Powdercoating Sidewinder 2 Wheels

[AAA96]

Hey all. I did some post search and couldn’t really find a god answer to my questions, so here I go. My current sidewinder 2 wheels are hyper black (painted from factory). They got pretty scuffed up when new tires were being mounted so I am having them rectify this problem. As one solution I was considering having them sandblasted and powder coated. Any negatives against this? Also how is the durability of wheel powdercoating? Any advice and help is appreciated. Thanks.

[Tay]

I would recommend you stick with paint.

Powder coating can change/weaken the aluminum if not done correctly or at a low temperature. Powder coating is fine for a commuter car, but I would not suggest doing it on a high performance car like the Viper.

Yes powder coating is a little more durable than paint, but if you were to get a scratch/chip on a powder coated wheel, you would have to powder coat the entire wheel again plus it could weaken the wheel further. Painted wheels on the other hand, would just need to be touched up by a wheel repair specialist. Most wheel repair specialists are mobile and can do it at your home.

[chris_lee]

Tire installers piss me off so much. Had this happen to my previous car multiple times.

[AAA96]

Excellent info Tay! I am guessing that they are going to have someone repair the areas. I am going back to the show tomorrow for the owner to check it out. SO annoying. They should use a leather piece so it doesn’t scuff them up.

[ViperGeorge]

I powder coated a set of SWIIs. 50% gloss black and 50% matte (or something like that). They look totally awesome. Easier to take care of than paint.

[AAA96]

I powder coated a set of SWIIs. 50% gloss black and 50% matte (or something like that). They look totally awesome. Easier to take care of than paint.

Thanks George. Any chance you have any pictures of those?

[Steve M]

Whatever you decide, make sure the finish/color is easy to reproduce. Wheel damage is likely to happen again, so you really want something that is either easy to touch up, or recreate in the case of powder coating. As was already stated, if you damage a powder coated wheel, you have to strip it and start over.

I personally like the powder coating option due to being easier to take care of. It is also a more durable finish if done correctly. I've read all the stories around the internet about how bad it is for aluminum rims, but I'd guess at this point the process is fairly well defined. Otherwise, wheel companies like Forgeline wouldn't offer powder coating as a finish option on any of their wheels. I would be curious to know if they do that in house or outsource it, and also if they specify the process that must be followed.

[AAA96]

Whatever you decide, make sure the finish/color is easy to reproduce. Wheel damage is likely to happen again, so you really want something that is either easy to touch up, or recreate in the case of powder coating. As was already stated, if you damage a powder coated wheel, you have to strip it and start over.

I personally like the powder coating option due to being easier to take care of. It is also a more durable finish if done correctly. I've read all the stories around the internet about how bad it is for aluminum rims, but I'd guess at this point the process is fairly well defined. Otherwise, wheel companies like Forgeline wouldn't offer powder coating as a finish option on any of their wheels. I would be curious to know if they do that in house or outsource it, and also if they specify the process that must be followed.

The guy I spoke with today said exactly that. Powdercoating is the best option for the wheels. If they scratch or chip it needs to be redone. I would likely choose a basic matte black anyways so it should be easy to match in the case I need to redo one in the future. He also said the wheels would be chemically treated to remove the paint and not sandblasted. As sandblasting creates pores in the metal.

I am now considering having the gas cap and chrome exhaust pieces done as well. He mentioned that the exhaust part should be ceramic coated black (for heat durability). He also stated that the gas cap could be either powder coated or anodized. Any opinion on anodizing?

[Topplayer]

I powdercoated mine 2 years ago. Than I had them ceramic coated. Couldnt be happier.

[AAA96]

I powdercoated mine 2 years ago. Than I had them ceramic coated. Couldnt be happier.

You mean ceramic coated like the ceramic paint protection? Also do you have any pics of your wheel?

[Sniper]

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[AAA96]

Sniper, looks like gloss black powdercoat? Looks great!

[chris_lee]

About to have tires installed. Is is super common for these SWII’s to get damaged? I’ve done some homework on the installers so hopefully they are careful.

How do people do this with 10k rims? Lol

[AAA96]

About to have tires installed. Is is super common for these SWII’s to get damaged? I’ve done some homework on the installers so hopefully they are careful.

