ok, so, i don't know a whole lot about this, so I figured I would try to tap into the knowledge on the forum.

What are the drawbacks to painting rims? I mean, vs. powder-coating them. I know powdercoating is very durable...but it's not like rims are gonna be prone to rock chips or anything really. The reason I ask, is because i have Volk GTS in mercury silver...but want a darker Titanium Gunmetal look. The photoshop below shows why....

Any info on painting rims would be appreciated!!! Thanks!!


car now:


car w/ painted rims and with eyelids: (thanks for the chop ryan!!)

 

holy crap, who ever did that chop should be given an award or something.

 

Most oem wheels and many if not most aftermarket wheels are painted, not powder coated. Sure it can chip, but if done right it should last long enough. People act like it will only last a month and then the wheel fall apart. Painting works. Paint is also easier to maks and cheaper to have done.
PC is better, but its hype makes people think its the only way.
If you do decide to powder coat research a bit and find a good shop. If not done right, the wheels can be weakend by the heat cycle of powder coating.

 

had my silver oem 18 inchers painted (GM4009 gunmetal)

 

Powdercoating Forged rims can compromise its strength.

 

I got mine painted. The paint holds up pretty well but will chip if hit with any type of rock or metal.

 

I was just curious as to where are you getting this information from? Depending on the grade of aluminum used the phase transformation temperature will vary, but I think the temperatures that the wheels would be exposed to would not adversely compromise the strength or micro structure of the alloy. From my understanding, powder coating does a fairly short bake at 300 to 400 degrees F. I think the temperature is low enough and the time short enough where you will not see any transformation in the material.

With that said, I painted my stock 17's but plan to get them powdercoated instead. I find that even after I prepped the wheels well and used 4 coats of duplicolor wheel paint, and 4 coats of clear, the finish still chips easily. For your wheels Austin, since the centers are recessed, a paint finish would probably work out fine for you, but powdercoating will be much more durable.

I also explored anodizing my wheels, but I've read from a few different sources that the aluminum used in most wheels contains too many contaminants to allow the anodization to look good.

 

I'm also pretty sure thet he face of the gts's are cast and not forged so powdercoating shouldn't be a problem. You might want to check with Mackin though.

 

they are cast

 

i would go for more of a diamond black look. it would match better with the black portion of your V2 front bumper. gloss black looks ok but i think since db is such a vibrant color the gloss black is a bit too much. gunmetal would have been ok if not for the black portion on your V2. oh, eyelids ftl. i think it cheeses out the look.

 

Kind of off topic here but has anyone seen a fair amount of time-attack knock off paint schemes on stock wheels, and not just z's but a variety of vehicles

 

GT-S are two piece, the outer piece is forged, inner piece is cast. IMO if you're going to get this done, just powder coat them. I think painting will look good but chipping is inevitable and you will hate it when it starts to chip.

Also I would go with black on DB...I tried guntmetal already...and it makes the blue looks dirty - Nexx is right on this.

 

Powder Coating would be the route I would take.

Are the GTS painted from Volk or are they PC'ed????

If you decide to get it PC'ed can you tell how much it cost you???

Maybe i'll get mine finished in gold to go with my Super Black.