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Plastidip durability?

Plainrt

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#1
I was just wondering how well plastidip holds up to brake dust and cleaning etc? Gonna be getting my rpf1s soon and dislike silver wheels. Im not sure wanna powder coat them as mixed reviews on cracking etc. plastidip seems like good option but don't know how hold up on track wheels. Any input would be great.



Thanks
 


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Location
Harvest
#2
I've used plasidip on wheels before it lasted about 1.5 years before I had to reapply.
 


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Location
Seattle
#4
If applied correctly, you can wash dipped wheels just like painted ones. I dipped a set of OEM wheels, was t-boned and rolled the next day, and the dip held up basically like paint. As with any finish, the prep work and attention to detail go a long way.
 


brbauer2

Active member
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St. Charles
#5
Prep, prep, and prep some more! I dipped each of my previous Fiesta's wheels and spoiler within the first week of owning and never had to retouch except around the lug nuts cause the tire shop guys weren't that kind to them when switching All-Season to Winter wheels.
 


OP
P

Plainrt

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Thread Starter #6
They would be new wheels so don't have to worry about cleaning too much
 


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Miami Gardens, FL, USA
#7
Mine held up through I think 6 months of brake dust, mud, sand, heat, tire rotations and washes. Looked fine but it was starting to get harder to clean as I didn't apply a clear.
 


neeqness

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#9
One thing I would like to add is apply extra coats to increase durability and for easier cleaning use a gloss coat or apply some car wax. It will make it shine a little bit though but if you want that flat look, you don't need a lot and I think it's worth it overall because my flat without gloss faded to a dark charcoal grey really. After a bit of wax though the little bit of gloss seemed to help keep it looking black somehow. If the coat is light enough, it will still be fairly close to flat black...imo, it actually looks better than flat and matches the dark tint better with a touch of gloss.
 


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Location
Johnston
#10
The more coats you put down the more dirable it is, and the easier it is to take off. They sell matt, semi gloss, and a gloss clear coat for plasti dip that reduces color fade from the sun.

For clean up i would always spray my rims with super clean, hit thek with a wheel brush and then rinse. Plasti dip os chemical reaistant so it doesnt effect it.

Lastly, ive messed around with the idea abit but you can actually spray regular paint over plastidip. If its think layers of dip and light layers of paint it remains farely flexible without cracking. I literally had to bed a peice of plastic in half to get it to crack. That was after a week of drying. Ive never tested the longevity of this combo however. Hope this helps.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
 


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Location
Detroit
#11
It hasn't been even 6 months since I dipped my winter wheel set, but after a couple rounds of car washes (manual and automatic), tire rotations, and daily driving in salty slush mixed snow (during the joke of a winter that we've had), I can report that so far so good. I am not seeing any edge peel, surface splitting, or fade. I made sure to put down multiple coats of primer and paint followed by 2 heavy coats of gloss clear coat. All in all I have about 9 or 10 coats on my wheels, just like Fonzie recommends. If I don't get bored with the color, I'm hoping to get 3-4 seasons out of them.

I was fortunate enough to have a fresh set of wheels to apply over, though, which really helped streamline the prep process. Since the steelies I was using already had a flat/gloss finish all I had to do was take a little bit of windex and wipe down any surfaces, including inside of any holes I was going to spray over, with a microfiber towel. This step ensured that any surface grime/oil was removed prior to applying the dip.

I think the one drawback of plasti dip is how the surface gradually cakes up over time. I don't think I'll ever get the dip to be as shiny and clean looking as it was on day 1 EVEN WITH the clear coat (although it certainly does help). Maybe I could have done something differently... but it almost seems like the pliable/flexible nature of dip allows dirt and brake dust to embed itself into the surface that no amount of washing will fully get rid of. I would say on a good day I can get it 90% clean. This is good enough for me, especially on a cheap winter set, but its not 'show car' quality. I think for that a powder coat or better yet a proper paint job would guarantee a more professional look.

