Powdercoat Vs. Paint

[SchargedGTO]

i have a IBM 05 with stock 18s. i am looking to have them either powdercoated black or painted black. i have found two shops and the prices are within 10$ of eachother so that part makes no difference to me. Has anyone had trouble with either one chipping or fading?

[Poke GTO]

Powder coat > paint in "rock chip issues.

If you don't use the UV resistant powder coat (like Epoxy based ones) then u will have fade issues over time.

+1

I'll tell you (like I have told others on here) about what sold me on powdercoat...

The coater shot me a color sample on a small piece of thin tin metal. When I went to pick it up he threw it at me and said "I'll do the wheels for free if you can crack, chip, flake the coating off that tin!" I bent that piece of tin in a hundred directions, I folded it in half as good as you could by hand, and it didn't crack, flake, chip, spider... nothing. It was like the piece of tin had never been bent. Go shoot some paint on a piece of tin and then bend it just slightly and tell me what the results are!!!

NO wheels are not a thin piece of tin and NO powdercoating isn't going to hold up to curb rubbing BUT it's a crapload more durable than any paint!

[SchargedGTO]

+1

I'll tell you (like I have told others on here) about what sold me on powdercoat...

The coater shot me a color sample on a small piece of thin tin metal. When I went to pick it up he threw it at me and said "I'll do the wheels for free if you can crack, chip, flake the coating off that tin!" I bent that piece of tin in a hundred directions, I folded it in half as good as you could by hand, and it didn't crack, flake, chip, spider... nothing. It was like the piece of tin had never been bent. Go shoot some paint on a piece of tin and then bend it just slightly and tell me what the results are!!!

NO wheels are not a thin piece of tin and NO powdercoating isn't going to hold up to curb rubbing BUT it's a crapload more durable than any paint!


thanks thats good to know. i was leaning toward powdercoating any way but that makes the deal! i really like ur color combo btw. how much did they charge you for the redline? thats awesome!

[zdub]

If its $10 cheaper a wheel... I'm assuming painting is cheaper... go with paint and save the $40 and buy your little miss something pretty.

Powder coat is an overkill on wheels IMO. When do the wheels ever see rock chips? Like Poke said, powdercoat wont hold up when you curb your wheels, and paint might be a little easier to fix sometime down the road (if they did base/clear)

I'm not dogging powdercoat...I wish I had my Chevelles frame coated.... but when it comes to a wheel, theres not much difference, just $$$. Its some tough stuff, but wheels don't see any real abuse that would justify it.

My vote.. go cheaper.

[Poke GTO]

thanks thats good to know. i was leaning toward powdercoating any way but that makes the deal! i really like ur color combo btw. how much did they charge you for the redline? thats awesome!

The redline is actually just a $5 package of vinyl pinstripe layed down by little old me! It was easy and inexpensive. Put the pinstripe on while the wheels were still off of the car. Did it probably 4 months ago and they still look like I put them on yesterday! You have to walk up and physically bend over and get within 3 feet of the wheel to see that it's just pinstriping. I have people walk up to my car all the time and say "love your wheels" and then get closer to the wheels and go "is that pinstriped?"

Not a good picture but you get the idea...

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x133/Poke_GTO/I MG_1337.jpg?t=1212693493

[SchargedGTO]

If its $10 cheaper a wheel... I'm assuming painting is cheaper... go with paint and save the $40 and buy your little miss something pretty.

Powder coat is an overkill on wheels IMO. When do the wheels ever see rock chips? Like Poke said, powdercoat wont hold up when you curb your wheels, and paint might be a little easier to fix sometime down the road (if they did base/clear)

I'm not dogging powdercoat...I wish I had my Chevelles frame coated.... but when it comes to a wheel, theres not much difference, just $$$. Its some tough stuff, but wheels don't see any real abuse that would justify it.

My vote.. go cheaper.


yea thats true...actually powdercoating is $95 ea and the paint base/clear will end up actually at $115. i thought it would be the other way around too...

