on thickness and make of material - items can be in the oven for easily an hr before the PC has cured.

Additionally, alot of PCer's outgas items ( especially automotive related ) at temps that are 50+ degrees higher than cure temp for as long as it takes to stop smoking which can at times feel like an eternity before ever even beginning the application process.

well thats weird cause i seen and been there first hand and no product has taken that long, from wheels to bikes, to toys, various frames...IJS

 

[regal81455]

Could be true for what you've been around to see but as mentioned its the time it takes to get to PMT + product cure time ( which can vary ). PMT is the most critical part of the equation.

 

[Plankton]

There's definitely some uneven coating on one of the rims I had PC'ed. There's about 1/4 of the entire inner wall that's bare and I hadn't really noticed until I went around and did some inspecting. That's the one that took the most weight to get balanced too. The others are coated all around, but not sure of the consistency.

For the PC guys who have experience: can they be re-coated?

 

[regal81455]

For the PC guys who have experience: can they be re-coated?

Short answer is yes but not always the best choice.

 

[Flame Red Rebel]

Had my BMW wheels powder coated and it came out ASUME !!!

Just take it to a REAL quality shop !