I am also not sure how plasti dip stands up to heat especially on the track. Maybe it'll be fine? I would almost be more concerned about the excessive amounts of brake dust. I know dip is advertised as chemically stable but brake dust has a pretty nasty chemical composition. It in combination with elevated levels of heat could cause the color to 'wear out' faster?
 


neeqness

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#12
It hasn't been even 6 months since I dipped my winter wheel set, but after a couple rounds of car washes (manual and automatic), tire rotations, and daily driving in salty slush mixed snow (during the joke of a winter that we've had), I can report that so far so good. I am not seeing any edge peel, surface splitting, or fade. I made sure to put down multiple coats of primer and paint followed by 2 heavy coats of gloss clear coat. All in all I have about 9 or 10 coats on my wheels, just like Fonzie recommends. If I don't get bored with the color, I'm hoping to get 3-4 seasons out of them.

I was fortunate enough to have a fresh set of wheels to apply over, though, which really helped streamline the prep process. Since the steelies I was using already had a flat/gloss finish all I had to do was take a little bit of windex and wipe down any surfaces, including inside of any holes I was going to spray over, with a microfiber towel. This step ensured that any surface grime/oil was removed prior to applying the dip.

I think the one drawback of plasti dip is how the surface gradually cakes up over time. I don't think I'll ever get the dip to be as shiny and clean looking as it was on day 1 EVEN WITH the clear coat (although it certainly does help). Maybe I could have done something differently... but it almost seems like the pliable/flexible nature of dip allows dirt and brake dust to embed itself into the surface that no amount of washing will fully get rid of. I would say on a good day I can get it 90% clean. This is good enough for me, especially on a cheap winter set, but its not 'show car' quality. I think for that a powder coat or better yet a proper paint job would guarantee a more professional look.

I am also not sure how plasti dip stands up to heat especially on the track. Maybe it'll be fine? I would almost be more concerned about the excessive amounts of brake dust. I know dip is advertised as chemically stable but brake dust has a pretty nasty chemical composition. It in combination with elevated levels of heat could cause the color to 'wear out' faster?
Anyone else more knowledge on the subject feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but I think plastidip has somewhat of a rubbery composition. This is what makes it so removable and if so, is not all that reactive to many chemicals.

It also should be able to handle heat fairly well, although I don't think that the outside of your rim gets all that hot when the wheel is spinning. If anything, it is more like the blades of fan spinning through the air as you move and probably helping to keep everything else in the area a bit cooler, so it's probably the coolest thing on your wheels, no pun intended.
 


Bluedrank

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Winter Park
#13
Anyone else more knowledge on the subject feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but I think plastidip has somewhat of a rubbery composition. This is what makes it so removable and if so, is not all that reactive to many chemicals.

It also should be able to handle heat fairly well, although I don't think that the outside of your rim gets all that hot when the wheel is spinning. If anything, it is more like the blades of fan spinning through the air as you move and probably helping to keep everything else in the area a bit cooler, so it's probably the coolest thing on your wheels, no pun intended.
I did my lower front bumper lip a few months ago. It's holding up just fine. Supposedly it's normal to expect to repaint it one every 1-2 years. I do know from reading the dipyoucar forums that it does not hold up at all to gasoline. it pretty much dissolves it instantly.
 


neeqness

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#14
I did my lower front bumper lip a few months ago. It's holding up just fine. Supposedly it's normal to expect to repaint it one every 1-2 years. I do know from reading the dipyoucar forums that it does not hold up at all to gasoline. it pretty much dissolves it instantly.
Good to know. Thanks!
 


Messages
102
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22
Location
Tampa, FL, USA
#15
A not I had my 6ULs on my miata dipped for about 3 years its a DD. Got a kit did them Vintage gold, about 7 coats, put the clearcoat/metalizer on top. Works just like normal paint never had a issue.
 


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54
Location
Gatineau
#16
I had a 2012 Fiesta before getting my ST and I did some plasti dip on it, not the wheels though, but the front bumper. I did the chrome colored grille as well as the lower part of the bumper (below the mouth-like thingy). It held up very nicely up until I bought my ST, some 3 years after application. When looking at it closely you could see some small chip, but nothing really different than regular paint of the car. Oh and I did NOT apply anything on top of the plasti dip, just the black plasti dip and that's it, no coat of anything.

I also had done the small spoiler of the car and it also held up very nicely, but it wasn't as much attacked by rocks than the front bumper.

One thing I would not recommend for plasti dip: Surfaces that you touch all the time. I tried to do the radio trim inside the car, did not really worked as it started to peel very quickly. I did the small circle trim around the vents and those never shown any sign of wear and tear.
 


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