shopping for rims

[slug420]

painting rims

what do you guys know about painting rims?

I think I have found the ones I want, but I want them in gunmetal/black, and they dont exist in that color.....

Does it need ot be done with special paint? Does the original finish need ot be removed or anything? Could any body shop do it? Can they airbrush it or whatever or do they have to "dip" them as I have heard? How much does such a thing cost, and are there any advantages/disadvantages to it?

THANKS in advance!

 

[Allen]

I have heard pretty good things about powder coating rims. They are not too expensive... I was told around $80 here locally per wheel.

The only problem is I would have to take the wheels off, unmount the tires and leave the wheels at the shop for up to a week or something similar like that. After it's done with the powder coating, I have to get it remounted, rebalanced...

So while this is taking place you have to live without driving your car unless you have an extra set of wheels.

 

[Allen]

Not exactly sure about how strong the coats are against water pressure from car washes... but ... the quality is suppose to be fairly decent, mainly positive results from what I hear. I get this information from my friend who drives a Si. He interacts with a lot of tuners over at ClubSi who have shared their experience about powder coating with everybody.

 

[Sir Nuke]

if you are going to have a wheel "painted" the ONLY way to go is powder coating.....the cost varries from shop to shop....but anywhere from $40-$80 is about the going rate.....most of the places I have seen will make you a deal if you are having a whole set done as the set up is already done for the first wheel and that makes doing the additional wheels just that much easier.

use your favoite search engine on the net and put in powder coating and you will end up with a sort of both shops that do the work and some information on the process...

Powdercoating is very durable.....that is how wheel makers COLOR their wheels....the coating is very hard and can take a beating and stay looking nice.

 

[Allen]

Price correction

Sorry, I didn't get the pricing right. I think $40 PER wheel, not $80, is what they ask for here as well.