I know that powder coating calipers makes a lot of sense because it'll last longer and look nicer, but if i plan on changing my wheels within a year, do you guys think it makes any sense to powder coat my wheels?

Because i've seen people spray paint and plastidip their wheels which i'm sure is cheaper. But i want to know if the cost of powdercoating is worth it if i plan on changing my wheels within a years time.

AND! If any of you have gotten powder coating done, whats a fair price for wheels/calipers?

 

eh, i painted my tc1 wheels when i first got them. and it lasted for about 7 or 8 months before i noticed a bit of road wear. but i wouldnt get them powder coated if your going to change them within a year. its up to you if you wanna be cost effective, or if money is not a problem for you.

 

I have a good recommendation for powder coating to go to see Mike at http://thepowdercoater.com/

 

Don't powder coat your rims. The heat messes with the rims metal properties and makes them brittle which is dangerous. Some people get away with it but I've heard enough horror stories from it. It's not a risk I'd be willing to take my friend

 

Well that definately makes me want to look into this... A LOT more ._.


Thanks, i'll look into that for the Calipers lol

 

Even rotas wheels are painted from there factory. Haven't messed with too many of the big manufacturers but if they coat them they could perform there processes after or know the proper temperature to properly heat treat them

 

I have powdercoated wheels. I love em. Not only has the finish held up for well over a year now, but they also got sideswiped and took the paint off another car before they were damaged. As for the heat affecting the rim? I have yet to see any effect from that as a DD on sh*ty roads. I got mine sandblasted and coated for 100 a rim and i would do it again if i was faced with the same decision.

 

I've never had a problem with powdercoating wheels. I say go for it if you find someone that wiill do it cheap enough. I payed $250 for all four wheels on my eclipse before I sold it.

 

You should not have a problem with power coated wheels unless they are of a lighter alloy like magnesium. They bake typically between 350-400 degrees for about an hour.

 

Those rims must have been made of some pretty poor metal...kind of strange that a person would cheap out on rims and go for the quality finish of powder coating. Granted that aluminum will start to age (a kind of heat treatment) at 250 degrees F, but they need to be in there for days… Good point though.

Those guys that had problems with wheels, do you know how they quenched (cooled down) the wheels after the backing process? It is not the temperature that destroys the aluminum, it is the cooling process. If they know how to do it right, there will be no problem with your wheels or your aluminum calipers. This same concern applies to aluminum calipers too.

 

From my understanding it was the porosity of the metal that made it happen so most likely they could have been cheaper cast wheels. It was more just a thought to keep in mind and something to look in to. But I'm sure with factory rims you'll mist likely be fine. Like I said it was just a recommendation to look in to it more

 

So after some reading and reasearching i found a local company that would do wheels for $100 each, and calipers for $75 each. And with the cost to balance and remount each wheel i'd be at about $500 to powder coat the wheels without tax.

Then i decided that if it's that much and i'll be changing my wheels, it doesnt make much sense, especially since i'm just a poor college kid lol. So i looked into plasti dip and it seems pretty good so far from what ive seen because you dont need to sand paper anything, and its about $6 a can at the Home Depot by my house. Anyone have any personal experience with plasti dip like the ease of cleaning it, durability, ease of application?