Powder coating vs. conventional spraying...

[Mcopping]

Hey guys, just got my 2008 speed 3 GT 3 months ago and thinking of going with black wheels. Taking slow at first and wondering if it is better to get them powder coated or sand them down and spray them myself...any info would be great. Thanks

 

[probin94]

well painting WOULD work. plenty of people have done it. but powdercoating will last longer

 

[JCell]

you get what you pay for

paint them yourself and eventually they will fade, chip, or just come out weird

powder coating lasts, and have a much higher shine factor

 

[probin94]

you get what you pay for

paint them yourself and eventually they will fade, chip, or just come out weird

powder coating lasts, and have a much higher shine factor

if your gonna follow me around at least buy my stuff lol

 

[JCell]

just because your post magically laned on top of mine does not mean im following you, when in fact you are stalking me

 

[probin94]

just because your post magically laned on top of mine does not mean im following you, when in fact you are stalking me

possibly..i am trying to sell stuff. its like a constant reminder...24/7 haha

 

[KaiserSoze]

WHEN the powdercoating chips (either during tire installation or just normal road wear) you won't be able to get them touched up. If you just take your time and spray them right it will look and wear fine and when you get chips you can touch them up in 5 minutes. And this is coming from my personal experience with rims I had powdercoated.

 

[mazdaspeedster3]

You could have them professionally painted. Also, buy the right primer and you wont have to sand them down. Or better yet, find a chemical treatment facility near you and for $12 a wheel they will strip them down to bare metal for you. Then paint them. Just take your time and make sure you have ample ammounts of primer and paint.

 

[ReadS13]

when getting them powdercoated, make sure not to drip any gas when filling up on them cause they eat it up and chip off - if you take them to a powdercoating company usually, just ask to get them sandblasted clean. This is usually cheap and gives you a nice clean surface to paint on if there is any previous coating or finish. Sometimes they paint them silver after powdercoating too just to treat them.

 

[justanothermp5]

you get what you pay for

paint them yourself and eventually they will fade, chip, or just come out weird

powder coating lasts, and have a much higher shine factor

not true, it depends on what kind of powder you get, and i doubt it would be any shinier then black paint with clearcoat

it will last longer no question, but its alot easier just to sand and paint because u dont have to pay to get the tires unmounted and remounted

 

[Mcopping]

sweet thanks guys, not sure what I'm gonna do yet but its good to be educated in the matter.

 

[coololddude]

Save your money and get a nice set of aftermarket wheels.

 

[binhsterbinh]

I powder coated my wheels and its been 6 months. So far, not a scratch. I was going to have mine painted from a family friend who professionally paints cars, and he said I'd only like them for the first summer. Like all wheels, you need to find a shop that won't gouge your wheels mounting and install them. Any surface is prone to scratches (paint being the most). I'd wait when it's time to get new tires though to not have to pay mounting/balance twice. I suppose you could also just paint them now and powder coat when you get new tires as well, but that's also a lot of work.

Powder coating usually requires sandblasting the wheel to bare metal first. I paid $380 because the sandblasting ($210 of the cost) ended up taking longer than usual because my wheels were double powder coated from the factory and tougher to blast. Other shops have flat rates. I'm going with a different shop next time that my friend uses and its $200 flat rate including sandblasting and powder coating.
Before:
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc185/binhsterbinh/IMG_0438.jpg
After:
Oh and the white stuff is the grease that they use to mount the tire and not actually scrapes like it might appear.
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc185/binhsterbinh/IMG_0601.jpg
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc185/binhsterbinh/IMG_0602.jpg
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc185/binhsterbinh/IMG_0603.jpg
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc185/binhsterbinh/SpringMeet.jpg

 

[Mcopping]

Thanks for the pics binhsterbinh. I appreciate the input!

 

[Wurf]

I like TL's and wanted one until I drove the speed.
Now I want a MDX for the wife!