Powdercoat (BigAsh beware)

[MG cup]

Attention should be taken on what steps your chosen powder coater will use, cheap isn't always good. A little too long in the oven and the metal's composition can be changed and either deform or break.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/...0&i=0&nmt=Wheel+Failure+-+Scary+Time...&mid=0

 

[sbridgey]

Holy s**t.

 

[Filippo]

Bloody hell! My first thought is counterfeit wheels.

 

[MG cup]

Bloody hell! My first thought is counterfeit wheels.

No genuine wheels them with OZ stamping etc, that's just from normal use too iirc :S.

I have heard it happened a few years back in time attack too with freshly powder coated wheels, not ideal.

 

[Filippo]

Scary!

 

[BIGASH]

Yes i've heard of similar horror stories from companies that are baking the alloy's to remove the old paint etc and the alloy can't take the temperature. Had it happen to a friend of mine.

 

[MG cup]

Yes i've heard of similar horror stories from companies that are baking the alloy's to remove the old paint etc and the alloy can't take the temperature. Had it happen to a friend of mine.

Dipping/blasting then baking is the only way to go.

Your car is a basket case

 

[The Chubby Pirate]

f**k me that could have been so much worse!

 

[Tony Hunter]

I put it down to good brake pads.

 

[Dan@SJM]

This happened a few years ago to DC2 wheels.

 

[Adam G]

As I said on PH, it happened to a lad on Pro Race 2s, that he had from new and weren't powdercoated. So he knew the history of the wheels and they were in their original factory finish.

 

[2Damnsly Andy]

As I said on PH, it happened to a lad on Pro Race 2s, that he had from new and weren't powdercoated. So he knew the history of the wheels and they were in their original factory finish.

I'm assuming Team Dynamics had to sort that out then?

 

[NorthloopCup]

I put it down to good brake pads.

Surely if they were that good it would've flipped the car over on to its roof?! Lol!

 

[Adam G]

I'm assuming Team Dynamics had to sort that out then?

Haven't got a clue Andy.

Just picked up my wheels from City Powdercoating and was told that they shotblast to prep.

 

[Chip-mk1]

Happened on my mates powder coated Evo wheels, he pulled back into the carpark at the ring and we looked to check the tyres were ok for pressure and tread etc, and noticed half of the spokes had broken, should think one more lap and it would have been an horrific accident, as he was going round in sub 8 mins on a good lap, so as you can imagine wasnt hanging about!

Scarey stuff.

 

[Fred@BTM]

doubt its heat related, how hot do the discs get touching the wheel? 700+deg? powdercoating is done at around 190deg

 

[hollandcup]

Bloody hell! As said gotta be some underlying factors involved to make a wheel like that fail so catastrophically!

 

[Munson]

Vtec?

 

[Bobby.]

Anyone 'snapped' an alloy on a Clio yet?

 

[Munson]

doubt its heat related, how hot do the discs get touching the wheel? 700+deg? powdercoating is done at around 190deg

Later in the thread they're suggesting that some places bake them at much higher temperatures prior to the powder coating, in order to remove the old paint. I have no idea if this is accurate though.

Also it's fair to say that the wheel acts as a heat sink for the brakes. The wheel would never get anywhere near 700c or surely the tyres would melt?

 

[Fred@BTM]

yeah no chance the wheel would ever get that hot, but the centre of the wheel/the wheel itself is a heat sink for the brakes

i doubt any powdercoater would bake them to get the old s**t off, A - it would stink and B - it would make a right mess!

 

[BIGASH]

I doubt any powdercoater would bake them to get the old s**t off, A - it would stink and B - it would make a right mess!

I know for definite CAS coatings do (£1 an inch place) and I'm pretty sure City in Brum do. There is a warning in CAS saying they bake to 500 degrees to remove old coatings

 

[Dr HMS Derv Destroyer]

this is why i would rather go through all the effort of fine blasting a wheel and them flatting/painting them.

paint booths cannot make the wheels hot enough to do that , but hot enough to set the paint.

