I dont have the money for new rims right now, but i was thinking about getting my stock T2 rims powdercoated black, to match my car. I really like the blacked-out look, has anyone done this or have any pics of a black 7 with black t2 rims? or maybe a dark gunmetal.

 

I'm considering getting some S4 TII rims powdercoated gunmetal. It'll work just fine, it's a great way to rehab old rims.

 

WHAT WOULD THEY LOOK LIKE POWDERCOATED

 

it'll look great...i was going to do that on my black s5 as well. however got to lazy over summer and am planning on getting new rims over winter

 

They would look like they where painted. Powdercoating = high quality baked-on paint. It's an interesting process.

Oh, and lay off the caps lock.

 

i wanna see some pics of S5 TII rims powdercoated.

 

I'll see if can post some. I just need to get my cam to download.

 

I've not seen TII rims powder coated black, I imagine it'd look ok. What I HAVE seen is a Black GTUs with the centercaps painted black(with the studs painted silver). Let me tell you, this looks SHARP. I really liked it, and I wish I had a black car so I could do it! I would strongly recommend you consider this route, it looks really awesome.

Steve

 

Its a taste thing. Plus its reasonable compaired to aftermarket rims.

 

I agree...plus you don't have to worry about gaining weight on the wheel.

I've actually had someone comment how they liked my gunmetal s5 mesh TII rims. Then I wiped off the brake dust....

 

Just picture white AE rims being black instead. Same deal. They'll look like TII rims that have been powdercoated black. Not too hard to visualize, really.

 

Yo,


You guys have seen mine in white before:



They will be for sale soon! *grin*

Kevin
1989 GTUs "Darkstalker!"

 

Damn Kevin, you're cute when you dress up!

Steve

 

Yo,

Well, you know, when I Cosplay, I Cosplay!

W00t!

Kevin
1989 GTUs "Kawaii Neko-chan!!"

 

Does anyone have pictures of S5 T2 rims in gunmetal or no? The mods should be proud of my searching to find this.

 

while u guys are speaking about powder coating rims..
i just wanna ask what is the best way to do this.
what kind of grit sandpaper level ur eccomend to sand the rims?
do u know if its possible to do this yourself?
is it relatively easy like just painting wheels with urethane paint or lots harder?

just curious guys. wanna get 5 star spoke wheels with black finish
and factory pearl white.

 

not to thread jack, but does anyone have a pic of s4 gtu wheels painted black on a white fc?

 

You, or should I say 90% of normal ppl with normal space and $$$, cant do a quality powder coat at home. I am in the powder coating industry and the gun we use to shoot our powder is around $2k. We still have problems with it. Allied Powder Coating, in Houston, is a top notch powder coater. Just give them the rims and tell them the color. Usually about $75 a rim, more rims, lower the price. Any good powder coater should have ALL preparation processes at the company, which include, BNLT, about 4 different medias for blasting, acid dipping, and priming.

To do a quality powder coat at home, you'll need to prepare your parts/rims, (ie blast, avoid hand and finger oil), hang rims in a convention oven set anywhere from 200 degrees to 550 degrees, (depends on powder), and then leave them in there for about 20 mins. Remove from oven and coat. Back in oven for 15-25 mins(depends on powder). Most big companys wont do this but we do and have seen exceptionally well life on pc parts: give them a turtle wax (the clear spray on, wipe off) a couple of days after the coat is applied.

WWHHHHHEEEEWWWWWWW, thats jsut a run through. Thats the main reason why many ppl dont powder coat at home. Just my two sense.

P.S. I have just gotten my 10th AE rims pc white since the original pc was crap and had been through enough already. After the waxing...theses babies are HOTTT!!! I will have some pics up soon.

 

i thoguht powdercoating weakens the structure of the rims tho since its under such high heat or pressure or whatever u guys do to the rims.

 

Depending on the color, the powdercoating can tend to fade after constant outdoor use (ie direct sunlight for extended periods of time). I'm a powdercoater and 95% of the parts that we powdercoat, we only use PPG black, are painted afterwards with a weather resistant paint by the customer. I was going to toss a set of wheels in the booth but after learning of the fading issue I decided just to spring for black wheels. Personally I like the black Rota Slipstreams on a black FC. It looks super sharp.

 

Just like a cars paint job, powdercoated rims or parts will fade when exposed to consistant sunlight. So what do you do to keep your paint on your car looking good, ummm...maybe wax it every so often, twice a year, once a year??? You could get a car cover that extends past your rims, all the way to the ground. Maintenence is the key to any gold egg. Just because its powder coated doesnt mean it doesnt need to be maintained!!!

 

I HAVE been in the powder business and in the wheel manufacturing business. so there!! jk

Seriously, the powder paint should be maintaned just like bigdv said. The paint powder also makes a difference in the length of time b4 it fades. I would not pay anythying near $75 bucks if I had to prep a wheel for the powder coater. The coater should take the wheel in as is and for $75 bucks ea should do what it takes to powder paint the wheel. This includes sandblasting, IPA bath, adhesion primer and paint. Those are standard steps for new as well as used products.

Powdering at home is a new one to me. Having a powder gun hanging around.....

Lastly being in the wheel repair business, if you have a stock wheel that is painted or aluminum finish Here is the deal. Even with alloy finish there is a clear coat over the alloy. (unless it is a custom wheel that is polished aluminum. No stock wheel is finished this way)for the purpose of this post call the clear coat paint. (It is paint, minus pigment) The surface of the wheel was prepped with an adhesion primer prior to painting from the factory. This is a great surface to begin with, sand the paint with 600 grit sandpaper and paint write on top of the old paint. The paint can adhere to the old paint really well. Use Krylon in the color of your choice. or take to a body shop and have them put a nice wet paint (as opposed to powder) of any color. This is fast and easy and you are basically following the steps that the original wheel manu. did.

Stripping the wheel to the aluminum finish will open a can of worms you don;t want to deal with. If you already stripped the the paint then you'll need to clean, bake (@145 F) spray with an adhesion primer, paint and bake. Shirwin Williams has pamplets that tell you more info.

As far as powder coating weakening the wheel. There is no way a powder painter is cooking things hot enough to change the temper of the metal/alloy. Heat treating is much hotter than 200-400 F. Your wheel may reach that temp at the hub if your breaking alot! Think about that! all the wheels would be breaking if that was the deal.

 

I painted my stock wheels gunmetal, I was thinking about getting them powdercoated, but I had some primer and extra gunmetal paint.. so I went to town.. I'll get them poweder coated later on, but if you want to know what stock wheels a different color would look like then I'll post my pics.

 

I used to run a powder coating shop, and as the other experienced guys have said - it's no home job. I just wanted to add that you can get exterior grade powder that is UV resistant. That's not to say that it will never fade, but it will take a lot longer. What you should avoid is the harsh wheel cleaners - that will fade the coating. Simple car wash soap with a soft brush will take off any dirt or dust.

As far as prep goes, media blasting is the best way - and then we used to bathe the parts in heated phosphate solution that would clean and prep the metal. We cooked the parts at 430 degrees for 30 mins. Any wheel that would be effected by that heat/duration wouldn't be one I'd want on my car.

 

We cooked the parts at 430 degrees for 30 mins. Any wheel that would be effected by that heat/duration wouldn't be one I'd want on my car.[/QUOTE]

Ditto