I had an interesting conversation with a friend who is the sales manager of a well know wheel manufacturer. He claimed their most recent product line will go to a painted center as opposed to the powdercoating process previously used.

I, of course, asked if it would result in reduced durability, and he said that it is a common misconception about powdercoating that it is more durable than paint. He claims the main reason companies choose to powdercoat is because the EPA restrictions are far easier to comply with than if using a paint process.

He also noted that by using paint, you have far more options for cleaning, polishing and repairing any damage that does occur. To top it off, you can more easily provide color matching options for wheels.

I am still set in my ways thinking PC is better if thhe entire wheels is painted as I would think paint would scrape right off when mounting tires, but I think this is primarily for centers with polished or chromed lips.

Am I missing something?

J

i've seen a lot of powdercoated wheels fail and break off at the hub.

I wonder if they were cast or forged centers. One of the main benefits of a forged wheel is that it will bend before it breaks if it has been destressed properly.

Powdercoating is much more picky about the surface prep.

Powdercoating is damn near indesctructable if done properly. A friend of mine used to work at the powdercoating shop that does the frames/suspension for FactoryFive roadsters. They kept a couple of pieces of pipe that were powdercoated in the lobby, and invited anyone to try and get the powdercoating to chip off... bang em together, try and scrape it, nothing did it.

However, I can see the oven process as messing up the metalurgy of some metals... Someone who knows more about metalurgy would probably know, but I'd imagine that baking at 350* for a couple hours would have an effect on the stregth of some alloys?

I think that powder coating lasts longer as a finish.