 

[Dan519]

I've seem similar happen to wheels that have been refurbed multiple times. Had a friend break a set of R33 Skyline wheels on a 200sx. They'd been powdercoated 3 times

 

[Adam G]

I know for definite CAS coatings do (£1 an inch place) and I'm pretty sure City in Brum do. There is a warning in CAS saying they bake to 500 degrees to remove old coatings

Somebody mentioned asking City earlier though:S:

Just picked up my wheels from City Powdercoating and was told that they shotblast to prep.

 

[_WILL_]

doubt its heat related, how hot do the discs get touching the wheel? 700+deg? powdercoating is done at around 190deg

you won't see 700 degs on iron discs for very long periods of time, maybe instentainiously during braking on the disc surface but more like 300 - 400 maximum consistently. I would imagine the wheels rarely see more than 200. 700+ is carbon ceramic territory, but that's another story!! This is based on road cars used on track. I imagine in Motorsport the temps maybe higher, but they probably have considerably better cooling as well.

 

[Dan519]

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/showthread.php?235672-Warning-for-anyone-with-powdercoated-wheels

 

[Richyy182]

Blimey, that's a worry

 

[JP83]

I know for definite CAS coatings do (£1 an inch place) and I'm pretty sure City in Brum do. There is a warning in CAS saying they bake to 500 degrees to remove old coatings

​I was told by City when I had mine done that they're acid dipped to get the old crap off.

 

[Tony Hunter]

That's what they told me, I've had no problem with mine, even after a proton attacked one at Donington. It's well buckled, but no cracks.

 

[Fred@BTM]

I know for definite CAS coatings do (£1 an inch place) and I'm pretty sure City in Brum do. There is a warning in CAS saying they bake to 500 degrees to remove old coatings

Well after speaking to my mate who owns TWS, it seems the legal s**t you have to do (and the cost) to have the acid stipping on site is a nightmare

baking the wheels to 500deg is just bloody stupid!

 

[Gaz.]

It's all about having them acid stripped. The powdercoating is 180-200C. Alloy can piss that without dying.

 

[Rob]

Guy I use acid dip, sand blast, powder coat.

None of this super heat and hope the paint falls off. Not cool.

 

[Tyler@Ultimate]

i doubt any powdercoater would bake them to get the old s**t off, A - it would stink and B - it would make a right mess!

Some companies do to avoid the expensive acid dipping process unfortunately.

Bake them at 300+ for around 20 minutes and the paint and lacquer just picks off thus avoiding acid stripping them

Cheap way of doing it.

 

[Kenny.s]

I've also heard of numerous occasions where this has happened and I've also seen it personally a few times, Time attack 2009 was the most recent one I think, Andy Napier's Impreza broke a wheel which had been powder coated only a few weeks prior to the event iirc.

I've been given and read all sorts of theories as to why this happens. As mentioned, some places basically roasting the wheels to get old coatings off. Some suggesting the acid not being fully washed off the wheel prior to coating. Some types of alloy being susceptible to the acids used, combined with the heat curing the powder. I don't have enough knowledge of alloys and acids to know if any of these are even plausible.

For all the wheels that have been powder coated vs the number of which that have failed, odds are that it's pretty rare.

That said I still wouldn't get wheels powder coated, I would rather get them bead blasted (using the right grade of grit, ie not firing rough cast at them!) then have them sprayed. That way you know for sure there's nothing you've done in the refurb process that could adversely affect the wheel.

 

[Gaz.]

If you're firing rough cast at alloy wheels you're a moron. This is why I tell people they get what they pay for when it comes to having wheels done, but nobody listens.

 

[Gally]

Why the f**k would you strip wheels etc with that kind of heat! Moronic at best!

 

[Munson]

It seems because the acid dipping process is expensive.

Mine were acid dipped, blasted and wet sprayed. Like a boss.

 

[Chip-mk1]

Why the f**k would you strip wheels etc with that kind of heat! Moronic at best!

Because its considered more environmentally sound and is cheaper as a method of cleaning than using acids, and requires less in the way of disposal afterwards etc.

You'll find a lot of the companies doing it arent really wheel specialists but general powder coaters and if you were doing the same thing with steel railings or the cast iron ends of a wooden bench similar it would be no problem.

 

[Gaz.]

Exactly, people love these places that charge £1 per Inch per wheel, who are just rough arse industrial powdercoaters that deal with iron/steel. Then wonder why they get a s**t job.