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Debating powder coating my 18” wheels that will be used for winter.
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Powder coat factory wheels
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Thank You for having more integrity than using plasti-dip.
"Friends Don't Let Friends Use Dip, On the their car, Or in their lip."
"Friends Don't Let Friends Use Dip, On the their car, Or in their lip."
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There is really no issue with PC them. Just the cost. The Blue Team Dymanic wheels on Cherry are PC'd. I actually chose a hammer-tone color in a group of colors designed of outdoor use. Things like railings and plant pots. It have been very durable. The only flaws are those I have put in by accident. One curb rash from the winter and once I dropped my torque wench in the garage where they were stored and it chipped (2) of them. (2) spokes on 1 and (1) on the other. I have not had any problems with the PC flaking around the chips either.
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Awesome. Did you do it yourself or took it to professionals? I really have no clue about this stuff. My ascent is my first attempt at "modding" a vehicle.
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Oh ... No. I had a place that does it all the time do them. I wish I could do my own.
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You can powder coat on your own, for much less than you may think. I have a powder coat gun and it cost less than $175. Powder coating requires almost no skills and the results are amazing. For the DIY's out there I highly recommend it. I've used mine for all sorts of projects. Eastwood has everything you need to get started. They currently have a sale on an excellent kit for only $150 here.
To do something as large as a wheel would require a larger than normal powder coat oven. What many people do is simply go to their local recycle store and buy a used kitchen oven for next to nothing and use that. The only downside is that it requires some room in a garage or workshop. However, if you can manage it you'll have a great setup where you can powder coat a great many things. I've made quite a lot of money doing small projects for others. It's fun and easy and incredibly useful.
For what it would cost you to powder coat four wheels somewhere else, you can easily buy everything you need to do it yourself and have a lot of money left over.
To do something as large as a wheel would require a larger than normal powder coat oven. What many people do is simply go to their local recycle store and buy a used kitchen oven for next to nothing and use that. The only downside is that it requires some room in a garage or workshop. However, if you can manage it you'll have a great setup where you can powder coat a great many things. I've made quite a lot of money doing small projects for others. It's fun and easy and incredibly useful.
For what it would cost you to powder coat four wheels somewhere else, you can easily buy everything you need to do it yourself and have a lot of money left over.
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The downside to buying that oven is not having the appropriate power source 220v, 30amp service available in your garage. Not that it can't be done, but it isn't common to have that circuit/source initially installed and probably rarely added unless someone had it put in for specific purposes.
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I know Eastwood products, I know I COULD do it myself. Unfortunately, I am in an apartment. It has an attached garage, but it only got a 15 amp circuit.
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There are online plans for low cost, easy to build powder coat ovens large enough for curing wheels that you can make yourself. They use heaters that can run on a 15 amp 120VAC circuit. There are also ovens you can buy that are large enough and run on 120 VAC. I got mine from a restaurant that was giving it away on craigslist. It was an old muffin oven. It's large enough to fit a wheel and uses only 120 Volts.
Keep looking, you'll find one. Or, if you own your apartment, you can have an electrician wire in a 240 VAC outlet. I wired my entire garage myself for 240 VAC because I used a MIG welder and a large table saw.
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Sent the wheels to powder coat today. I’ll take picks when I get them back.
Does anyone know what size the wheel center caps are on the factory wheels? I was hoping could use these center hub caps. I measured the caps with calipers and the outside measurement was aproximately 60mm. However I’m not sure if the measurements for for the outside or the I diameter of the clips on the inside.
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Does anyone know what size the wheel center caps are on the factory wheels? I was hoping could use these center hub caps. I measured the caps with calipers and the outside measurement was aproximately 60mm. However I’m not sure if the measurements for for the outside or the I diameter of the clips on the inside.
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also, just as an FYI - powder coating usually takes about 15-20 minutes in an oven that is set for typically between 350 - 400 degrees Fahrenheit. It's a super easy process with the right equipment and conditions and produces overall (in my experience) outstanding results. Durability is decent, although I'm not quite sure how wheels would hold up over time. They do make specific powders that are geared towards outdoor conditions.
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Haha ... I was gonna suggest PD. I had an old 4runner and PD sprayed the whole thing, with a dip in my lip 
It help up great FWIW.
Powder coating is definitely the way to go, but I do think PD has a place, especially if you want to test run the look or if you want to be able to return it to stock down the line.
It help up great FWIW. Powder coating is definitely the way to go, but I do think PD has a place, especially if you want to test run the look or if you want to be able to return it to stock down the line.
any pics?
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56 Posts
Few pictures of the finished powder coated Subaru wheels. The wheels are actually not black I went with a dark gray. They almost match the color of the tire rubber.
Wrapped in Continental Terrain contacts. Decided to go with the Continentals for my summer tires since Consumer Reports rated them at the top. I’ll be running Blizzaks or XIce in the winter on my other wheels.
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Wrapped in Continental Terrain contacts. Decided to go with the Continentals for my summer tires since Consumer Reports rated them at the top. I’ll be running Blizzaks or XIce in the winter on my other wheels.
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That looks better than a lot of the aftermarket wheels I've seen. The one thing I do like about aftermarket wheels is you can get a more aggressive offset, but your setup looks great with those tires. Nice job.
...interested in driving impressions of those tires compared to the stock Falkens.
...interested in driving impressions of those tires compared to the stock Falkens.
Looks great. How much did the tire upgrade cost? Also, are they quieter than OEM and I assume better in the traction department?
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Thanks! I wasn’t crazy about the 18” wheels but now that they are powder coated I really like them. Plus I don’t have to worry about caliper clearance, load ratings, offset, wheel weight, aftermarket lugs and so on.
I can’t really compare them fairly to the 18” falkens. I was previously on 20” falkens and touring wheels. I will say they aren’t any louder than the falkens. Ride is so much better off-road but that mostly has to do with going to an 18” tire with more rubber. MPG haven’t changed either.
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