Clear powder coating wheels

[ikom]

I took one of my wheels over to a competent wheel refinishing place that I have dealt with over the years, to find out if he could apply some kind of protective coating on the raw aluminum in order to stop the aluminum from pitting.

He suggested that powdercoating would be the only way to go but his caveat was to make sure that the heat of the powder coating process did not compromise the silicone seal bead on the three piece wheel.

Anybody here have any firsthand experience on this?

How have you protected the finish on your wheels?

Thanks

[gtrclive]

Elbo grease only way to keep them clean, and Autoglym Aly wax polish.... Or take the hit and have a Mat finish Anodised wheel.

[AlanN]

I find the wheels to be the easiest I have ever had to clean so don't really worry about it too much!

Mine literally come up sparkling with just a spray of Autoglym alloy wheel cleaner, leave for 2 minutes (very important and then a hose off.

Alan.

[BigAl1]

Without knowing the exact material specs, here is something to be aware of;

"the powder coat oven cure cycle can affect the strength of the aluminum...peak substrate temperatures should be below 300 deg F. ideally 275 deg F. Aluminum billet and or alloys change there crystalline structures at about 410 deg F. THE ALUMINUM BECOMES BRITTLE...essentially the tensile strength of the metal is drastically lowered much like stress relief anneal on a steel piece would do..."

this is from the industrial paint and powder and the aluminum association inc...

I'll be using Glisten PC from POR15 on my wheels.

Allan

[activems]

Everyone seems to be talking about the autoglym aluminium cleaner, but where is it on their website?

I have 3 piece pure aluminium wheels that are a pain to clean. So far the best way is soap and water as alloy wheel cleaner has acid in which damages the wheels.

[jschwartz]

Ike,
I know a few folks who clear coated alloy motorbike wheels, after some time they yellowed. The wheels from Ultima are less prone to corrosion than others I've had. Must be the grain structure of the alloy. Mothers has a fairly new formula in their liquid billet wheel cleaner. Once or twice a year I go over them with it and they still look good. I might ad my car is in unheated storage in winter and has been in the rain a fair amount, so it sees moisture.
jeff

[steve_D]

Mine are two pack epoxy clear sprayed and seem to be OK so far.

Steve

[GTRMikie]

If you have not protected your wheels and you decide to go for a drive on a nice dry sunny winter day, then make sure that you rinse the wheels off with clean water when you return. The salt crystals that now cover the roads seem to stick like the proverbial to the rims, especially around the bolt heads. These crystals attract water and you soon have spots of a very concentrated salt solution which eat into the alloy. This of course also applies to any other unprotected alloy. Have you noticed what a bead of sweat, generated during the polishing, does to those lovely cill covers if it goes unnoticed?

[mclark]

I've had two sets of wheels from Image in the UK and both times they sent me a bottle of cream to put on the wheels before ever taking them out.

When I'm out in the garage next I'll check to see what it is called.

Michael

[canam-phil]

Oz recommend www.performancealloys.com/wheel_tech.asp

[ikom]

Thanks for the responses.

It appears that powdercoating them may compromize both the structural integrity and finish of the factory wheels.

I will therefore leave them as received from the factory, take good care of them with the various products mentioned and save myself future grief (and current anxiety).

Thanks guys

Ikom

[steve_D]

If you are going to leave them as they are then you may make life easier for yourself by 'Silver Wheel' spraying the inner rim. It is not visible from outside unless you look real hard and will make cleaning easier.

Steve

[jschwartz]

The factory inner rims are already epoxy coated, the brake dust just washes off em.

[gtr-gaz]

GTRMikie said:

If you have not protected your wheels and you decide to go for a drive on a nice dry sunny winter day, then make sure that you rinse the wheels off with clean water when you return. The salt crystals that now cover the roads seem to stick like the proverbial to the rims, especially around the bolt heads. These crystals attract water and you soon have spots of a very concentrated salt solution which eat into the alloy. This of course also applies to any other unprotected alloy. Have you noticed what a bead of sweat, generated during the polishing, does to those lovely cill covers if it goes unnoticed?

You are dead right there!

found this out a couple of weeks ago. Took mine out on a damp day thinking that there was no salt on the roads. When I got back I put it in the garage and after a few days noticed salt crystals forming around drops of water on the garage floor.

So I wheeled it out got the pressure washer and gave the wheels, brakes and suspension a good going over.

I also bought a dehumidifier and they are brilliant!
I would recommend them to anybody.
It took 3 pints of water out the air in 2 weeks.

It costs about 50p a day to run. Well worth it.

Gary