[SchargedGTO]

The redline is actually just a $5 package of vinyl pinstripe layed down by little old me! It was easy and inexpensive. Put the pinstripe on while the wheels were still off of the car. Did it probably 4 months ago and they still look like I put them on yesterday! You have to walk up and physically bend over and get within 3 feet of the wheel to see that it's just pinstriping. I have people walk up to my car all the time and say "love your wheels" and then get closer to the wheels and go "is that pinstriped?"

Not a good picture but you get the idea...

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x133/Poke_GTO/I MG_1337.jpg?t=1212693493


ok wow...$5 went a long way! haha did u get it at ur local autoparts store? do u remember if they had blue?! that looks so good.

[qwikgta]

If it were me, and it will be in a few months, I'd powdercoat. I have a place local that PC's and i had my BMR STB done with them. 65$ for the PC. that was out the door.

They do rims for $75 and I am going to do them soon.

As for curbing them, yes, it will happen, and when i gets too bad, i'll stip off the tire, and drop it off. $75 bucks later it will be done.

But it is your $$$$.

[A4nicator]

i have a IBM 05 with stock 18s. i am looking to have them either powdercoated black or painted black. i have found two shops and the prices are within 10$ of eachother so that part makes no difference to me. Has anyone had trouble with either one chipping or fading?

You should search on this subject, there have been discussions
about Powder Coating actually degrading Alloy Wheel Durability.

[The Butcher]

Are you going gloss or S/G on your wheels.
I also have an IBM car and are going to pick my wheels up in a few days, i went Gloss black.

[SchargedGTO]

Are you going gloss or S/G on your wheels.
I also have an IBM car and are going to pick my wheels up in a few days, i went Gloss black.

i wanted to go with some kind of gloss to match the shine of the paint as opposed to just flat black...post some pics when you do. i havnt been able to find an IBM with black stock 18s...ive seen graphite though which also looks good.

my email is fast14cars@yahoo.com if thats easier

Thanks!

[Poke GTO]

yea thats true...actually powdercoating is $95 ea and the paint base/clear will end up actually at $115. i thought it would be the other way around too...

The difference in pc prices (as well as paint/body work) across this nation astounds me!!! I paid $50 per wheel and was quoted as cheap as $35 per wheel for pc'ing!

Check with your powdercoater, is he charging you to order 5 lbs. of powder? My guy charged me $50 per wheel because I went with a powder color that he always keeps in stock (mainly for other big repeat projects). BUT if I went with a color that he didn't normally stock he was going to charge me to order the powder (normally about $100 for 5 lbs.).

On the pinstriping... yes every parts store usually stocks this stuff in a rainbow of colors and sizes. I think mine was 1/4" wide and 40 ft. long (which is more than plenty to do 4 wheels). I even have enough left over to do probably another 2 wheels, so you can screw up quite a bit and still have plently to correct your mistakes.

[Jeffemac]

I could have gone either way on the paint or PC as well. I went with the PC with a clearcoat and the lip polished. PC is much more durable.

[Poke GTO]

You should search on this subject, there have been discussions
about Powder Coating actually degrading Alloy Wheel Durability.

What!?!?! Links please...

[zdub]

yea thats true...actually powdercoating is $95 ea and the paint base/clear will end up actually at $115. i thought it would be the other way around too...


Go powder coating then.. Some companies are coming out with a clear powder coat, you can do base/clear with PC...what I heard anyway. I havent done any PC myself so I'm out of the loop.

[zdub]

You should search on this subject, there have been discussions
about Powder Coating actually degrading Alloy Wheel Durability.



Crap I totally forgot about that. Since you have to bake PC at 350 - 400º (somewhere around there) you can actually start annealing the aluminum if its in the oven long enough. It takes any temper out and drops the mechanical properties SIGNIFICANTLY if the wheel is annealed.

[Poke GTO]

You should search on this subject, there have been discussions
about Powder Coating actually degrading Alloy Wheel Durability.

Crap I totally forgot about that. Since you have to bake PC at 350 - 400º (somewhere around there) you can actually start annealing the aluminum if its in the oven long enough. It takes any temper out and drops the mechanical properties SIGNIFICANTLY if the wheel is annealed.

I googled this and didn't find CRAP (granted I didn't try real hard) BUT this is the first I have EVER heard of this! Seriously do you guys have links?

