Viper007Bond
Viper Owner
I have a set of Razors on my Viper but am looking to go from polished to black. Is there anything I should know before getting them powder coated? Anything to watch out for? I've never had wheels powder coated before.
Anything I should know before powder coating my wheels?
- Thread starter Viper007Bond
- Start date
KNG SNKE
Enthusiast
Make sure they tape off the back portion of that that touches the hub or you will be grinding it off later.
F
FrgMstr
Guest
Have never taped any of the hubs on powder coated wheels I have done since around 2000 without any issues whatsoever. I have done about 6 sets over the years for both rock crawling and 2.5 sets for my Vipers.
Make sure the PCer does a preliminary blast process on the wheels to get any clear coat off (I have a set of Razor wheels and I think those do have a very light coating.) and to clean and prep the surface properly. You might also consider letting them cure a few weeks after being done as I have seen some tire machines actually "smudge" the PC surface on a freshly coated wheel right out of the oven for a day or so.
I personally suggest staying away from glossy PC finishes. Those can look "plasticy" many times and unless you keep the tires cleaned a buffed with tire dressing you will find the wheel being a lot darker and glossier than your tires, which always seemed a bit "funky" looking in my opinion. The Razor wheels look 10X better in black than those do in polished. I have done "flat" or "matte" black on my last couple of sets and that finish blends much better with the finish of a tire, again, just my opinion. Another thing to note about finish is that I would suggest you get a finish that is smooth and does not have any texture to it. Texture, even the slightest, can leave places for dirt and oxidation to collect making the wheels much harder to clean.
Hope this helps.
Make sure the PCer does a preliminary blast process on the wheels to get any clear coat off (I have a set of Razor wheels and I think those do have a very light coating.) and to clean and prep the surface properly. You might also consider letting them cure a few weeks after being done as I have seen some tire machines actually "smudge" the PC surface on a freshly coated wheel right out of the oven for a day or so.
I personally suggest staying away from glossy PC finishes. Those can look "plasticy" many times and unless you keep the tires cleaned a buffed with tire dressing you will find the wheel being a lot darker and glossier than your tires, which always seemed a bit "funky" looking in my opinion. The Razor wheels look 10X better in black than those do in polished. I have done "flat" or "matte" black on my last couple of sets and that finish blends much better with the finish of a tire, again, just my opinion. Another thing to note about finish is that I would suggest you get a finish that is smooth and does not have any texture to it. Texture, even the slightest, can leave places for dirt and oxidation to collect making the wheels much harder to clean.
Hope this helps.
SSGNRDZ_28
Enthusiast
This may open a can of worms but there are some out there who suggest the temperature cycle of powder coating can weaken a forged alloy. This said, there are low temp powder coatings out there if you are worried about this. I think the number being thrown around was keeping the temperature below 350 degrees F. Those aftermarket wheels that are powder coated – (some?) manufacturers claim they consider this and heat cycle the metal differently as to not to allow the additional PC temp cycle effect the strength.
I’m not a metallurgist and I’m not an expert on this. I’m sure people will say how they’ve never had an issue in 20 years with a powder coated wheel on the track and they may very well be correct. For sure there are tons of Viper and other car owners with PC wheels. If you never plan to track the car I'm sure it will probably be fine.
I’d suggest researching for yourself and speaking to the powder coater about his processes and temperature monitoring. I get things powder coated often and spoke to my powder coater about this, there are several finishes he found below 325 degrees. His normal process was 450 degrees for 10 minutes. I’m not sure if these finishes are as durable as the high temp finishes.
Does anyone here have any insight to this?
I’m not a metallurgist and I’m not an expert on this. I’m sure people will say how they’ve never had an issue in 20 years with a powder coated wheel on the track and they may very well be correct. For sure there are tons of Viper and other car owners with PC wheels. If you never plan to track the car I'm sure it will probably be fine.
I’d suggest researching for yourself and speaking to the powder coater about his processes and temperature monitoring. I get things powder coated often and spoke to my powder coater about this, there are several finishes he found below 325 degrees. His normal process was 450 degrees for 10 minutes. I’m not sure if these finishes are as durable as the high temp finishes.
Does anyone here have any insight to this?
99 R/T 10
Enthusiast
Why?????????
Razors look great powder coated:
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KNG SNKE
Enthusiast
The first powder coater I used didn't tape off the flat area where the rim touches the hub. Powder coating is not perfectly flat and can cause your wheel not to sit perfectly flat against the hub. That powder had to be grinded off. I have had multiple sets of wheels coated and every coater and tire installer thus far except the original coater said to tape that off. They also recommend cleaning out the area inside the wheel where the lugnut contacts because when you torque lugnuts down they will crack the powder in there and potentially be able to back out a little bit due to having loose material between the nut and the wheel. I don't do powder coating myself, I don't install tires or balance wheels but multiple professionals have confirmed this for me. I am basing my knowledge off folks who have been doing these things for very long times. I'd rather be safe than sorry.
