Plastidipped my 6 Spokes

ROCKET62

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So why would anyone want to plastidip their wheels? I have always had chrome wheels on my Vipers - but with my new White/Black/Red custom paint scheme, the polished or chrome look just did not do it for me. I wanted black chrome - but since it appears that the chroming process and black chroming process is becoming more scarce because of environmental concerns - powder coat seems to be the only option. I had a local shop try a black chrome powder coat - but it just did not do it for me. As VOI was approaching - I had to do something - so Plastidip seemed to be the best option.

For those not familiar with Plastidip - it is a rubber coating - similar to the rubber coating that you find on a pair of pliers. It comes in a spray-able option and home depot carried it for about $6 a can. They also have a glossifier - for a shiny finish - as the standard finish is flat. Home depot did not carry the glossifier - so I used about 3 coats of gloss clear to get what I would consider a semi-gloss finish. It can be easily removed - almost similar to peeling your skin when you have a sunburn. It will come off easier if you have a think coating of plastidip. Based on the research I did the keys to a good outcome are putting on a number of thin coats - 5 or 6 and you can apply it thicker as you go. Other tips - surface must be clean and oil/grease free. I degreased the wheels and after they were fully dry - cleaned again by spraying 90% rubbing alcohol on the rims. There is also a "sweet" spot for the distance that you hold the can from the surface. Too close and you get runs, to far and you get a textured finish. I covered the lug holes on one of the rims - and on the other 3 just used a small wire wheel on a dremel tool so that there was no plastidip between the lugs and the wheel. (The lugs in the pictures are black - not plastidipped). I left the center caps in place and just plastidipped right over them. Total cost for this project - less than $30. Not sure how long the plastidip will last - but it has held up to 2500 miles and there are no areas that are peeling/flaking. There are only 2 pin holes that must be from flying rocks.

I have really come to like the look of black wheels - although in the back of my head may still try to find someone that can do a true black chrome finish. Easier, cheaper option would be a shiny black powder coat.

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I used 3x5 cards to protect the wheels from getting coated - although a number of videos showing people easily peeling the plastidip off the rubber. The plastidip did a pretty good job at hiding some of the road rash on my rims.
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Black wheels sure do help to hide the brake dust!
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Happy Veterans Day - Thank you to all Veterans for making this picture possible!
 

TrackAire

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When you sprayed the gloss, was it regular paint spray can gloss or the plasticdipped brand?

If tracking your car, 3 or more coats will be needed for the front wheels due to the heat off the brakes. Too thin and the coating bubbles off. You obviously have more than enough coats for a long coverage life.

This stuff works great, easy to remove, etc. Your wheels look great in black.

Cheers,
George
 

Jeebs

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Looks very good black. Nice job. I also want to try that plastidip out.
 

AZTVR

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I've never heard of using PlastiDip on wheels, so I googled it. Now I know the origin of those fluorescent green Civic wheels that I have been seeing !
 

TowDawg

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I did my track wheels in it as well, but haven't done my 6 spokes for the street.
I guess my hesitation on the 6 spokes is because when I did my track wheels, I sanded the surface before applying the Plastidip. If you just cleaned yours and put this over it and it's staying on that well, then I might give it a shot. At that point, it's really easy to go back to stock if I change my mind.
 

latamud

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I did the same thing over the summer. I used it as "wheel bra" so I wouldn't get my wheels messed up during a long road trip. It gives the car a meaner look too.

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ROCKET62

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Quick follow-up to some of the questions.

I just used some rustoleum gloss clear sprayed in 3 light coats (just on the face of the wheel) after about 5 hours of letting the plastidip dry. I would have used the plastidip glossifier if Homedepot had it - but they did not - and it seems to have worked out fine. Some of the research I did had people saying it might make it just a bit more difficult to peel off and others pointed to the fact that it might protect the edges of the plastidip coating better. I did not do anything to the wheels other than a good de-greaser (homedepot Fast 505 Industrial Cleaner/De-Greaser- which worked great), and a follow-up clean with 90% alcohol - so no need to scuff the surface at all. I did use about 1 can per wheel covering both the face, the rear of the spokes, and the inner barrel.

I have been very impressed with the durability as I have put the plastidip through a good test with 2500 miles including VOI with plenty of track time and driving through some torrential rains. I did pressure wash the tires (cautiously I admit) with no negative effects. Again - keys seem to be clean surface, plenty of light coats, (although my impatience had me putting the later coats on a bit thicker.)

The black wheels have definitely grown on me and I'm really liking the 6 spokes - although I do have a set of 5 Spokes that I may also test out with a coat of plastidip as well.

Pretty crazy pic of how my Viper looked just 5 months ago:
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bluesrt

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cal chrome does not do the electroplate black chrome anymore- they do do the powdercoat black chrome though, i have 2 vipers with the blackchrome powdercoat and it awsome and holds up better than the electroplate anyway
 

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