:popcorn2:

[NastyGoat]

Crap I totally forgot about that. Since you have to bake PC at 350 - 400º (somewhere around there) you can actually start annealing the aluminum if its in the oven long enough. It takes any temper out and drops the mechanical properties SIGNIFICANTLY if the wheel is annealed.

Hmmmm sounds like it is time for someone to formulate a radiation cured powder coat system :)

Edit: Looks like some people are already all over that one... Now I just wonder if the time/temp of the baking process is really enough to anneal the aluminum. If so, is anyone using radiation cured (UV etc) powder coats aftermarket yet?
http://www.coatings.de/radcure/reading/blatter.htm

[Poke GTO]

Powder coat can be backed at various temps and duration due to differences in powder materials, how many layers, etc.

There are wheels that come new powder coated from the manufacturer.

I've logged on 500k miles on various powder coated wheels. 200k+ was on one wheel. No issues. Some of these wheels were recoated a 2nd or 3rd time during ownership. Again. No issues.

If u ceramic coat the wheels, then I would be worried. Temps are at 800 degrees F. 900F to clean them.

Aluminum pots and pans experience high temps and for long duration.

I didn't want to call :bs: on these guys. I just have never heard this. There are thousands (if not millions) of powdercoated aluminum wheels on the roads right now! If there was an issue you would think it would blow up like a Firestone Tire incident!!!

[Saiko_56]

I would go with pc. If you really want it you could have them do a primer, then your base, and then a clear. but you probably wouldnt need the primer anyways. And if you are really worried about the temp ask them to use the low temp curing powder. It is only in the oven for maybe 30 minutes anyways so it isnt going to be a big deal. We do a lot of wheels in our shop both for bikes and cars and they always look amazing.

[Dennis]

There are multiple reports of aluminum wheel failure post powder-coating. Were the failures due to powder coating? We wouldn't know unless tests were performed to prove that.

The important thing you should ask yourself before applying any powdercoating or what not is are you confident in applying an uncontrolled heat-treat process to an aluminum wheel of unknown composition at an unknown state of heat treat that might result in degradation of wheel strength?

I posted some information here previously:
http://www.ls1gto.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2296 77
Cut and paste:
For those who are thinking of powdercoating OE aluminum wheels, you should seriously research what you are about to do. There are many reports of aluminum wheels cracking due to the temperature seen during powdercoating process. Basically, it seems that overaging the aluminum beyond the final heat-treatment of the wheel is causing the cracking and ultimately, catastrophic failure.

Here is one link with some information:
http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=151053&page=10

I am far from being a metallurgist, but I know just enough that powdercoating ALUMINUM wheels = bad.

Low temperature vapor deposition coating, on the other hand, would be a safer choice here.

Regards,
Dennis

[Poke GTO]

There are multiple reports of aluminum wheel failure post powder-coating. Were the failures due to powder coating? We wouldn't know unless tests were performed to prove that.

The important thing you should ask yourself before applying any powdercoating or what not is are you confident in applying an uncontrolled heat-treat process to an aluminum wheel of unknown composition at an unknown state of heat treat that might result in degradation of wheel strength?

I posted some information here previously:
http://www.ls1gto.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2296 77
Cut and paste:

Dennis your link in your quote was to another forum of opinions. I want links to these "multiple reports". The automotive industry has been powdercoating parts for many, many years. There are major manufacturer's that pc their wheels. I'll bet you that more wheel failures can be attributed to bad design/engineering than to powdercoating!!! Maybe we should not be putting aftermarket wheels on the GTO's??? Not trying to be a smartass, I'm just not buying it.

There are alot of fly by night powdercoaters out there. They do cheap jobs and probably don't truely understand the science behind it and I wouldn't put it past them to overbake a wheel and not think about the possible consequences. BUT I made at least 3 different powdercoaters give me a tour of their facilities, I asked process questions, I asked for pictures of previous work, etc... That's the type of multiple reports people should be doing and trusting.

