Powder coat factory 20" Carrera S Wheels
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From: Lexington, VA
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Let me clear a few things up.
1. Powder coat is generally more resistant to chips and chemicals. The caveat is that it is very difficult to correct i.e. "buff out" any scratches or marring that you pick up.
2. Powder coat will peel, crack, bubble and generally suck if it is applied to an improperly prepped surface. Be sure to ask your "guy" exactly how the surface will be prepared. You want it stripped down to the bare metal and built up from there.
3. You can powder coat a forged wheel and yes, companies like HRE do this safely. That is because ethical companies use low temperature powder coat baked at </= 350F part metal temp for forged pieces. You will need to specifically ask if low temp products and processes will be used. Look specifically for <350F PMT. If they have never heard of this or don't know what temperature to use, RUN! Also, the color selection of low temp powder coat is not really great.
4. Lower cost aftermarket cast wheels are painted because it is cheaper, not because there is a problem with powder coating cast metal. In fact, it is easier and safer to powder coat cast vs. forged.
5. From experience, I will never EVER do a matte black powder coat wheel again. The finish is porous, holds brake dust, streaks badly, stains, spots, is sensitive to poor water quality and on and on. They look nice but if I ever did it again, I would have a satin clear applied and immediately seal them with Opti-Coat or similar. Just my experience...
Cheers,
- Patrick
1. Powder coat is generally more resistant to chips and chemicals. The caveat is that it is very difficult to correct i.e. "buff out" any scratches or marring that you pick up.
2. Powder coat will peel, crack, bubble and generally suck if it is applied to an improperly prepped surface. Be sure to ask your "guy" exactly how the surface will be prepared. You want it stripped down to the bare metal and built up from there.
3. You can powder coat a forged wheel and yes, companies like HRE do this safely. That is because ethical companies use low temperature powder coat baked at </= 350F part metal temp for forged pieces. You will need to specifically ask if low temp products and processes will be used. Look specifically for <350F PMT. If they have never heard of this or don't know what temperature to use, RUN! Also, the color selection of low temp powder coat is not really great.
4. Lower cost aftermarket cast wheels are painted because it is cheaper, not because there is a problem with powder coating cast metal. In fact, it is easier and safer to powder coat cast vs. forged.
5. From experience, I will never EVER do a matte black powder coat wheel again. The finish is porous, holds brake dust, streaks badly, stains, spots, is sensitive to poor water quality and on and on. They look nice but if I ever did it again, I would have a satin clear applied and immediately seal them with Opti-Coat or similar. Just my experience...
Cheers,
- Patrick
Last edited by PMNewton; Dec 31, 2014 at 10:09 AM.
Let me clear a few things up. 1. Powder coat is generally more resistant to chips and chemicals. The caveat is that it is very difficult to correct i.e. "buff out" any scratches or marring that you pick up. 2. Powder coat will peel, crack, bubble and generally suck if it is applied to an improperly prepped surface. Be sure to ask your "guy" exactly how the surface will be prepared. You want it stripped down to the bare metal and built up from there. 3. You can powder coat a forged wheel and yes, companies like HRE do this safely. That is because ethical companies use low temperature powder coat baked at </= 350F part metal temp for forged pieces. You will need to specifically ask if low temp products and processes will be used. Look specifically for <350F PMT. If they have never heard of this or don't know what temperature to use, RUN! Also, the color selection of low temp powder coat is not really great. 4. Lower cost aftermarket cast wheels are painted because it is cheaper, not because there is a problem with powder coating cast metal. In fact, it is easier and safer to powder coat cast vs. forged. 5. From experience, I will never EVER do a matte black powder coat wheel again. The finish is porous, holds brake dust, streaks badly, stains, spots, is sensitive to poor water quality and on and on. They look nice but if I ever did it again, I would have a satin clear applied and immediately seal them with Opti-Coat or similar. Just my experience... Cheers, - Patrick
Might I add, all powders have specs for curing directions and temperatures.
There are of course the idiots that don't know what they're doing that either bake them too high to save time or don't know what they're doing.