Viper007Bond
Viper Owner
It did! Thanks!
Yeah, I've heard about this too. I'll make sure to talk to them about it and what temperature they use.
I do plan on doing track days in the car.
Awesome! Exactly what I want! Is that gloss, flat, or matte?
F
FrgMstr
Guest
On temp, my PCer does not bring the oven up over 350F so I was never much concerned with it causing issues to the wheel. The issue that I think brought this to light recently was a high dollar wheel manufacturer denying warranty and or liability in the case where a "performance" oriented wheel broke on the track or under hard driving. That wheel had been PCed, and the MFG said **** it since the owner altered the wheel, then claimed that baking the wheel changed it physically. Sounded like a liability copout to me.
That all said, I would ask the PCer at what temps he is baking the finish. As long as it is under 400F, I don't think I would have much of an issue with it. If he is running really high temps, it is likely due to him wanting to move more jobs through his shop which might be a sign of who not to use. I have PCed wheels that are 10 years old that have been very much abused and are not showing any kind of stress cracks or premature aging.
Make sure to post pics when you get it done. I have a full set of stock Razer wheels that I might coat for funsies.
Good luck!
That all said, I would ask the PCer at what temps he is baking the finish. As long as it is under 400F, I don't think I would have much of an issue with it. If he is running really high temps, it is likely due to him wanting to move more jobs through his shop which might be a sign of who not to use. I have PCed wheels that are 10 years old that have been very much abused and are not showing any kind of stress cracks or premature aging.
Make sure to post pics when you get it done. I have a full set of stock Razer wheels that I might coat for funsies.
Good luck!SSGNRDZ_28
Enthusiast
Thanks for the input, FrgMstr. I tend to agree with what you said.
TrackAire
Enthusiast
Double check how your PC'er is prepping the wheel. If the wheel has paint, clear coat or was previously powdercoated, some shops actually burn off the coatings with very high temps in the oven to get the surface ready for further prepping (like media blasting). That's where you might get some uber high temps that have nothing to do with the powder coating process itself but may cause issues with the wheels structural stability.
I'll talk to the company that does our powder coating and get their opinion.
And yes, a wheel company can deny a liability claim if they had no control on how a wheel was prepped and powder coated by the end user, not suprised at all to see that happen.
Cheers,
George
I'll talk to the company that does our powder coating and get their opinion.
And yes, a wheel company can deny a liability claim if they had no control on how a wheel was prepped and powder coated by the end user, not suprised at all to see that happen.
Cheers,
George
TrackAire
Enthusiast
Here is what my PC'er told me.
-For alloy rims they use a low temp powder and bake at 310 degrees.
-They never "burn off" an alloy rim
-You can "burn off" the coatings on steel rims, but they use a stainless steel fixture to keep the wheel flat (burn off is at 575 degrees and can actually warp certain steel wheels)
-They only use glass media when blasting an alloy rim
-If the alloy rim has a very tough coating that needs further stripping, they use a commercial aircraft chemical paint stripper, then they bake the wheel at 350 degrees to out gas all the stripper chemical from the rim so it does not affect powder adhesion.
Hope that helps,
George
-For alloy rims they use a low temp powder and bake at 310 degrees.
-They never "burn off" an alloy rim
-You can "burn off" the coatings on steel rims, but they use a stainless steel fixture to keep the wheel flat (burn off is at 575 degrees and can actually warp certain steel wheels)
-They only use glass media when blasting an alloy rim
-If the alloy rim has a very tough coating that needs further stripping, they use a commercial aircraft chemical paint stripper, then they bake the wheel at 350 degrees to out gas all the stripper chemical from the rim so it does not affect powder adhesion.
Hope that helps,
George
SSGNRDZ_28
Enthusiast
Great information, George. Sounds like you have an experienced and proactive powder coater.
Has anyone found a good matte / satin black with a good "pencil hardness"? It seems matte is easier to cosmetically scratch than gloss. Typically a texture will hide minor surface imperfections but that's not a good look on a wheel. Does anyone have issues in general with scratching of PC matte or gloss?
What are some good maintenance tips for PC wheels? Anything different than a regular paint finish? I know before getting experience myself with PC I thought would be nearly unscratchable but that isn't the case.
Has anyone found a good matte / satin black with a good "pencil hardness"? It seems matte is easier to cosmetically scratch than gloss. Typically a texture will hide minor surface imperfections but that's not a good look on a wheel. Does anyone have issues in general with scratching of PC matte or gloss?
What are some good maintenance tips for PC wheels? Anything different than a regular paint finish? I know before getting experience myself with PC I thought would be nearly unscratchable but that isn't the case.