[Dennis]

Dennis your link in your quote was to another forum of opinions. I want links to these "multiple reports".
The opinions you found in that link are of engineers who practice in their respective fields. As all information found on the internet take it for what it is worth. If you want more accurate data or information, you will have to pay to get it by means of your own testing and engineering/material analysis. I can provide you links to certified labs where these tests can be performed. It is in the thousands for a single test, and obviously you would need to have multiple tests done. Then, unless you have credentials of a materials engineer, you would have to pay the engineering consultant to analyze and interpret the results. Do you see where I am going with this? I know of no one who would procure that much cash to prove a point on the internet.

If you want reports of broken wheels, start scouring the net as there are reports out there. Unfortunately I do not have the time to find them nor the motivation to prove something here. But at least here is a picture. (NOT MINE):
http://www.ls1gto.com/forums/attachment.php?attach mentid=85754&stc=1&d=1212722374

The automotive industry has been powdercoating parts for many, many years. There are major manufacturer's that pc their wheels. I'll bet you that more wheel failures can be attributed to bad design/engineering than to powdercoating!!! Maybe we should not be putting aftermarket wheels on the GTO's??? Not trying to be a smartass, I'm just not buying it.

There are alot of fly by night powdercoaters out there. They do cheap jobs and probably don't truely understand the science behind it and I wouldn't put it past them to overbake a wheel and not think about the possible consequences. BUT I made at least 3 different powdercoaters give me a tour of their facilities, I asked process questions, I asked for pictures of previous work, etc... That's the type of multiple reports people should be doing and trusting.
Yes, there are many wheels that are powder coated. However, they are powder coated by the manufacturer of those respective wheels who know what they are doing. Unless your powder coater works for these manufacturers, I doubt they know what material composition the wheel is, nor what the heat treat of the wheel is. That brings back to my other statement:
The important thing you should ask yourself before applying any powdercoating or what not is are you confident in applying an uncontrolled heat-treat process to an aluminum wheel of unknown composition at an unknown state of heat treat that might result in degradation of wheel strength?

So one question I have for you is after discussing this with your powder coater, how were you or your powdercoater able to determine that the wheel they were/are powder coating did not suffer any loss in material strength/ heat treat? Any information you've might have gotten from the powder coater in regards to this matter would be greatly appreciated here.
Regards,
Dennis

Note: the above picture is not mine as I found it on the internet. All credits go to the original author of the said picture, who ever they might be.

[Lancer-AM]

I painted mine just because it was cheaper than powdercoating them for now. If you take your time and paint them right they will look good and should last for a long time.

[slammin86]

Powdercoating FTW. You don't want the tire monkeys chipping up your nice paint job when they mount your next set of tires do ya?

[zdub]

I didn't want to call :bs: on these guys. I just have never heard this. There are thousands (if not millions) of powdercoated aluminum wheels on the roads right now! If there was an issue you would think it would blow up like a Firestone Tire incident!!!

Well... maybe annealing was the wrong word. I just finished up a tensile study where a company coated aluminum sheets and there were 3 samples of the aluminum:

1. bare aluminum
2. coated aluminum
3. coated aluminum + force cure at 350ºF

The bare aluminum had a tensile strength of 28.3 ksi and the coated + force cure had a tensile strength of 22.6 ksi.
This doesn't seem like a lot, but when you introduce fatigue and the fact that aluminum doesn't have a defined endurance limit, you could start seeing problems.

The customer inquired why this could have happened and the answer I got from the metallurgist was (since this was 3000 series aluminum) the temperature and time was enough to pull the age hardening out of the aluminum.

I relate to it as a form of annealing...probably the wrong word to use.... my apologies.

[zdub]

The opinions you found in that link are of engineers who practice in their respective fields. As all information found on the internet take it for what it is worth. If you want more accurate data or information, you will have to pay to get it by means of your own testing and engineering/material analysis. I can provide you links to certified labs where these tests can be performed. It is in the thousands for a single test, and obviously you would need to have multiple tests done. Then, unless you have credentials of a materials engineer, you would have to pay the engineering consultant to analyze and interpret the results. Do you see where I am going with this? I know of no one who would procure that much cash to prove a point on the internet.

