Pete Posted July 28, 2010 Report Share Posted July 28, 2010 Hey all, I've got a set of bathursts that I want doing up and I've been quoted 30 quid a wheel for a full shot blast and powder coating. I think thats abit of a bargain but I have to admit I've never seen anything powder coated, will it be a good finish?? The company is reputable, so I know a good job will be done of them whatever, but I'm more interested in knowing if a good powder coating will give a good final finish to the wheels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnykell1980 Posted July 29, 2010 Report Share Posted July 29, 2010 powder coating looks nice but i think the quality can vary alot. does sound very cheap to me but ive never had any done. can you not ask them to show you some recent examples theyve done? then you get an idea what your getting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcusgrant Posted July 29, 2010 Report Share Posted July 29, 2010 Think powder coating is more durable than just being sparyed with normal paint, but the finished is not a glossy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little rich Posted July 29, 2010 Report Share Posted July 29, 2010 Price is quite good,Yea wet sprayed the finish always looks better but is vulnerable to chipping,Powdercoating is the way forward make sure the surface is well prepped before and the finish should be nearly as good as wet sprayed, and alot more durable!Rich. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karl Posted August 8, 2010 Report Share Posted August 8, 2010 Only downside to powder coating is that the high temp needed to melt the powder also weakens the wheel ( aluminium ) i have heard some places do a low temp powder coating which is safer . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotty_82 Posted August 8, 2010 Report Share Posted August 8, 2010 Only downside to powder coating is that the high temp needed to melt the powder also weakens the wheel ( aluminium ) i have heard some places do a low temp powder coating which is safer .Id dispute that.Powder coating uses polymers and only needs to bake for 10 or so mins at about 200 degrees C where as ally has a melting point close to 700 degrees C , thats a huge difference there . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver! Posted August 8, 2010 Report Share Posted August 8, 2010 The only downside I found when I had me MK1 GTI 9 spokes powdercoated was some loss of definition in the finer detail, but I'm talking about the markings for maunfacturer, wheels size etc. not losing spokes.I think you are also more limited in the choice of colour and as they can't powder coat on plastic (yet) your centres will be difficult to match.I paid £40 a wheel so £30 sounds cheap and some companies, though they have a good name, are used to workling with commercial and agricultural stuff, so I'd definately ask to see some examples of alloy wheels they have recently done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karl Posted August 8, 2010 Report Share Posted August 8, 2010 Id dispute that.Powder coating uses polymers and only needs to bake for 10 or so mins at about 200 degrees C where as ally has a melting point close to 700 degrees C , thats a huge difference there .You didnt fully understand what i said then i mentioned low temp powder coating also . Like it or not it is fact you dont have to get the metal to its melting point to change its properties . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
99hjhm Posted August 8, 2010 Report Share Posted August 8, 2010 £30 per wheel is very cheap, although it's much better to dip alloy wheels as the aluminium can easilly be damaged.Really impressed with my Bathursts.....Cost alot more than £30 per wheel though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfbr Posted August 8, 2010 Report Share Posted August 8, 2010 So basically in theory every time you hit the brakes heavy, it affects the stability of the aluminium that your wheels are made of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karl Posted August 8, 2010 Report Share Posted August 8, 2010 So basically in theory every time you hit the brakes heavy, it affects the stability of the aluminium that your wheels are made of.LOL you never get the wheels that hot / even when i took my lotus on track days i could touch the wheels after a good hammering . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
99hjhm Posted August 8, 2010 Report Share Posted August 8, 2010 Also worth noting that many places just 'file' out the kerb damage, that leaves large flat spots on the wheel, other places fill them or weld up the damage if it's really bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfbr Posted August 8, 2010 Report Share Posted August 8, 2010 LOL you never get the wheels that hot / even when i took my lotus on track days i could touch the wheels after a good hammering .Your lotus weighs no more than a box of Quavers though... The same in a heavier car might not be the same? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotty_82 Posted August 8, 2010 Report Share Posted August 8, 2010 You didnt fully understand what i said then i mentioned low temp powder coating also . Like it or not it is fact you dont have to get the metal to its melting point to change its properties .I totally understood your last post , but im disputing it. And unless you have the facilities to take a sample of an alloy wheel before and after powdercoating and then had the facilities to go and check the properties of this then how the hell would you know.Also most manufacturers wheels and decent branded aftermarket ( most of which actually produce manufacturers wheels i.e bbs, ronal etc) only use at most 4 different types of aluminium in their wheels so its pretty consistently good quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karl Posted August 8, 2010 Report Share Posted August 8, 2010 Your lotus weighs no more than a box of Quavers though... The same in a heavier car might not be the same?Stop it your killing me i just spat a load of tea over my computer ! Lotus elise s2 weighs 830 KGs not far off a Lupo / breaks on a heaver car will be larger have more venting thus the heat transfer to the alloys will not alter much remember for a car to stop the kinetic energy needs to be converted into heat so they would be designed to get rid of this as much as possible . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfbr Posted August 8, 2010 Report Share Posted August 8, 2010 (edited) Stop it your killing me i just spat a load of tea over my computer ! Lotus elise s2 weighs 830 KGs not far off a Lupo / breaks on a heaver car will be larger have more venting thus the heat transfer to the alloys will not alter much remember for a car to stop the kinetic energy needs to be converted into heat so they would be designed to get rid of this as much as possible .But my car weighs 1650kg + MeStopping from 140mph foot firmly stomped on the Tarox 6 pots must be enough to get the centre of the wheel to at least 70-80ËšC would you not think?Also - Brakes is spelt BRAKES not Breaks. They aren't 'taking 5' for a Ciggy, they are stopping your car hitting a pensioner crossing the road excessively slowly... Edited August 8, 2010 by nfbr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karl Posted August 8, 2010 Report Share Posted August 8, 2010 But my car weighs 1650kg + MeStopping from 140mph foot firmly stomped on the Tarox 6 pots must be enough to get the centre of the wheel to at least 70-80ËšC would you not think?Dont know guess work is not my thing / get a temp gun and go to a track and give it a try . I am guessing you gave the teachers a hard time at school ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotty_82 Posted August 8, 2010 Report Share Posted August 8, 2010 Im getting my rear axle and anti roll bar powdercoated , thank **** they are steel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfbr Posted August 8, 2010 Report Share Posted August 8, 2010 Dont know guess work is not my thing / get a temp gun and go to a track and give it a try . I am guessing you gave the teachers a hard time at school ?Nah, I'm just very bored. I'll argue that grass is blue when I'm bored...I should be painting the bedroom in my new house today, however my solicitor and the seller's solicitor have teamed together in order to make completion as near to f*cking christmas as possible. Bunch of tools they are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted August 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2010 So...................I guess I'll just take the worst wheel for a tester to see how it goes then..............(been gone 2 minutes and nfbr has hi-jacked my thread! grumble grumble grumble) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karl Posted August 8, 2010 Report Share Posted August 8, 2010 So...................I guess I'll just take the worst wheel for a tester to see how it goes then..............(been gone 2 minutes and nfbr has hi-jacked my thread! grumble grumble grumble)No all you need to do is ask what temperature is needed to make the powder coat activate and didnt intend to go making a mess of this thread i just wanted to warn of the dangers of high temp powder coating , it put me off wanting to get my wheels done until i asked some questions . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotty_82 Posted August 8, 2010 Report Share Posted August 8, 2010 TBF a wheel refurber with a good reputation isn't going to be changing the properties of your ally by powdercoating them so lets not worry about that , and i very much doubt if you did have one fracture you would be going to get them tested to see if they meet the properties of a non powdercoated wheel of the same brand etc just so you could sue them . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfbr Posted August 8, 2010 Report Share Posted August 8, 2010 So...................I guess I'll just take the worst wheel for a tester to see how it goes then..............(been gone 2 minutes and nfbr has hi-jacked my thread! grumble grumble grumble)Sorry Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted August 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2010 Haha no probs mate, I'll have a word with them when I take a wheel in but they've been doing shot blasting and powder coating for years so I'm sure any draw backs that could occur they'll notify me of when I go in to see them. Only thing they've said to me is to take anything plastic off they could be turned to mush by the shots, so I'll have to get creative with my hub caps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karl Posted August 8, 2010 Report Share Posted August 8, 2010 TBF a wheel refurber with a good reputation isn't going to be changing the properties of your ally by powdercoating them so lets not worry about that , and i very much doubt if you did have one fracture you would be going to get them tested to see if they meet the properties of a non powdercoated wheel of the same brand etc just so you could sue them .Most of the wheel repair / refurbers that i have been to use automotive paint on alloys although from my point of view powder coating is much better as brake dust doesn't seem to bed into it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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