So I was washing my car on this beautiful morning. Went to wash my wheels and what do I see? It's cracked on one of the spokes!! Mind you I've had these powdercoated. Does that take away some of the integrity of the wheel? Is the spoke actually cracked or is it just the powder coat? Any input would be appreciated. I would take it to a wheel shop to have them diagnose it but everyone's closed for the long weekend...

 

Looks cracked ... I've heard powder-coating does hurt the integrity of the wheel, but I'm not too sure how accurate that statement actually is...

 

Yes depending on the method the place used to remove your factory finish then yes it can damage the rims integrity. If they put the wheels in an oven or sandblasted them for example. There is one method that doesnt reduce the integrity and it's a process of shooting tiny metal pellets at the factory finish to easily remove the paint...call your powder coater and see how they removed the factory paint if they put them in a furnace or sandblasted then it only a matter of time before the others crack too.

 

The reason folks say PC compromises the metallurgy of the wheel is because of the heat applied to melt and harden the powder -- the temperature and duration of the heat-curing is typically within the same 375-400 range (which coincides with the aging process used on the type of aluminum used.)

Long story, it overages and fatigues the metal.

Reference: Metal and Metallurgy engineering - Aluminum wheel failure after powder coating?

 

Sorry to say but that looks cracked based upon pictures posted.

 

another reason why i stick with OEM factory wheels. Not a fan of aftermarket wheels, i've only seen a few aftermarket wheels that actually looks decent.

 

This is why you should have your wheels painted instead of powder coated due to the negative effects of the baking process on forged wheels.

 

These are Advans, they're generally highly regarded.

 

As a few others have stated, mainly Soundmike, the heating process is what makes the aluminum more brittle, resulting in your cracked wheel. Hopefully all the others will remain ok. Sucks man.

 

When were they pc'd??? If they person pc'ing your wheels was a complete idiot and made the temp too hot and kept it hot for too long then it can affect the wheel, but if they did it right it should be fine.

 

But yea, take it to someone on Tuesday and see what the problem is.

 

Cracked !!!!

 

Thanks for the responses guys. It looks like it's been unanimously decided by everyone that it's cracked. Still hoping it's not lol. Crossing my fingers and praying to the car gods that it's just the PC that's cracked and that I can just get it redone.

If it is a crack in the spoke do you guys recommend getting it repaired?