Paint vs. Powdercoat Rims - HELP

[we350z]

Trying to decide if I should have my rims painted & clear coated or powder coated? I think my Silver AFS Style 87's came powder coated. I will say they seem pretty durable but are certainly not scratch-proof. I hear powder coating is more durable and actually bonds to the metal, however I have heard some folks say the temps can harm (and even crack) the wheel by changing the characteristics of the alloy. Another thing to keep in mind is that these wheels are Chinese made. Supposedly their standard wheel painter does a super good job. I would think powder coating would last a lot longer than regular painted rims.,

Paint / Clear coat - $500, 2 days
Powder coat - $650, 4 days

This is the price out the door including tax and hunter laser road force mount / balance and sitting the car on the rack for a couple days.

My passenger side front rim has some slight curbage rash on it, i think they are just going to sand it down or fill and sand it. Wondering if it makes the job any harder the fact that they are already powder coated?

https://plus.google.com/photos/11535...521?banner=pwa

Here is the color I am going for (dark grey):

[ArmyX5]

I had my 132 powder coat and I am loving it. $365 for all 4, just the coating.

[epdarks]

Mine are PC. I have painted wheels myself in the past, very easy. Plasti-dip is another cheap option and easily reversible.

[mrbmwx5]

Not a fan of plastic dip thing ... Feel too cheap and rubbery ...
Can't go wrong with PC with clear coat.

[Fretish]

I just had my set of 168's PC'd They wont be installed until friday. Cost $400 for the sanding and PC

[Ricky Bobby]

If you regularly clean your wheels and treat them with a nice wheel sealant I don't see why painting them with Clearcoat would be any less durable than powdercoating.

Its only 150 difference so not a huge deal, you've probably had the silver painted wheels for a while now and how has the paint job on them held up? Any clearcoat peeling? If not, I don't see why repainting them would be any less durable.

[tmv]

Paint & Clearcoat just like factory finish.

[epdarks]

Here is how I painted wheels in the past:

Sand wheels, start with 150 grit, move the grit up slowly, and finish with wet sand 1000 grit.

Mask off tires, or remove tires.

Use spray cans of heavy duty primer. Sand between coats. 2 coats is enough.

Find your wheel paint color, in a spray can, I used VHT high temp wheel paint. Spray evenly, sand between coats, do at least 3 coats.

Wet sand with 1000 grit at the end.

Total cost should be well under $50.

The results held up great for 3 years until I sold the car, only one small chip on one wheel over that time.

[we350z]

Damn that seems like a nice price. What do you mean just the coating? No media blasting? So you still had to pay for mount and balance?

Originally Posted by ArmyX5

I had my 132 powder coat and I am loving it. $365 for all 4, just the coating.

[we350z]

So powder coat plus clear coat on top? Is the clearcoat sprayed on I take it? What color do you have? I am looking for something close to that. What did you pay?

Originally Posted by mrbmwx5

Not a fan of plastic dip thing ... Feel too cheap and rubbery ...
Can't go wrong with PC with clear coat.