If you want reports of broken wheels, start scouring the net as there are reports out there. Unfortunately I do not have the time to find them nor the motivation to prove something here. But at least here is a picture. (NOT MINE):
http://www.ls1gto.com/forums/attachment.php?attach mentid=85754&stc=1&d=1212722374


Yes, there are many wheels that are powder coated. However, they are powder coated by the manufacturer of those respective wheels who know what they are doing. Unless your powder coater works for these manufacturers, I doubt they know what material composition the wheel is, nor what the heat treat of the wheel is. That brings back to my other statement:
The important thing you should ask yourself before applying any powdercoating or what not is are you confident in applying an uncontrolled heat-treat process to an aluminum wheel of unknown composition at an unknown state of heat treat that might result in degradation of wheel strength?

So one question I have for you is after discussing this with your powder coater, how were you or your powdercoater able to determine that the wheel they were/are powder coating did not suffer any loss in material strength/ heat treat? Any information you've might have gotten from the powder coater in regards to this matter would be greatly appreciated here.
Regards,
Dennis

Note: the above picture is not mine as I found it on the internet. All credits go to the original author of the said picture, who ever they might be.


Fatigue tests run at about $550 a specimen, metallurgy is $175 an hour, average per specimen is $450

There are alloys and tempers of aluminum that would be totally unaffected by powder coating.... but then again there are alloys that would be devastated by the temps seen in powder coating. The question is: are our wheels THAT alloy? We could grab a piece of wheel and stick it in the EDS to get a chemistry on it, that'll give us a rough alloy, if anyone has a piece of broken wheel...

[Poke GTO]

The opinions you found in that link are of engineers who practice in their respective fields. As all information found on the internet take it for what it is worth. If you want more accurate data or information, you will have to pay to get it by means of your own testing and engineering/material analysis. I can provide you links to certified labs where these tests can be performed. It is in the thousands for a single test, and obviously you would need to have multiple tests done. Then, unless you have credentials of a materials engineer, you would have to pay the engineering consultant to analyze and interpret the results. Do you see where I am going with this? I know of no one who would procure that much cash to prove a point on the internet.

If you want reports of broken wheels, start scouring the net as there are reports out there. Unfortunately I do not have the time to find them nor the motivation to prove something here. But at least here is a picture. (NOT MINE):
http://www.ls1gto.com/forums/attachment.php?attach mentid=85754&stc=1&d=1212722374


Yes, there are many wheels that are powder coated. However, they are powder coated by the manufacturer of those respective wheels who know what they are doing. Unless your powder coater works for these manufacturers, I doubt they know what material composition the wheel is, nor what the heat treat of the wheel is. That brings back to my other statement:
The important thing you should ask yourself before applying any powdercoating or what not is are you confident in applying an uncontrolled heat-treat process to an aluminum wheel of unknown composition at an unknown state of heat treat that might result in degradation of wheel strength?

So one question I have for you is after discussing this with your powder coater, how were you or your powdercoater able to determine that the wheel they were/are powder coating did not suffer any loss in material strength/ heat treat? Any information you've might have gotten from the powder coater in regards to this matter would be greatly appreciated here.
Regards,
Dennis

Note: the above picture is not mine as I found it on the internet. All credits go to the original author of the said picture, who ever they might be.

1.) The wheels in your picture you found on the internet snapped because they couldn't hold up to the shear ugliness! Seriously who powdercoats wheels that color? In all seriousness Dennis you found this picture BUT you have no documented evidence (nor does the guy this happened to) that it was the powdercoating process that caused this. If I General Lee my GTO across the Red River my next trip to Dallas and the wheels crack, then yeah, I'm pointing the finger at my powdercoating!

2.) When my wheels fail I will be more than happy to pony up the $$$ to hire a team of engineers to dissect my wheels. (BTW, I'm pretty confident I will never have to do this!!!)

3.) Wheel sizes continue to get larger and larger WHILE tire sidewall sizes continue to get smaller and smaller. Do you think this could have anything to do with wheel failure? IF I remember correctly, someone has posted pictures of an unmolested stock 18 that had hairline fractured straight from the factory. Nothing on it but tires and miles!

