Thoughts on wheel refinishing.

My 04 Arctic Silver C4S cab needs a wheel refinished. I have Sport Techno's. It looks like there was a prior repair that was poorly done. So, I'm thinking I'll need to do at least both wheels on one side so they match. While I'm getting two done, maybe I should do all 4? They are 10 years old and show a bit of age. I found a reputable place about 1 hour from my house -www.mdpowdercoating.com. They'll powder coat the wheels for about $100 each. I've read some threads regarding PC vs painting and at this point I'm comfortable with powder coating. I welcome comments on anyone who refinished their wheels. Also, PC vs pain. I'm thinking of doing OEM, but should I consider Arctic Silver or black?

I had some aftermarket wheels on my Honda S2000 powder coated many years ago. I think I paid $500 for the four of them. I had those wheels on my Honda for 8 years and when I sold it the finish on the wheels was still excellent shape.

I did powder coating a few years ago but now I would look at Plasti Dip which is a much less expensive DYI. If you go with Black you have to also consider black wheel bolts and the brake "hats" to match in order to make it look right.

"Dip" is cheaper, but it can be very fragile, especially on wheels. If you don't prep the surface right, the stuff doesn't stick for beans.

The sport technos should be ok but I generally do my homework on the powder coater when doing forged wheels as you can change the metallurgy if left in the oven for too long.

I think Technos are a cast wheel...

I believe they're hollow spokes too.

Just don't powder coat the recesses where the mounting bolts shoulders sit.

Quotes source post: 11403246

Yeah that's my point since cast wheels aren't affected by heat like forged. So technos should be ok just to clarify.

Got it. Thanks. And you're right about forged wheels - the high temperatures used for powder coating can damage forged wheels.

I have had forged wheels powder coated and remember metallurgy from school. "Back in the day", powder coating needed to be baked at ~400 degrees and sometimes up to an hour to cure. Newer, modern coatings require as little as 250 degrees and ~30 minutes to set. Depending on type of alum. used in the wheel, annealing doesn't occur until well past 600 degrees. If I had to guess, (and I am guessing) the Porsche wheels use something like 6061-T6 which would be fine at the temperatures listed. Many expensive wheels use powder coating (BBS for example) and as you know, those wheels aren't coming from the factory compromised or cracked. Another issue to consider is HOW the wheels are prepped. If the are heat stripped, they will use a burn off oven to remove previous finishes...then yes..that could weaken wheels since they get up well past 700-800 degrees. In addition, if the wheel has been stripped, blasted and baked many times (ie the wheel refinished many times) that could also pose an issue. If you have concerns, just tell the powdercoater what your concerns are and have them bake it at a lower temperature. As with all services, be sure to due your due diligence. Make sure they have modern equipment (modern ovens can hold temp dead soild perfect with no vast swings), and are using modern techniques. And ask questions. You'll find out pretty quick if you feel comfortable with them. Personally, I'd not hesitate to have some alum. wheels powder coated. But due diligence is key. If you're bored, you can look up AMS-H-6088 which is the standard for heat treating aluminum.

Thanks all on some good insight. I'll be personally delivering my wheels, so I'll have a chance to talk to the tech and check out the shop. I spoke to him yesterday and he said they'll media blast them, but some OEM wheels require a chemical strip. They usually only do one coat and clear coat is optional. Should I request 2 coats and clear?

Quotes source post: 11404108

You generally want to find a shop that has done multiple forged wheels in the past as they know what to do. For example my powder coater only leaves it in the oven for less than 10 min usually. One coat is sufficient in this type of application as they generally lay it on the thicker side from my experience. I have had multiple coats in the past and it didn't turn out very well as the high speed wheel balancer vibrated it enough to cause clear coat cracks in the paint as it was layed down very thick. YMMV