How do people do this with 10k rims? Lol

Apparently the paint gets damaged when the tire is being stretched around it on the lip. My guess would be to make sure they are using a lot of soapy water when mounting.

[Steve M]

The guy I spoke with today said exactly that. Powdercoating is the best option for the wheels. If they scratch or chip it needs to be redone. I would likely choose a basic matte black anyways so it should be easy to match in the case I need to redo one in the future. He also said the wheels would be chemically treated to remove the paint and not sandblasted. As sandblasting creates pores in the metal.

I am now considering having the gas cap and chrome exhaust pieces done as well. He mentioned that the exhaust part should be ceramic coated black (for heat durability). He also stated that the gas cap could be either powder coated or anodized. Any opinion on anodizing?

For the gas cap, if you want it to match, I'd have it powder coated as well. If you go the anodizing route, you'd want to make sure it was Type III (hard coat). I'm not sure how it fares under UV exposure, but I'd think it would be okay when it comes to color fading. The bigger issue for me would be that it would likely not exactly match color wise. Hard anodizing is definitely a durable finish though.

About to have tires installed. Is is super common for these SWII’s to get damaged? I’ve done some homework on the installers so hopefully they are careful.

How do people do this with 10k rims? Lol

Depends on the skill of the installer. There's nothing I'm aware of about a SWII that would make it any more likely to get damaged than any other Viper-sized wheel. I've had one issue in the past where a big name tire chain store damaged one of my wheels while mounting tires after they insisted that they "worked on Porsches and Ferraris all day long". I've never sat foot in their shop since. I managed to find a local wheel repair place that was willing to mount my tires, and stands behind their work. That's actually where my warning of "choose wisely" on your color/finish comes from. I just had my wheels re-powder coated last year because I wanted a different color. While they were mounting one of the tires, they ended up having an unexpected power failure in the shop, which ended up causing the installer to damage the wheel. They promptly dismounted it, stripped it, and recoated it in about a day all on their dime. If I had gone with the custom finish I was wanting, that would have been much more difficult to do.

[ViperGeorge]

Thanks George. Any chance you have any pictures of those?

Here are some pictures of my SWIIs in 50% gloss black.
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[BJG32]

I just did a quick spot repair on some hyperblack wheels. Not noticeable at sll on the car.

2E0D2FAD-AC98-42E9-862E-9E414B3ABECF.jpg

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[bluesrt]

About to have tires installed. Is is super common for these SWII’s to get damaged? I’ve done some homework on the installers so hopefully they are careful.

How do people do this with 10k rims? Lol

Go to a high end shop, we have a machine that does not touch the wheel

[nwa_viper]

I had mine sand blasted and powder coated gloss black a few years ago. I track several times a year and have had no issues.

[Hawk]

I am now considering having the gas cap and chrome exhaust pieces done as well. He mentioned that the exhaust part should be ceramic coated black (for heat durability). He also stated that the gas cap could be either powder coated or anodized. Any opinion on anodizing?[/QUOTE]

Prefix has the exhaust bezel in black the pair was $150
https://driveviper.com/forums/thread...a-part-or-part


BJG32 had powder coated fuel doors using your chrome one as a core

https://driveviper.com/forums/thread...461#post399461

[AAA96]

Hawk, thank you! Looks like exactly what I want. Your car looks awesome also! Sent you a PM

[Loud]

I had both the gas cap and exhaust surround powder coated and have no issues. I think that was a $150 add on considering everything else I was getting done.

[ViperGeorge]

I just did a quick spot repair on some hyperblack wheels. Not noticeable at sll on the car.

2E0D2FAD-AC98-42E9-862E-9E414B3ABECF.jpg

B025F4D4-B873-4B61-A048-28064A31D4BD.jpg

What did you use to touch them up?

[nwa_viper]

BJG32 had powder coated fuel doors using your chrome one as a core

https://driveviper.com/forums/thread...461#post399461

I have one of Ben’s powder coated gas caps in gloss black with white writing. It’s a pain to swap out but so worth it.

[Gen5snake]

Love the way these wheels look on our cars. I have a new set of tires waiting to go on....but don't want them to get hammered by some dude that doesn't understand BE CAREFUL.

Someone mentioned going to a high end shop that has a machine that doesn't touch the wheels. Do you happen to know the name/model of the machine?