I'm not trying to be argumentative, I had just never heard of this until someone threw it into this thread. While I could see how the wheel failure due to the pc'ing process is possible, I just don't think it is an issue. If it were of major concern you would think we would see some type of formal press release from someone like the NTSB or ASE. While I am not an engineer, I am pretty confident that the 350 degrees (+ 50 degrees) for approx. 30 minutes did not do any damage to my wheels.

[zdub]

1.) The wheels in your picture you found on the internet snapped because they couldn't hold up to the shear ugliness! Seriously who powdercoats wheels that color? In all seriousness Dennis you found this picture BUT you have no documented evidence (nor does the guy this happened to) that it was the powdercoating process that caused this. If I General Lee my GTO across the Red River my next trip to Dallas and the wheels crack, then yeah, I'm pointing the finger at my powdercoating!

2.) When my wheels fail I will be more than happy to pony up the $$$ to hire a team of engineers to dissect my wheels. (BTW, I'm pretty confident I will never have to do this!!!)

3.) Wheel sizes continue to get larger and larger WHILE tire sidewall sizes continue to get smaller and smaller. Do you think this could have anything to do with wheel failure? IF I remember correctly, someone has posted pictures of an unmolested stock 18 that had hairline fractured straight from the factory. Nothing on it but tires and miles!

I'm not trying to be argumentative, I had just never heard of this until someone threw it into this thread. While I could see how the wheel failure due to the pc'ing process is possible, I just don't think it is an issue. If it were of major concern you would think we would see some type of formal press release from someone like the NTSB or ASE. While I am not an engineer, I am pretty confident that the 350 degrees (+ 50 degrees) for approx. 30 minutes did not do any damage to my wheels.


Shear ugliness.... awesome hahah!


Like I said before, some alloys WILL be affected by the PC process. One cannot claim that it won't be affected simply by a hunch....If you want to argue that the alloy on our wheels will not be affected, then someone will have to do the research, the chemistry on the wheel to determine the alloy. Heat treatment/annealing etc. info can be found in any ASM handbook. From my experience, 350ºF for 5 mins reduced the tensile strength of 3000 series aluminum by 6000 psi. I can't tell you what alloy our wheels are, I have been told that typical wheel alloys are in the 3XXXs, but take the FWIW. Aluminum alloys cover from the 1000s through 8000 series, and they all react differently from heat treatments to material properties.

Google search "powder coat process weaken material"

here's an article for 6061-T6

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Metallurgy-2280/6061-T6-Aluminum-lose.htm

[Poke GTO]

Shear ugliness.... awesome hahah!


Like I said before, some alloys WILL be affected by the PC process. One cannot claim that it won't be affected simply by a hunch....If you want to argue that the alloy on our wheels will not be affected, then someone will have to do the research, the chemistry on the wheel to determine the alloy. Heat treatment/annealing etc. info can be found in any ASM handbook. From my experience, 350ºF for 5 mins reduced the tensile strength of 3000 series aluminum by 6000 psi. I can't tell you what alloy our wheels are, I have been told that typical wheel alloys are in the 3XXXs, but take the FWIW. Aluminum alloys cover from the 1000s through 8000 series, and they all react differently from heat treatments to material properties.

Google search "powder coat process weaken material"

here's an article for 6061-T6

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Metallurgy-2280/6061-T6-Aluminum-lose.htm

Well you learn something new everyday! Thanks for the info.! I need to do a search and see if I can find that thread on the guy that had the hairline crack in his stock 18. Maybe we can convince him to send it to you (if he still has it) and you can analyze it.

I'm still not ready to concede that I screwed up by having my wheels pc'ed! Sorry I'm stubborn, ask my wife! :D

[zdub]

hahaha.....

Well...given the nature out our wheels, they are incredibly stout. Me and another guy here had one of my 18s chucked up in a lathe, trying to straighten the hoop out (bought the wheels all messed up/curbed, this one was bent in the spoke) needless to say we were bending the mounting fixture we made (1 1/2" thick steel rod) and still couldn't get the wheel straight. So it might be a safe bet that our wheels have a high enough safety factor that PC won't hurt them


-note: opinions expressed here are opinions I do not take an responsibility for a fractured wheel IE. DO NOT SUE ME .... LOL

[A4nicator]

[QUOTE=Poke GTO;4296394]1.) The
I'm not trying to be argumentative, I had just never heard of this until someone threw it into this thread.

