Powder coated wheels... ideal or not?
i'm thinking of powder coating the wheels on my 350Z. #1 reason: i need to save money... & just have a lil something done until i can get the Volks that i REALLY want. i did a lot of research on it & i've mostly been reading that it weakens the wheel because of the high temperature that it gets done under.... hmmm, well? what's yalls take? i'd like some advice... thanks
I have the same question with PC'ing a forged wheel as I'm considering doing it to my OEM G35 Rays 19"s.
Well I know that they bake parts at 400 degrees for 8 to 10 mins. at a time for each coat. I have had my toyota tacoma wheels powder coated for a year now and had no trouble out of them what so ever and its a 4x4. I also had some motorcycle wheels coated and have had no problems out of them either. A good rate is $100-$150 for a set of 4 wheels up to 18inches. If they are trying to charge you over $150 they are charging to much! Note: you can also powder coat center caps as well (if you have them like on a truck or something of that nature) just dont go over 250 degrees and dont leave them in for more than 5 mins. keep a real close eye on them.
they will not hurt them at all, i have had several wheels done before and no trouble.
The baking should not affect the strength of the wheels at all.
Dan
like i said, forged wheels can become weaker from high temps but i dont think your factory wheels are forged girl, you should be aiiight.
posted else where...
"So, I spoke to my materials scientist friend. Too many unkowns for you to have a straight answer. If the wheels were simply forged and not heat treated afterwards in any way, which he thinks is most likely the case, by curing them at 400 degrees F for "long enough" you might indeed weaken them as the the beneficial effects of strain hardening that occurs during the forging process might be reversed. That was going to be my initial response based on the introductory materials science class I took 15 years ago, but here we have it confirmed by an expert. Regardless, a specific answer cannot be reached without knowing if the wheels were heat treated after being forged and how long they will be cured for during powder coating at 400 degrees F."
so i guess unless you know the details on how the wheels were made, we really dont know lol
i know many s2kers that have had their stockies powder coated and never any issues so i dont see y a 350z would be any different imo.
s2k wheels arent forged from the factory, i did alot of research into it when i had my track edition Z with factory forged Rays and most people told me to have them painted over PC because the heat they use in the PC process could make the Ray's weak. then again i dont think her wheels are forged, only the Ray's ones are.Originally Posted by S2KJD
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