Hello,

I want to have the center section of my HRE wheels painted black. I know that I can send them to back to HRE, or places like Wheel Enhancement to have them done, but I don't want to spend that kind of money.

1. If I let all of the air out of the tires, and then unbolt the center section, will the wheels stay sealed together?
2. Will I just be able to bolt them back together after they are painted without any problems?
3. If not, am I best off just to tape off the dish part and put vacuum caps over the bolts in order to paint them?

Any information, history or other idea would be appreciated!
g

 

I did it myself. Let the air out, undo all the bolts, paint and reassemble. be sure to use lock tight i used the medium blue one and torque to 25lb in a star pattern. Your good to go.

 

Awesome, that's what I was hoping to hear. One more question..... where do you get a socket to fit the bolts from the outside?
Thanks
g

 

You should consider powder coating over paint. Much more durable and similar in cost.

 

They would look great with unpainted bolts and lip. I am just a ***** for contrast.

Or are you going for the completely painted look?

 

I have GT3 RS wheels painted.
I have peeling paint.
I want to paint myself.
Can I use Autozone spray paint to touch up?

What paint do others use?

This is a track car 100% only.

 

You can use anything you want.... maybe it works, maybe it doesn't. Here are some truths:

1. Unless you KNOW what was done previously- in terms of preparation and paint- you will not be able to choose a touch up. You may get lucky, or you may find the underlying paint continues to peel and any touch up comes off.

2. "Paint" is defined by it's chemistry (ie evaporative solvent, epoxy, two part, powdercoat, etc)...not by where it is purchased (autozone, home depot, sherwin williams, rusteoluem)

3. Best it to have wheels stripped and recoated. Chose your vendor carefully, make sure they know it is a wheel and not a chaise lounge chair. You don't want stress cracks in your track wheels.

A

 

My Iforged are out to powder coat and NO you can’t just unbolt them just like that...

You must first unmount the tires
Then cut the silicone seal in the middle.
Then unbolt the bolts
Its important to mark each wheel so the 3 pieces line up the same way they were mounted originally... and also so each same 3 pieces end up together... So I punched 1 to 4 on all parts where the valve is...

Then you can clean and paint...

When reassembling it is important to do it correctly with the right silicone or you will have leaks and shakes...

Don’t be shy to send me a PM if you have more questions...

 

Oh and the socket is usualu just a regular 12 point socket available at your local part store...

 

Thanks for all of the information. I am going to have them Powdercoated black.

Is there a specific brand of silicone or sealer that needs to be used?

Thanks

 

You do not need to unmount the tire and split the wheel halfs if you are just refinishing the center only. I did this my self and had no issues leaving the tire on with out air. If you want refinish the halves then full disassembly is required.

 

If you wish to paint only the centers, and so hope that the wheel halves will stay together upon disassembly, I imagine it would be a good idea to reduce the tire pressure. This will minimize the chance of wheel halves separating apart.

BTW... Nice wheels whether in silver or black.

 

Thanks to ARD,

I will try touch up paint first.
If I did want to strip the paint, I assume I use the normal turpintine solvent.
Does that damage rims?
I do not want to spend too much money as I will go with new rims soon.
These rims have 5000 miles of track use but no bad spins.

For new rims, I am going to use CCW 9x18 and 12x18 in Black.
Anybody else using those on GT3.

PS: I was told powder coating is good but if they heat the wheel too much, you've lost some strength. Scary.

 

If you want wish to have them done without the hassel we can certainly tackle this project, you'd be looking at $200 per wheel. www.fastforwardwheels.com

Also consider the excess material which may build up and added stress of heat on a forged center before you consider powder coat.

-Eli

 

No!!! Don't make those beautiful wheels black!! It isn't the 2000's anymore!