As the someone who threw this into the thread, I wasn't trying to
ruin your day, just trying to give you guys a head's up on what had
convinced me that if I want Black Wheels I'll buy them that way from
a qualified manufacturer with warranty. Rather than call BS or be irritated with the heads up, I say just go have it done. My post
was meant for those here that are not as certain as you.:)

[Dennis]

1.) The wheels in your picture you found on the internet snapped because they couldn't hold up to the shear ugliness! Seriously who powdercoats wheels that color? In all seriousness Dennis you found this picture BUT you have no documented evidence (nor does the guy this happened to) that it was the powdercoating process that caused this. If I General Lee my GTO across the Red River my next trip to Dallas and the wheels crack, then yeah, I'm pointing the finger at my powdercoating!
That is hilarious.
The only information I have for that wheel is:
Costas took some pics of a failed C5 Vette wheel at last weekend's Driver's Edge event at TWS. The wheels were powdercoated and you can see what happened. Also, you can see he circled a crack forming in one of the remaining 3 wheels....
This occured back in early 2004. There are additional pictures where the crack was starting to form on the other wheels as well.

At least you are not blindly refusing to believe something is detrimental until technical information is given to you. I am doing the same thing, except that I refuse to believe something is NOT detrimental until proven otherwise. Unfortunately I do not have enough experience or knowledge to answer the questions that we are both asking. Zdub's insight might prove to be invaluable here. Zdub what is your profession, if you dont mind me asking?

Regards,
Dennis

[Poke GTO]

That is hilarious.
The only information I have for that wheel is:
Costas took some pics of a failed C5 Vette wheel at last weekend's Driver's Edge event at TWS. The wheels were powdercoated and you can see what happened. Also, you can see he circled a crack forming in one of the remaining 3 wheels....
This occured back in early 2004. There are additional pictures where the crack was starting to form on the other wheels as well.

At least you are not blindly refusing to believe something is detrimental until technical information is given to you. I am doing the same thing, except that I refuse to believe something is NOT detrimental until proven otherwise. Unfortunately I do not have enough experience or knowledge to answer the questions that we are both asking. Zdub's insight might prove to be invaluable here. Zdub what is your profession, if you dont mind me asking?

Regards,
Dennis

HOLY CHIT!!! For the first time in my life I am the one where the glass is half full, and Dennis' glass is half empty! LOL...

Really, thanks for the info. And yes, it looks like zdub has some insight that the rest of us do not! He seemed pretty open to looking into this more if someone would donate a wheel.

There are alloys and tempers of aluminum that would be totally unaffected by powder coating.... but then again there are alloys that would be devastated by the temps seen in powder coating. The question is: are our wheels THAT alloy? We could grab a piece of wheel and stick it in the EDS to get a chemistry on it, that'll give us a rough alloy, if anyone has a piece of broken wheel...

[Jim346]

I had mine painted since it was easier because they also mounted the tires. I figured if I coated them and then went to a tire shop, they would get fucked up during mounting anyway.

[The Butcher]

Nothing like real time testing, when i get mine back from the coater, i will open her up to bout 150 and let you all know what happens. See you in hell!!!
:gr_devil::gr_devil::gr_devil::gr_devil:

[A4nicator]

Nothing like real time testing, when i get mine back from the coater, i will open her up to bout 150 and let you all know what happens. See you in hell!!!
:gr_devil::gr_devil::gr_devil::gr_devil:

Bless you man....may God be with you.....next of kin ?:-patriot:

[Poke GTO]

Nothing like real time testing, when i get mine back from the coater, i will open her up to bout 150 and let you all know what happens. See you in hell!!!
:gr_devil::gr_devil::gr_devil::gr_devil:

LMFAO!!! You sir are my hero!

However, I still think someone needs to clear at least two buses for this test to be irrefutable! :turbonaug

[SchargedGTO]

hey thanks for all the info guys. i am going to PAINT them Competition Grey. its a sweet color. came on the 50th aniversary vettes.

