Having my AP2V1 wheels repaired and powdercoated in a few weeks, I can't figure out what color to go for.

They're black now so I want something else. What's the closest RAL color compared to the OEM silver?
A bit darker would be nice to, but anthracite might be too dark I think.

Anyone here powdercoated their OEM wheels in silver/grey/dark grey RAL color?

 

Best to use paint process rather than powder coating.
Then use oem paint code,never seen any AP2V1 wheels that looks better than stock

 

Why? I'm quite happy with my powder coat that's now 4 years old.

 

Pretty sure I'm going to have them powdercoated. I've had a few sets done and very pleased with the results, powdercoating also has a stronger finish.

Can't seem to find any examples of a nice RAL color unfortunaly, so I'll probably go for something else with some metallic in it.

 

Powdercoating weakens the wheels. Plenty of stories out there about powdercoated wheels failing on track.

 

I think this only applies if the wheels become exposed to overheating in the oven for extended periods of time. Otherwise, if it's a reputable shop and they know what they're doing, OP should be fine.

 

This is it. Powder coating is usually done at pretty low temperatures for short periods of time. For typical cast aluminum wheels they might see 4-8 hours at ~155 degrees C for their final age hardening heat treatment. Powder coating in the same temperature range (~150C) for short periods of time (like 20 mins? i don't know how long this normally takes...) won't really make any difference at all. If the wheels spent hours and hours at this temperature, or if they went much hotter (200-250C), things happen a lot quicker and you could risk some property losses.

For wheels breaking, you're right that some break at the track. These wheels are usually exposed to higher service temperatures, and much higher stresses. Whenever a wheel breaks, it seems to be an RPF1, forgestar, or something else lightweight (and cast, like these wheels). These are wheels that have way less material, so the metal is stressed much more than a (heavier and overbuilt) OEM wheel. ALL aluminum wheels will theoretically eventually fail from fatigue stresses at a track, that's just how aluminum works. The more stressed the design of the wheel, the shorter the lifespan of the wheel will be. Powder coating may weaken the wheel slightly, but it's not the root cause. I've often seen people claim powder coating will ruin wheels, and that it's the sole cause for wheel failure. It's not the simple.

 

They look pretty nice. Two questions:

How much?

How did you color the Honda emblem?

 

How Much? = Sandblasting and powder coating cost $105 per wheel and the custom color mix (gold with red metal flake) cost another $35

How did you color the Honda emblem? = They are decals purchased as a custom color from an eBay vendor. They are OEM caps that have been painted semi-glos black with decals mounted and then clear coated.

 

I made up new center caps using actual Honda logo emblems.