Powder Coated Wheels Safe for the Track?!?
 

I found a good deal locally on another set of 17x9 et42 wheels but they have been powder coated red. I know it will add a touch of weight but I'm just don't know much about the process. Would these wheels potentially be weakened by the coating process and unsafe for track use?

TIA!

If I'm thinking right powder coatig shouldn't hurt the wheel itself especially on a track

I've seen a powder coated wheel fail at autocross first hand. Looked nasty, but luckily no damage to the car nor driver. Was the wheel powder coated? Yes. Was it the direct cause of the failure? Not sure.

Only if it was PC'd with a wheel-specific low temp process.

I never recommend aftermarket PC for anyone period when it comes to wheels. Reason being, a lot of PC places will say they offer the right process just to get the business, when they don't.

Agreed 100% Please don't take any chances at the track!

I saw an SSR Comp that had been powder coated bend terribly at an autocross. Find out no did the powder coating and ask them about the process.

SSRs are notoriously soft wheels. Just food for thought.


Personally I've never seen (at the good amount of track days I've been to) a powdercoated wheel fail. Not to say they never have or never will, but this is honestly the first thread on ANY forum I've seen regarding reservations about it.

I've heard of it before and the reason it happens is this:
When the wheel is manufactured it receives a heat treatment which gives the aluminium the desired hardness. This has to be done right, because if it is too hard the wheel will be too brittle and will crack easily. Too soft and it will bend easily.
Heat treatment is done by heating the wheel to a specified temperature and holding it there for a period of time, and then letting the wheel cool at a predetermined rate. (could be minutes or days) Then the wheel may also be heated to a much lower temp and held for an extended period to anneal the metal and relieve stresses within the metal.

When powdercoating the wheel will be cleaned, sprayed, and then baked in the oven at some temperature which will harden the powder. I'm sure you can understand how this might potentially undo any heat treatment done by the manufacturer. Don't bake your wheels kids!

The temp is low. It doesn't cause issues. Don't believe the BS.

Didn't COR not warranty a guys wheels because he fucked with the finish which MAY have messed up the structural integrity of the wheels (failed at the track)? IIRC they were hard anodized aftermarket or something by the owner.

While I can't remember enough from materials to argue this point, you're not really very convincing. Care to elaborate?

I didn't feel like spending a ton of time trying to "convince" anyone. Here's the deal...a great friend of mine runs a powder coating operation that his dad started a long time ago. He grew up in the business. They do sand rail chassis for the best builders in the country, have accounts with wheel manufacturers, and do government work for the US army and Navy. This place is impressive. I've powdercoated tons of parts with him over the years including many sets of wheels for myself and customers of mine and I've never had an issue due to the powder coating and he has been coating wheels forever with no problems at all. The process includes an electrostatic charge to get the powder to stick and then they are baked at a very low temperature for any metal or alloy and only for a short amount of time. 300-350 F for 30 minutes or so. Then they're allowed to cool back to ambient temperatures.

People above that have seen "powder coated" wheels fail at the track have probably seen tons of wheels without powder coating fail as well. The track is brutal. To blame the failure on the powder coating without any further facts or reasoning is pretty ridiculous.

Thanks for all the responses!

What I've gathered is not all processes and equal and if I don't know I should steer clear.

I would've thought the front wheels for sure would see high temps on a heavy car with good brakes.. My rims were way to hot to touch after a 20 min session at a track they say really isn't that hard on brakes.. SoW CW.. I never tested the temps of the rim.. But I thought they would've got as hot as a oven when being PC

Most powder coating takes place at 600+ F. At that temperature, you change the the heat treatment of the aluminum. Without a controled heat treatment process, you aren't going to come out with the same strength wheel. Odds are its going to either too soft or too brittle at 600 depending on its alloy.

My powder coater cures everything at 200c which is 390F for around 10 minutes. I think 99% of powder coating is done around this temp. I would not think twice about getting mine powder coated, I'm not sure I'd buy wheels if I wasn't sure who did them. Some kid could have had them in the oven on broil.

You are misinformed. I've never seen any powders that require heat greater than 400 degrees and the majority work best close to 300. You can powder coat in your oven in your kitchen if you really wanted to..(I have, comes out great but the wife wasn't happy)

600 degrees isn't even close...way too hot!!

This is def in the proper range. I don't know where people come up with these numbers but they obviously haven't spent any time in a powder coat shop. 390 is still in the range and won't damage any metals or aluminum.

I apologize for being off on the temperature, but high temps at extended periods of time will damage aluminum. It artificially ages it and makes it more brittle. It basically reduces the number of cycles the wheels can be stressed or overstressed.


Here is some information from when Flyin' Miata had a setup 949 Racing 6UL's powder coated:

http://www.flyinmiata.com/projects/t...ld.php?UID=135

I wouldn't think twice about using powder coated wheels. Seems like a lot of BS and gossip.

I have to agree with chadstyle here, most powder coating is done between 300-400F for a short amount of time. I am not going to get out my old text books and elaborate on the details if I don't have to, but those temperatures are roughly half that of which transitional changes occur within the aluminum. In addition, naturally cooling from these low temperatures is the best way to ensure that you are not heat treating the metal. Heating to 400F and then dunking the wheel into an ice bath would not be suggested. Many stock wheels are powder coated using this very process. As long as you talk with your shop before hand and ensure that they are curing in that temperature range you will be just fine. The fact that people notice powder coated rims breaking probably has something to do with the driving style instead of the process. People that care enough about the looks of their vehicle to powder coat their rims are more likely to enjoy spirited driving...tough on rims...more breakage. I personally think powder coating is the way to go since it provides much better corrosion resistance than paint does. Especially with the chlorides that are sprayed on the roads for ice melt these days...they eat aluminum like its their job. Hope this help.

Powder coating isn't hot enough to cause an issue in my book, but wheels are wear items and do fail, powder coating or not