Powder coating vs Painting Rims

[drndrn]

Hey guys,

Just got myself a set of rims and was looking to change the colour, now.. Do I go down the powder coat route or do I paint? Now I've read up a little and some have said that powder coating may compromise the strength of the rim, because of the way the rim is heated in the coating process. Another con of powder coating is the cost and difficulty of repairing the rim if were to be damaged in anyway. That said, powder coated rims don't chip as easy and are apparently more durable.

Painting will be cheaper, easier to repair and you'll have a larger choice of colours but is less durable.. So, which one?

[zero1]

I thought of this too when I picked up my bbs rims a few months back (see viewtopic.php?f=10&t=6186 ) . I've been told the heating process of powder coating only effects the strength of the rims if they are heated too long or too high a temperature. Most powdercoat places will have a standardized time/temp for heating powdercoated rims.

btw are ur rims, cast iron or forged alloy ?

[Hotwire]

Powdercoating cures the coating at around 200 degrees C - your brakes can run at up to 500+ degrees C. Even with some cooling as the wheel rotates, you can imagine the heat stress on the hub of the wheel so I really dont see it being an issue. That and the melting point for cast alloys would be WELL above 200c, so I really dont see the science in that argument...

That aside, I went powdercoating. As for repairing if damage occurs, well its actually easy. Take the wheel off the car, strip the tyre off, rub back smooth, re-coat then re-fit. I know this because I had to have my LF wheel redone only 1 week after being on the car!! (bloody wife!) see my ride thread for images... but Powder coating can be had a lot cheaper than painting. I.e. I was quoted $250-$400 to paint 4 wheels from a number of places, but got powdercoated for $100 for the set

[swingn]

Powder coating is without a doubt the cheapest option, which is why it is so popular these days.

There has been talk about it making the rim weaker etc etc etc... I spoke to a few high end rim importers & they have had powder coating done on all sorts of different spec wheels (IE Forged, alloy, etc) from all sorts of different brands like Prodrive, BBS, Enkei, etc with no dramas what so ever.

Only type of rims that have not been tested by some of these people are solid magnesium (Like F1 wheels - Which I doubt any of us will be able to afford).

Most people on here that know me well, know that I don't take risks when it comes to my car & modifications... So for what it's worth, I have had more then 1 set of rims powder coated... A lot of my friends on here have had their rims powder coated... So I'd say your pretty safe

In saying that, if you can justify spending $200 per rim (If not more) for painting, then go for it... But if you're prepared to pay that much money, you may be better off looking at a new set of rims

Just my 2 cents

[drndrn]

Haha, thanks for the replies. What sort of price range am I looking at for powdercoating?

[Digital]

damn, looks like all the 2.5i boys have got new rims........ maybe i'm next in line? lol..

can't wait to see what she looks like daz

[zero1]

Haha, thanks for the replies. What sort of price range am I looking at for powdercoating?

I got mine for $55 per wheel at multicoat up at rowville.

[swingn]

Pricing obviously varies from place to place, & it dependant on the size of the rim as well.

I paid about $80.00 per rim (Based on 18 x at the start of the year

[tangcla]

damn, looks like all the 2.5i boys have got new rims........ maybe i'm next in line? lol..

Well, I did have these awesome G-Games 77M wheels for sale... but they're gone now...

[SMI77]

For what it is worth, a powder coater told me, that, due to the powdercoating being pliable, any cracks developing in a rim will not show through the powdercoating.

[teK--]

Haha, thanks for the replies. What sort of price range am I looking at for powdercoating?

I got mine for $55 per wheel at multicoat up at rowville.

But you prepared yours first didn't you Phuong? i.e. sandblasted them first.

Dang I think stock wheels powder coated white or gunmetal would look nice.

[Hotwire]

My 18x8 wheels were brand new in box and I had them coated for $20 per wheel. Blasting wasn't required as they were BNIB, so be aware bargains can be had, just call around.

As a side note, when my wife then rashed the wheel within 1 week, I then had to get blasted and coated, and that only cost me $30 from the same place here in Adelaide

[drndrn]

Well these rims will be brand new in box as well, but I don't understand how that'll make them cheaper?

Looks like powdercoating is definitely th eway to go. Is there a limit to what colours are available? Is it like painting where you can provide them with a colour and they'll match it? Or is there only a small selection. I was thinking of a silver like the Volk CE28N Titanium Silver

Reckon most places would be able to match that?

Thanks again to all for your advice.

[zero1]

Haha, thanks for the replies. What sort of price range am I looking at for powdercoating?

I got mine for $55 per wheel at multicoat up at rowville.

But you prepared yours first didn't you Phuong? i.e. sandblasted them first.

Dang I think stock wheels powder coated white or gunmetal would look nice.

Yer I sandblasted them before powdercoating; machine was borrowed from a mate of mine so didn't add to the final cost

With powdercoating there is a much smaller selection of colours compared to painting, prob the only downside to it

[drndrn]

http://www.duluxpowders.com.au/powd/pdf_files/colourselector_edition16.pdf

From the above PDF, what do you guys reckon best matches the Volk CE28N Titanium Silver? I'm having trouble picking one.. :S