[I_AV8_4U]

I'm not doubting anyone here, nor taking sides, but 2 things:
1- we use powdercoating on many airplane parts, including wheels and such (by aftermarket vendors).
2- those red wheels in the above pics do not apear to be powdercoated...they look like a backyard brush job by my 9 year old with old watercolors!

Good luck on the debate!
Ciao,
Troy

[zdub]

That is hilarious.
The only information I have for that wheel is:
Costas took some pics of a failed C5 Vette wheel at last weekend's Driver's Edge event at TWS. The wheels were powdercoated and you can see what happened. Also, you can see he circled a crack forming in one of the remaining 3 wheels....
This occured back in early 2004. There are additional pictures where the crack was starting to form on the other wheels as well.

At least you are not blindly refusing to believe something is detrimental until technical information is given to you. I am doing the same thing, except that I refuse to believe something is NOT detrimental until proven otherwise. Unfortunately I do not have enough experience or knowledge to answer the questions that we are both asking. Zdub's insight might prove to be invaluable here. Zdub what is your profession, if you dont mind me asking?

Regards,
Dennis



Mechanical Engineer. I work in a materials test lab.

If you don't believe me....here's my diploma...:gr_jest:
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff14/zwhellwago n/MyDiploma.jpg

[Poke GTO]

Mechanical Engineer. I work in a materials test lab.

If you don't believe me....here's my diploma...:gr_jest:


Nice zdub! LOL... :bootyshak

Looks like your standard WV diploma! JK...

[zdub]

Well... I killed two birds with one stone on that one...

1. Making fun of the college of drinking and partying... I mean business and economics....
2.:stickpoke at SOMEONE who actually went out of his way to falsify a diploma only to spell something wrong.


...and its fun.

Edit: Did that whole spiel with the governors daughter NOT finishing her MBA and still getting a diploma at WVU make national news??

[Iano]

You better frame that thing.

[zdub]

LOL

It's WAAAAAAAAAY accredited.

[KingGTO]

ive always had better luck with powdercoating, much cheaper than paint

[wantone]

Edit: Did that whole spiel with the governors daughter NOT finishing her MBA and still getting a diploma at WVU make national news??

Yes, I read about it in Fl.

[A4nicator]

Nothing like real time testing, when i get mine back from the coater, i will open her up to bout 150 and let you all know what happens. See you in hell!!!
:gr_devil::gr_devil::gr_devil::gr_devil:

:sneaky: Say... Anyone notice ? No word from The Butcher after
volunteering for his reckless gambit above. You don't suppose ?:(:cry::(

[The Butcher]

A4nicator, just wanted to let you know that it's DAMN hot down here!!!

[Poke GTO]

A4nicator, just wanted to let you know that it's DAMN hot down here!!!

Yeah but I heard the place is wall to wall full of dirty pirate hookers! :turbonaug

[A4nicator]

A4nicator, just wanted to let you know that it's DAMN hot down here!!!

:mad: As I suspected, so before you threw off your mortal coil
did you hit 150 mph on those death traps or just said "screw it !"
and T-Boned Tractor Trailer ?:rolleyes:

[The Butcher]

149 MPH and SNAP! The only thing to survive were the wheels.
Anyone what to buy some powder coated wheels, cheap.
My new zip is 666.

:The_Villa < new friends.

[A4nicator]

149 MPH and SNAP! The only thing to survive were the wheels.
Anyone what to buy some powder coated wheels, cheap.
My new zip is 666.

:The_Villa < new friends.

:cool:Very cool...Where abouts in So Cal (when your in town &
not in your new residence) ?

[The Butcher]

I'm in Ventura County, North of L.A.:wall:
You?

[A4nicator]

I'm in Ventura County, North of L.A.:wall:
You?

Right Smack Dab in the middle of it ! (LA)...Go Lakers...:cry:
Maybe we'll meet you sometime at a GTG. Are you a Seaside Goat ?

[The Butcher]

Are you a Seaside Goat ?

No, i keep meaning to get to there meet that they have here in Camarillo every month, (i work in Camarillo even!) but i have a very busy personal/work life. Just have not had the chance to get there. Hope to soon! :turbonaug