Where to get wheels powder coated?
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I wonder if heating them at lower heat levels for longer is applicable to wheels and this "issue"
I agree with what Mark is saying about a waiver of some sorts. Interesting that every PC shop in WA and Les Schwab etc do not have a waiver...
Possibly because in case of failure, there is no way to determine that the PCing process is wholly responsible... who knows.
Interesting none the less...
I agree with what Mark is saying about a waiver of some sorts. Interesting that every PC shop in WA and Les Schwab etc do not have a waiver...
Possibly because in case of failure, there is no way to determine that the PCing process is wholly responsible... who knows.
Interesting none the less...
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Got the wheels back today from Les Schwab and had a talk with my sales guy. Heat doesn't come into play with Powder coating at Les Schwab they electrically charge the powder to the rims and the wheel does not withstand any heat. Boy I like them better than the silver ones I took off today.
Typical powder coating process heats the wheels to over 400 deg F for about an hour. Typically wheels are cast or made from 6061 and the aluminum is heat treated to the T6 condition. Heating aluminum that has already been heat treated is referred to as overaging. Overaging will reduce the yield, ultimate and fatigue strength of the aluminum. The degree of this weakening is a function of the temperature and the time spent at this temperature. That is why I posted the warning. Overaging will weaken the aluminum and sadly that is not debatable.
Why doesn't every PCd wheel not fail ? Wheel failure is a function of the loads the wheel sees in service and how over designed it was by the manufacturer. If the wheel is heavily overdesigned and sees only light duty then a decrement in the material properties probably will not lead to a failure. A light wheel (made with a smaller margin of safety) operating in a severe environment , i.e. track duty, sticky tires, may be much closer to its failing load and a reduction in its material properties place it at a much greater risk of failure.
Without going in to more detail thats pretty much it. It is never a good idea to make technical decisions without the pertinient technical training (especially when the only response is anecdotal evidence to the contrary).
As to the I did it and nothing has happened yet approach. Well all you really know is that nothing hasn't happened yet. Inspect the wheels regularly and find out how to do this. It doesn't mean anything will happen, but you haven't a clue what loads the wheel's were designed for, how over designed they are and exactly how much they were weakened by the overaging. The smart thing is to check them periodically.
If the argument is "I am going to do something silly like buying a cheap wheel so powder coating my present wheel is the lessor of two evils". Thats just flawed thinking....... Although it might be human nature.
Why doesn't every PCd wheel not fail ? Wheel failure is a function of the loads the wheel sees in service and how over designed it was by the manufacturer. If the wheel is heavily overdesigned and sees only light duty then a decrement in the material properties probably will not lead to a failure. A light wheel (made with a smaller margin of safety) operating in a severe environment , i.e. track duty, sticky tires, may be much closer to its failing load and a reduction in its material properties place it at a much greater risk of failure.
Without going in to more detail thats pretty much it. It is never a good idea to make technical decisions without the pertinient technical training (especially when the only response is anecdotal evidence to the contrary).
As to the I did it and nothing has happened yet approach. Well all you really know is that nothing hasn't happened yet. Inspect the wheels regularly and find out how to do this. It doesn't mean anything will happen, but you haven't a clue what loads the wheel's were designed for, how over designed they are and exactly how much they were weakened by the overaging. The smart thing is to check them periodically.
If the argument is "I am going to do something silly like buying a cheap wheel so powder coating my present wheel is the lessor of two evils". Thats just flawed thinking....... Although it might be human nature.
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Got the wheels back today from Les Schwab and had a talk with my sales guy. Heat doesn't come into play with Powder coating at Les Schwab they electrically charge the powder to the rims and the wheel does not withstand any heat.
Again I am not saying that the wheels have been compromised but lets be clear on what is involved in the process.
Last edited by killerbee; Aug 25, 2008 at 01:52 PM.
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I don't remember for sure but I was thinking just under $200 wheel plus you had to take them off and get them to them. tires and all. That's why Les Schwab was so good for me. I didn't do a thing. My Ferrari was $450 COMPLETE
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^^^ NICE, love the setup! Stripes, wheels, tint and all. What tint did you go with?
Btw, I ended up deciding not to get my wheels powder coated. I brought em down to American Powder Coating to get finished, and they talked me out of it. Basically they thought I was crazy to spend nearly $400 to powder coat a brand new set of rims black when the original paint job already looked spectacular. They even admitted that the qaulity would not come close to the factory job. In the end I agreed and couldn't bring myself to black them out, but I still love the look. I guess next time I want black rims I should buy them already painted black haha.
These are the wheels I picked up, just the factory 19". Dark grey between the spokes, and a machined face.
Btw, I ended up deciding not to get my wheels powder coated. I brought em down to American Powder Coating to get finished, and they talked me out of it. Basically they thought I was crazy to spend nearly $400 to powder coat a brand new set of rims black when the original paint job already looked spectacular. They even admitted that the qaulity would not come close to the factory job. In the end I agreed and couldn't bring myself to black them out, but I still love the look. I guess next time I want black rims I should buy them already painted black haha.
These are the wheels I picked up, just the factory 19". Dark grey between the spokes, and a machined face.
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Mark, looks great. Just as good as it did when I saw you the other day on Lakewood Blvd and 66th. 
I'm taking another set of wheels to Powder Coating Systems in Tacoma again on Tuesday. Great prices, great service, great job.
I called Les Schwab, and they said they did not PC aluminum wheels. Who knows, oh well.
I'm taking another set of wheels to Powder Coating Systems in Tacoma again on Tuesday. Great prices, great service, great job.
I called Les Schwab, and they said they did not PC aluminum wheels. Who knows, oh well.
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no scuds for me. my polished spider wheels are my favorite on all cars. plus any ferrari with scud wheels that isn't a scud has a scud look alike with adapters to fit a regular f430. the real scud rims won't fit.
love those rims on the e55 glad you kept them like they came. great color and style.
wyatt didn't see you sorry.
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