These look awesome, makes me wanna do mine!

 

Thanks! I say go for it

 

I Plasti-dipped my Sport wheels.
I took them off to make it easier to apply evenly. Also I used a space heater to blow on one wheel while I sprayed the next in line.

I choose "Smoke" and used several coats to darken the wheels I didn't want black, as my summer 20s are already black.

 

Looks great man. Done right. What is the difference between smoke and the gunmetal? And did you use the glossifier, or just running flat?

 

I've never tried or seen gunmetal. I can say that the Smoke sure looks like gunmetal to me!

I initially thought it might be a tad more transparent sort of a black chrome look but that wasn't the case on satin silver rims I guess. No matter I happen to like the results anyway.

I was going to spray it with Glossifyer but I didn't have any on hand at the time other than Krylon's Glossifyer.... it says right on the can that it is not compatible with other plasti-spray products, only Krylons.

Well I tried the KGF anyway on a sample that I sprayed with PD. It wasn't very glossy, and it stayed tacky/sticky for a several days.

I decided not to bother.

The smoked satin wheels look even better in person than in pictures. The Gunmetal tone is just right for my taste.

 

Nice I have those exact rims... so how did you end up preventing the plastidip from tearing when you put the lugnuts back on? Any other tips you have?

 

I would just pay the $300 to have them powder coated.

 

They're still in my basement LOL!
They're my winter set.

Since they are mag wheels, the lug nuts have big honking washers. I doubt they will leave any visible marks except under them.

NBD, $14 can of PD... touchups should be easy and no less ugly than whatever would be left behind from the average curbing.

But ask me again this spring when I take them off... provided the NY weather ever drops below 55 degs!

 

That looks spanking!

3 Bennys is a fair price to tweak a primary set.

Still, there is something to be said for a $42 experiment to see if one likes the color with the option of an easy backout.

 

What?? Powder coated is only that much?? I was quoted $500 for just plastidipping my rims lol. Also is powder coated permanent?

 

If you shop around you can find a good price for powder coating. In Houston, the rate for four 17" wheels in matte black was $550 a few years back. That's a reasonable price. $300 might be what they're asking these days.
Yes, powder coating is essentially permanent. The process covers (in this case) your wheels with a polyester or epoxy powder, which is then heated to fuse into a protective layer. It is a great option and, to my knowledge, nearly any conceivable color is possible.

For my application, I'm using the stock wheels and intend to sell the car in 2 years. Any process used in modifying the car will need to be reversed for resale. I don't want to repurchase stock wheels. So, powder coating isn't ideal for me. But, it may be a great option for others.

Shops are charging ridiculous rates for dip right now. They're banking on you not having the 1. Time 2. Patience or 3. Common Sense to do it yourself. Also, consider the rate of labor, cost of product, price of convenience, and throw in piece of mind from professional service and I guess you could ratchet up to somewhere in the neighborhood of $500. But, I'm confident I can do my own work with dip for under $100 all 4 wheels.

 

Geeze, $500 to Plastidip wheels?
I could get a CAI for that much.

I paid ~$42 for three rattle-cans and did it myself.
It helps to have a 2nd set of wheels so you can take your time and put multiple coats on.


Here's the deal:
Take all 4 wheels off and line them up on the floor. (each on cardboard to protect the floor)
Clean them with HD shop papertowels soaked in brake cleaner.
Put cards in the rim bead to protect the tires from overspray

Spray 1st wheel, put a space heater on it. Spray wheel 2, then 3, then 4.
Check wheel 1 to see if it is dry, if not, go have a beer.
Come back in a few mins and spray wheels in order again but put the heater over wheel 2
Rinse and repeat.

BTW if you're doing it inside, ventilation is important, or you won't need the beer as you'll be high as a kite before you're done.

 

That's the problem, i only have 1 set of rims, if I had another, that'd be so much easier.

 

I hear you.
Make a day of it. Buy an extra set of $25 jack-stands and lift the car on all 4 corners.

Then line up the wheels and have at it. You should be able to knock out 4-5 coats in 3-4 hrs. (depending on the drying time you choose between coats)

Even that method will come in under $100.

 

I used a spray called auto dip on my wheels it has a much glossed finish than plasti-dip and looks way better Imo