11-15-2011, 02:53 PM | #1 |
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Powder Coating 1m Wheels ??? Place.
HI !
ALL , i m having a crave to powder coat the stock wheels on my 1m VO. any suggestions and places close to Houston or in Houston . GREATLY APPRICIATED.. |
11-15-2011, 03:10 PM | #3 |
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11-15-2011, 06:49 PM | #4 |
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Gentlemen, when the first 1M was delivered to our Canadian friend, he was told by the ///M people that they went with the ZCP wheels because they were the strongest they had..if I recall. This car makes a lot of torque. I believe powdercoating reheats the wheels and might compromise their integrity. I don't think they will completely break off but might crack hitting a bump or bend. I don't think this would be an issue with less torque, but personally, I would think twice about reheating these wheels. As I have said before a lot of people here think they know more than the engineers at BBS or BMW, but I would recommend you look into it before doing it.
It might be an urban legend, but I do know that heat treatment and cooling rates etc during casting are carefully controlled, so just a word of caution. If you have them shot with automotive paint and even a clear coat, they should last a bit. Worst case, you can always re-shoot them in the future. I am looking into a place to shoot my wheel a gunmetal color, not black, but darker grey. That's my two cents worth. Good luck. |
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11-15-2011, 06:53 PM | #5 | |
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11-15-2011, 07:05 PM | #6 |
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the urban legend regarding powdercoating causing issues with wheels is NOT true.
the temperature for aluminum melting is far above the temps used in powdercoating. It's really a shame that powdercoating is given this bad label... Powdercoating is done at temps under 400 degrees. http://www.crosslinktexas.com/faq.htm " Q. What is typically Powder Coated? A. Any metal or conductive parts withstanding 400 F temperature and requiring resistant, aesthetically appealing coating against corrosion and oxidization. Powder coating is extensively used by the appliance, automotive, agricultural equipment, electronics, fabricated steel, fitness and sporting goods equipment, furniture, garden equipment, medical equipment, office equipment and store fixture industries. " Aluminum alloy melts at something like 2-3x that temp.. See http://www.kenwalt.com/DiecastingAlloys.pdf " Aluminum and magnesium alloys are considered to be moderate melting point alloys, being cast in the 1150°F to 1300°F (621°C to 704°C) range. " With respect to re-heating the metal... the temps used in powdercoating are nowhere near what it takes to melt the metal... However... even if it were close.. consider the example of Wheel repair. Having seen wheels being repaired, a torch is used to heat the metal to the point where it is soft, and a blacksmith (lost art ) works the metal back into shape and then lets it cool.. Just like in the good old days when Sir Launcelot would damage his sword... A blacksmith would heat it up.. repair it... and back into the fray goes the Knight. Wheel repair companies provide a LIFETIMT gaurantee. If a wheel repairer heats up a wheel to actually where the metal is soft enough that it is malleable enough to be worked back straight... and then can be warranteed for LIFE... powdercoating is far less stress on the metal... In fact.. I would wager.. little to no stress. As far as a possible company.. perhaps check out Cross Link Powdercoating... they have a Dallas location I have used with success, and appears there is a location in Conroe. http://www.crosslinktexas.com/faq.htm Last edited by M3 Adjuster; 11-15-2011 at 07:26 PM.. |
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11-15-2011, 10:20 PM | #7 |
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As I said before, it might be urban legend but our Canadian friend was told by the ///M folk that they chose those wheels for strength. They also told him that "if he replaced them, to do so with something as strong" as the original [359 wheels.] That makes it seem like wheel strength should be taken into careful consideration. They didn't warn him about weight or size of wheel, just strength.
So not being an engineer, I defer to the experts on this. I will not take a position saying it's safe or not on this topic, I just thought that people should think it through first. What I will do is fire off an email to BBS in and post the result here. I will also try HRE since they are here in San Diego to see what their experience is with powdercoating? |
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11-15-2011, 10:45 PM | #8 |
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Just sent an email to BBS asking. I also found this thread from an E46 guy quoting BBS on forged wheels. It's not a "first-hand" source but have no reason to NOT take him at his word that he spoke with BBS.
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=767096 Pershaps the powdercoating concern is with forged wheels and not cast ones like ours??? Anyway, I will post the result when I get it. |
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11-16-2011, 12:34 AM | #10 | |
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11-16-2011, 12:44 AM | #11 |
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11-16-2011, 12:53 AM | #12 |
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11-16-2011, 06:04 AM | #13 |
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Here is an example of a place in PA that offers "factory" type colors ..... gunmetal looks sick on the VO, like it!
http://www.wheelcollision.com/index.html |
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11-16-2011, 12:42 PM | #14 |
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I love the Gunmetal color on the 359s. I will be doing something similar. OK, so here it goes. I contacted HRE and BBS. HRE says they powdercoat their wheels and here is the exact message I got back from BBS:
************************************************** **** We do not suggest ANY welding or heat used to cure the paint (limited to 90°C (194°F) for no more than 40 minutes). Other than the base coat on the wheel that is powder coated, the rest of the paint process used on the wheel is a “wet” process. When is comes to painting, the wheel should be treated like the hood of the car. Regards, Michael Cox Aftermarket Sales BBS of America, Inc. 5320 BBS Drive Braselton , GA 30517 Email: michael.cox@bbs-usa.com Web: www.bbs-usa.com ************************************************** ** Here are my thoughts on this issue: 1. HRE cuts their wheels from one big block of aluminum. Our wheels are cast so it is a different process. 2. BBS makes these wheels so I will follow THEIR recommendation. I just don't think it's worth the risk when you can just wet paint them? 3. It does sound like they do a Powdercoat base coat but less than 194 degrees for no more than 40 minutes, so that might be the magic number for powdercoating. Hope that helps. |
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11-16-2011, 06:57 PM | #17 |
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i got a quote from a couple local places to paint the wheels.
Metropolitan Collison - $150/wheel IMC Automotive - $150/wheel another good place to check is Sabs. If you are set on gloss black, you might be better off buying the OEM black wheels from tischer and selling your stockers. |
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