painting wire wheels

[Martyn Ross]

My SP250 is going to have the stress cracks in the gel coat sorted and a new coat of paint shortly. I thought I'd have the wires painted at the same time - but perhaps they would be better if powder coated, which I'm told is tougher.
Could anyone with experience pass it on please?

Thanks

Ross

[Vortex O'Plinth]

Powder coating gives a thick, even, tenacious and highly durable finish compared with wet paint and so makes a good finish on wire wheels that have to operate under fairly aggressive conditions. It doesn't 'run' during application which can be a problem with painting wire wheels unless professionally and competently sprayed. It's not superior to paint for all purposes; for example, it cannot be applied as a thin coating, the article to be finished must resist the heat required to fuse the coating and there is a limited range of colours available compared with paint. None of these limitations apply to wire wheels - unless you're thinking of an exotic colour for your wheels!

I recently had a set of 16" wires powder coated silver for an MG restoration....

....and am very pleased with the finished appearance and the surface has proved resistant to damage during tyre fitting and balancing.

[Feathers]

I just had a set of 72's powder coated.
I love them.

[Christopher Storey]

I had a set powder coated for one of my E types in silver some 20 years ago, and they still look like new. However, a word of warning : make sure that the wheels are properly trued up before you have them coated, as it may be impossible to turn the spokes afterwards

[tjt77]

Powder coating is a practical solution for re-finishing scruffy wire wheels.. just be sure they are in excellent condition before starting the process.. check for loose spokes, trueness and wear on splines. if in any doubt.. replace with new wheels.. commonly the usual situation I come across is 2 comprimised wheels in a set of 5.. most new wheels come powder coated.. fit the 2 new ones on the front.
As with brakes.. its unwise to cut corners with spoke wheels.. new wheels and tyres often transform the whole driving experience..
One possible downside :- SOME types of silver powder coat can loose their colour ( the metallic component) when cleaned with cleaner specific for plated wire wheels.. avoid any cleaner that contains phosphoric acid..

[Martyn Ross]

Vortex, Feathers, Chris Story & TJT77

Thanks for the responses - much appreciated and so that's the route I'll take.

Ross

[JT7196]

Hi ,I had mine Powder Coated on my Lanchester way back in 1989, and the still look superb !!

Cheers Al