Powder Coat or Paint on Wheels

[memini55]

Looking for some thought on restoration of wheels. After they have been blasted to remove all old finishes is it best to powder coat or paint. Have been told that powder can be too hard of finish and it will not flex with movement and will, in time crack and then is very hard to remove. Mainly if it is on an alloy wheel removal by media or glass blasting will not work and you have to us sand. Hope to not have to recondition a second time around but would like thoughts on best approach.

Thanks
Mark

[garyeanderson]

Paint!!!

There are some that can get them right with powder coating but a wheel can end up in a very harsh environment and any weekness will be exploited to the fullest. That said powder coat looks great, but when it fails your screwed. With paint it will fail sometime but easier for the average person to deal with. Prep is every thing with both methods.

Gary

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

I had my steel wheels blasted & powder coated & they look great, but I must admit that I have newer put them on the car.
A good tip that the specialist gave me was to run a bead of clear silicon around the joints between the rim & wheel centre.
He said that the blasting penetrates better than the powder coating so the silicon offers protection around that joint which may not be sufficiently covered in paint.
Thought I'd just pass that one on
Cheers
John

[cliveyboy]

I am always careful about sand blasting anything made from thin steel as you can stretch and warp the metal.
Wheels are a particular concern as that can easily be taken out of true with over enthusiastic blasting.
Grit can also bed into the surface and unless it is all removed will be the surface that the paint and tyres are sealing on. Any loose grit not held by the paint will float around in the tyre and abrade and block valves etc.
Joints are a big problem as the grit is forced into the joints and is nortoriously difficult to remove ( you never get it all out). Overtime it can cause problems at the joints as it embeds further in as the wheel flexes slightly under load.
These are obviously extreme scenarios but worth noting.
Chemical cleaning can be a better way to go.

Clive

[reb53]

Bead blasted, crack tested, and powder coated mine 17 years ago and they still look fine.

Ralph

[robcall]

Grit can also bed into the surface and unless it is all removed will be the surface that the paint and tyres are sealing on.
Chemical cleaning can be a better way to go.
Clive

My uncle has a collection of RollsRoyces and suffered a constant slow tyre leak due to this exact problem-imbeded grit coming loose and resultant rust causing a lack of seal.