Plasti-Dip Wheel Thoughts and Recommendations

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10-25-2018, 01:55 PM
RP3340

Plasti-Dip Wheel Thoughts and Recommendations

I've seen a few companies offering DIY plastidip kits for wheels. Considering it looks fairly reversible and cheap I thought of trying this out on my wheels (original ZHP wheels). Has anyone else attempted this project? What were your thoughts? Are there any brands you recommend?
10-27-2018, 01:27 AM
Fenrir

I've dipped the wheels on my cars many times over the years. I've also done a lot of automotive paint work. If done in perfect conditions, with a steady hand, and you've some experience painting, then it's not bad. It'll be a solid 10/60 job. (looks good 10ft away or at 60mph) Get in a hurry and it becomes a mess on these Style 135s.

These wheels take to dip okish. Application needs to be pretty much perfect. Problems arise on the inside of the spokes though. The dip will stretch and tear there. And because the 135s run fairly low profile tires, road grime and debris will eat the edge of the dip over time. Longest I ran a full set dipped, on the ZHP, was about a year without issue. Power washed them, did track days, daily driving, usual wear and tear. But that was with 9 nigh perfect coats on every wheel.

Cleaning the dip off will be an unholy pain on 135s. The design has far too many nooks and crannies that become difficult even with a very high pressure power washer. Cleaning solutions don't work as well for removal because the dip is fairly resistant to it. Plus, the nooks and crannies again.

Dip is best used on wheels with very open patterns or very large spokes. You can get it on these wheels. Just don't count on getting it off without expanding your vocabulary.

Personally, I wouldn't do it again. It looked good but application can be fussy due to the wheel design. There is a fantastic wheel restoration write up in the DIY section if you're looking to freshen up your wheels. Dip is a good product but for wheels, the design of the wheels plays heavily into it's feasible application and removal. 135s are a pain. Stripping them and painting them will be easier and cheaper in the long run.

If you're set on giving it a shot, stick with actual Plasti-Dip. Quite a few companies got into the rubber based paint business but PD has been doing this since the 90s and their formula has worked the best in my experience. Others can be very tough to remove or never set correctly. Keep in mind, this product was originally meant for tool handles. So, while I'll dip all the things if I'm bored enough, I'll never expect it to look as good or hold up like a proper paint job will.
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10-27-2018, 06:20 AM
ZHPizza

Man @Fenrir that was an excellent response
10-27-2018, 06:50 AM
Fenrir

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZHPizza

Man @Fenrir that was an excellent response

Ty

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10-27-2018, 12:33 PM
Dual

+1!
10-27-2018, 04:11 PM
papa_g

+1. I think he single handedly closed this thread
10-27-2018, 05:29 PM
ELCID86

Plasti-Dip Wheel Thoughts and Recommendations

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fenrir

I've dipped the wheels on my cars many times over the years. I've also done a lot of automotive paint work. If done in perfect conditions, with a steady hand, and you've some experience painting then it's not bad. It'll be a solid 10/60 job. (looks good 10ft away or at 60mph) Get in a hurry and it becomes a mess on these Style 135s.

These wheels take to dip okish. Application needs to be pretty much perfect. Problems arise on the inside of the spokes though. The dip will stretch and tear there. And because the 135s run fairly low profile tires, road grime and debris will eat the edge of the dip over time. Longest I ran a full set dipped, on the ZHP, was about a year without issue. Power washed them, did track days, daily driving, usual wear and tear. But that was with 9 nigh perfect coats on every wheel.

Cleaning the dip off will be an unholy pain on 135s. The design has far too many nooks and crannies that become difficult even with a very high pressure power washer. Cleaning solutions don't work as well for removal because the dip is fairly resistant to it. Plus, the nooks and crannies again.

Dip is best used on wheels with very open patterns or very large spokes. You can get it on these wheels. Just don't count on getting it off without expanding your vocabulary.

Personally, I wouldn't do it again. It looked good but application can be fussy due to the wheel design. There is a fantastic wheel restoration write up in the DIY section if you're looking to freshen up your wheels. Dip is a good product but for wheels, the design of the wheels plays heavily into it's feasible application and removal. 135s are a pain. Stripping them and painting them will be easier and cheaper in the long run.

If you're set on giving it a shot, stick with actual Plasti-Dip. Quite a few companies got into the rubber based paint business but PD has been doing this since the 90s and their formula has worked the best in my experience. Others can be very tough to remove or never set correctly. Keep in mind, this product was originally meant for tool handles. So, while I'll dip all the things if I'm bored enough, I'll never expect it to look as good or hold up like a proper paint job will.
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Totally agree. I wouldn’t do it on style 135 of you ever want to remove it (but doesn’t WD40 cut thru PD pretty well?). I did my son’s 68’s a few years back and they looked pretty good. Sold the car with the black PD on them as the buyer wanted them that way.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...c7f036925a.jpg
10-27-2018, 07:01 PM
papa_g

There's also this stuff called 'Autoflex'. It's a pealable paint, unlike platidip, which is basically rubber/plastic. Makes it look a lot better than plastidip, but it is also kinda expensive. I think its somewhere around $100 for enough paint to do all 4 wheels. I was gonna use it on my grill, but decided to try plastidip with a coat of gloss first. I am happy with the results for now.
10-27-2018, 08:40 PM
Fenrir

Quote:

Originally Posted by ELCID86

Totally agree. I wouldn’t do it on style 135 of you ever want to remove it (but doesn’t WD40 cut thru PD pretty well?). I did my son’s 68’s a few years back and they looked pretty good. Sold the car with the black PD on them as the buyer wanted them that way.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...c7f036925a.jpg

Those look fantastic. That design is perfect for dipping. WD40 does alright. But dip is surprisingly resilient vs normal rattle can. With the 135s, it takes so many coats of PD to get a proper seal that using WD40 is like using a water hose to fight a house fire.

Easy off and Goo Gone for paint work rather well. But once again, because 135s take so many layers to do a good job, the dip more or less becomes a very pliable mess VS just running off. I ended up having to give each of the wheels a quick mineral bath just to get all the dip off between the spokes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by papa_g

There's also this stuff called 'Autoflex'. It's a pealable paint, unlike platidip, which is basically rubber/plastic. Makes it look a lot better than plastidip, but it is also kinda expensive. I think its somewhere around $100 for enough paint to do all 4 wheels. I was gonna use it on my grill, but decided to try plastidip with a coat of gloss first. I am happy with the results for now.

Autoflex is nice stuff. It approaches the cost of an actual paint and clear but leaves you with an actual removable option. And it will look a lot better than PD up close. I've never used it on 135s but, from experience, it's much easier to remove from detailed items than PD is. And most light paint removal chems will take it right off if needed.

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