Great point on the flat finish. Not very desirable. Satin finishes give the same look and easier maintenance.
Proper prep is essential for any application. For powder coating, they indeed need to be chemically stripped to bare metal.
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Joined: Sep 2014
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From: Lexington, VA
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Guy,
Can a powder coated wheel be clear coated with paint? I like the idea of a clear paint layer that I can "correct" when the inevitable scratches and marring appear.
Thanks,
Patrick
Can a powder coated wheel be clear coated with paint? I like the idea of a clear paint layer that I can "correct" when the inevitable scratches and marring appear.
Thanks,
Patrick
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From: USA
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So I'll try to cover this for everyone 
I worked with HRE for almost 14 years and while I am not an engineer, I have a pretty decent knowledge of how this works.
Patrick was correct. Powdercoating a wheel is easy. If you bake at a high temp or for a long duration the powdercoat will lay nice and smooth. Unfortunately high temps kill a heat treated wheel.
One thing I did while at HRE was visit a variety of refinishing shops across the country. I will say that there were only a couple baking at the right temps even though ALL of them said they did.
Finding a powder coat that allows you to get s smooth, orange peel free surface while baking at a lower temp is tough and typically takes a lot of trial and error to get it right.
One other thing to consider is how they strip the wheel. We cold strip or mechanically bead blast the wheel to remove the previous finish. Hot chemical strip, which is faster and cheaper heats the wheels to a very high temperature, but for a short time. Most will tell you this is not a problem. I promise you it is.
As Patrick said, painting is much easier to mas produce. We also paint the wheels if you would like, but it costs us more because of the limited run.
We like the powdercoating because of the durability. After two years on my current wheels I have a couple little nicks and they have they have stayed exactly that way.
I hope this helps out.
I worked with HRE for almost 14 years and while I am not an engineer, I have a pretty decent knowledge of how this works.Patrick was correct. Powdercoating a wheel is easy. If you bake at a high temp or for a long duration the powdercoat will lay nice and smooth. Unfortunately high temps kill a heat treated wheel.
One thing I did while at HRE was visit a variety of refinishing shops across the country. I will say that there were only a couple baking at the right temps even though ALL of them said they did.
Finding a powder coat that allows you to get s smooth, orange peel free surface while baking at a lower temp is tough and typically takes a lot of trial and error to get it right.
One other thing to consider is how they strip the wheel. We cold strip or mechanically bead blast the wheel to remove the previous finish. Hot chemical strip, which is faster and cheaper heats the wheels to a very high temperature, but for a short time. Most will tell you this is not a problem. I promise you it is.
As Patrick said, painting is much easier to mas produce. We also paint the wheels if you would like, but it costs us more because of the limited run.
We like the powdercoating because of the durability. After two years on my current wheels I have a couple little nicks and they have they have stayed exactly that way.
I hope this helps out.
The powder coat finish is a lot thicker than your clear coat on your car paint. Using whatever you'd use on there would be safe.
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Joined: Sep 2014
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From: Lexington, VA
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As guy noted, you can "correct" any gloss powder coat finish. Because of wheel shapes, getting even a machine 4" pad around the wheel design would be impossible. Maybe hand buff?
The powder coat finish is a lot thicker than your clear coat on your car paint. Using whatever you'd use on there would be safe.
The powder coat finish is a lot thicker than your clear coat on your car paint. Using whatever you'd use on there would be safe.
Thanks,
Patrick
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 410
From: Lexington, VA
Rep Power: 73
- Patrick
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The clear bra guys just got a new "package" to add to their product line. Haha.
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I am sure there will be lots of opinions on this one, but you could also spray the wheels in clear plastidip. This would be nearly undetectable, and if applied properly / thick enough will create a rubberized protection over the wheel surface. I've also seen guys spray the clear on front ends of their cars on track days.... works very well and can be peeled-off anytime you want. Very durable. And, you can do this yourself, shouldn't be nearly as difficult as having someone wrap the wheels!
Whichever way you choose to go, good luck!
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