I have Volk forged CE28N wheels with a dull silver finish. I would like to powdercoat them with a glossy "silver" finish. Someone mentioned to me that the heat used to bake the powdercoat paint may weaken the aluminum forged wheels. Does anyone know if the heat is bad for the forged wheels? Thanks in advance for any replys.
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Does Heat From Powdercoating Harm Forged Wheels?
- Thread starter stevenlee
- Start date
I hope not............
I had my stock '95 wheels PC'd about 4 years ago and have had no problems. I also have a friendly relationship with the powder coating shop owner - he's another car guy and weekend racer. He absolutely would not coat the wheels if it would weaken them.
They only heat the wheel to about 350 deg to melt the powdercoat, that will not even hurt a cast wheel
stevenlee said:
The extra heat cycle, in particular on a single piece forged aluminum wheel does apparently make them brittle, several shops reported to me that there have in fact been select cases of failures as a result- on the track, under stress, across several vehicle applications. Quite likely it's better to paint them or pursue safer finishing methods on the volks IMO or at least get them checked for micro fractures. Better safe than sorry.
Post deleted. Sorry.
Absolutely no problems with powdercoated wheels, and I abuse my wheels more than anyone at a track.. thats for sure. Most people at the track may be driving hard, but I dont know many track owners getting "air" in their car by launching it over bumps and hillcrests. Plus, the streets in LA are far from great.. the downtown potholes are beyond fair.
Given that, I think the track is more forgiving. Like I said, I've never had a rim crack from powdercoat. I've powdercoated everything from wheels, rollcage, calipers.. all strong to this date.
I think most places opt to paint because its a less expensive process. However, powdercoating is pretty much superior in every aspect.
For more info, feel free to call the pro's.. they know their stuff:
http://powdercoater.com
Given that, I think the track is more forgiving. Like I said, I've never had a rim crack from powdercoat. I've powdercoated everything from wheels, rollcage, calipers.. all strong to this date.
I think most places opt to paint because its a less expensive process. However, powdercoating is pretty much superior in every aspect.
For more info, feel free to call the pro's.. they know their stuff:
http://powdercoater.com
I just received a reply to this question from Makin Industres, the distributor for Volk wheels in the US. The say that 400 degree temp does NOT affect the strength of the wheels.
I also contacted the powdercoater listed above and they told me that they have never had a problem with hat damage form powdercoating.
Now the question is......which color do I choose for my CE28N wheels!
Thanks everyone for the imput.
Steve
I also contacted the powdercoater listed above and they told me that they have never had a problem with hat damage form powdercoating.
Now the question is......which color do I choose for my CE28N wheels!
Thanks everyone for the imput.
Steve
I would think the heat from brakes during heavy track use would probably put the wheels at a pretty extreme temp. but I can not imagine that kind of heat would affect them. Anyone here know what type of heat the wheels are subjected to on a track car?
The temperature at which they bake powder coat will not have an effect on the strength of aluminum wheels made out of the common alloys we see used in Volk wheels. The down side of powder coat is for detection of cracks and potential failures. The powder coat is quite strong and flexible, plus it does not form a tight bond to the metal so a good sized crack can form and not be identified during visual inspection. For ease of inspection, polished or anodized finishes or clear coat are the best. The less finish, the easier it is to see cracks.
titaniumdave said:
So, my take on this info (and thanks for the primer, no pun intended) is this:
Powdercoating wheels for street use= OK
Powdercoating wheels for track use= Not a good idea
I personally think that since many race wheels (Volks, etc) that are painted or powdercoated (not sure which) leave the factory this way, it is likely not a huge deal, but I can see Dave's point with dedicated race wheels.
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