So, dipped my wheels a couple of weeks ago. Used 2 cans of anthracite and 1 can of glossifier on 4 wheels. Came out pretty nice, I must say.

Learned that the glossifier must be used close up. I used it farther away and it left a satin sheen as you can see. Looks nice, but isn't glossy. Also did not mask the tires. It came off easily close to the rims to make a nice break, but where it was thinner near the tread, that stuff just isn't coming off. I've tried everything from Goof Off, Goo Gone and micro fibre towels. About the only way is rubbing it off with your fingers, but in every groove of the tread, it's pretty painful. Ended with a blister on a finger! It will come off, but it isn't easy. Next time I would mask the edge of the tire or not paint it close to the tread.

No masking for those painted centers. Just sprayed the dip right over them and pealed it right off. Worked like a charm.

 

nice job! I know what you mean about the Glossifier. that stuff is MUCH more difficult to spray evenly than the anthracite.

by the way - I learned the hard way about getting dip stuck in the part of the tire where it meets the rim. the trick is to use a few heavy coats of tire shiner. this will keep the dip from hardening too much on the tire. afterward, it will all fall off the tire (even the part nearest the rim)

 

I went for the black followed by glossifier. Basically used almost 2 cans of black and one of glossifier, about half as much as some people say on various sites. I masked the outer tire based on the above post, but realize with black I don't really notice small amounts of spray on the tire. I masked the car with tarp or garbage bags and masked the caliper with a garbage bag. I masked the lug nuts with tinfoil (left cracks the sprayed through) or play dough, which was messy but did a better job. My 6 year old loved the play dough trick. I did it in my garage and did at least 6 coats black with 2 or 3 gloss. Missed cracks were easy touch ups afterwards masking with only cardboard. I did my turbo logo in black also, which was insanely easy. It was helpful to have a dedicated work light, and I'm glad I didn't bother to take the wheels off the car. I've always wanted black wheels but didn't want to spend 2k on new wheels or 800 for paint or powder.

 

Great idea with the tinfoil. Did your wheels came out with more of a glossy look vs. a satin look (like ryem3) with the glossifier? Would love to see some photos.

 

I'd call it glossy with a small amount of orange peel finish. Certainly appears glossy at first glace. My wife's audi has matte black wheels and looks quite a bit different.

I'll try to get some better photos up later, but these were some in my garage from my phone.

Some minor pearls:
--The first and 2nd coat (neither of which completely cover) look like crap initially. Later coats really smooth out
--While I made efforts to go with light coats to avoid drips, drips were inevitable, but I noticed that they essentially disappear as the product dries.
--I'd err on the side of too many coats, which will allow easier removal later
--If you're on the fence between matte vs glossy, I'd quit with matte. I say this because matte would be easier to retouch and the glossifier is a bit tricky to get even coats of full vs partial shine. That said, I really prefer glossy and like the final result VERY much.
--It's probably impossible to avoid a slight orange-peel finish. Still doesn't look bad or amateur, IMO.
--It wouldn't be crazy to just not cover the lug nuts, or to cover only at their depth (I tried to cover the hole up to the surface of the rim). Under bright light I can notice the dirty inside lighter gray of the hole (note that my wheels were 2 tone with outer surface aluminum and inner edges dark gray).

Here's my car, slate gray 2008 turbo cab, red interior.

I just ordered some black centers off ebay, looks to be a cheaper version of the same thing they sell at maxspeed. A little contrast would be nice, and I suppose I like the silver lugs.

 

Thank you for the tips and the photos. I think your wheels came out great!

 

Spray some light gloss over the centers of the wheels and while they're still partially drying, very carefully take a razor blade and cut out the Porsche crest. Once you have it cut out, spray a few light coats of gloss over the crests so that they stick with the rest of the dip.

You did a pretty good job but you shouldn't have had any drips. Not sure why you did other than maybe doing some heavy coats. Also, I don't see the orange peel you speak of and have never seen it in person on my wheels or any friends either so maybe you mean the texture??

Anyways, looking good!

John

Also, for future reference, you don't need to mask your car off since overspray will come right off by wiping the surface down with a clean dry microfiber cloth. (I did that too since I'm picky) Also to do the lugs like you say you can take 2 pieces of masking tape per lug, fold one at a time and stick it as far back as you can. This way the dip gets into the holes around the lugs but not on the lugs themselves. Also, masking the tires is useless because the excess rubber literally almost falls off when you go to peel it. Plasti dip does NOT stick to rubber.

Here's mine for reference.

 

ive been using plasti dip for years, can personally say it holds up SO well. i have plasti dipped my wheels and entire car several different times, holds up to car washes, climate changes etc....the key is to add a good thinner and keep it mixed 50/50. spray light coats the first 2-3 coats then add liberally afterwards and you will have no problems....oh and clean the gun while spraying as it can get a bit gooey and sputter little paint chunks

 

We use plasti dip at our shop along with vinyl wraps on cars and wheels, it is a great product and holds up very well, especially here in canadian winters.

 

Hi Anderson,

I plastic-dipped the inner door handles and front seat levers but they keep starting to peel off after a couple of months. Would it be possible to do vinyl wraps for these such small and curvy stuff? Thx

 

I think the lug nut idea with the tape is a good one. If I did it again I'd certainly try to get some paint back in the holes of the lugs, I had it in my mind that I wanted to avoid those holes so it would peel off easily later. The orange peel is minimal, I guess I'm trying to say that it has a subtle texture like in your closeups. I replaced the center caps on my car with black aftermarket caps, which is fine as the original center caps only had a sticker on them that was not adhering well before any of this project.

For anybody who is on the fence about this, I'd consider just doing a logo/badge first, like on the back of the car, as it is remarkably simple and quick. Any anxiety about peeling it off the paint should be put to rest.

Here are some better pics with a real camera outside of the garage, I'm loving the black wheels now.

 

Having had my baby for less than a month had me itching to do the wheels once again. Went with black and glossifier.
Always a good idea and looks great

 

What are yo guys doing with the wheel barrels? Leaving them unpainted? I have Lobsters and am thinking of doing this. Not sure what color to use on an Atlas grey car either. Any suggestions?

 

Looks great!!
how did you achieve and even coal on the internal portion of the rim?

 

Just take the wheels off to plastidip them if you want to get the inside barrels too. I dipped both my lobster forks and my set of champion wheels in matte black while off the car. I have found however that over time the dip seems to absorb light stains from road grime and brake dust and they aren't as solid black and nice looking as they were a few months ago.

Here's a pic of a lobster fork a few months after dipping it and you can really see the stains in the sunlight. No amount of scrubbing or wheel\rim cleaner has removed them:


And then here's a pic of a Champion Motorsports RG5B wheel that I just dipped in black and peeled it off the wheel bolts: