Plasti Dip Wheel Thread

[kac0825]

Hey guys! Today i decided to finally do something with the set of scratched up 4th gen. wheels in my garage. I, along with many guys on the thread have plasti dipped them, and so far (im about half way done) They look great! I want to have a silver or white theme (Not sure which to go with on my black truck, input?) So i took the lip and the Toyota symbol of the wheel and taped it off. Look below for pics of the process. I ended up using 2 cans of Plasti Dip, and i'll use another can of Spray Paint for the trim and TRD symbol on the rim.

I'll list the steps of what i did for these:
1. Sanded them with extremely fine sandpaper (1000 worked well for me)
2. Then swept them off with a broom and wiped down with just clean water.
3. Took a clean rag (i used cheesecloth for cars so i knew it was clean) wet it with rubbing alcohol and rub down the wheel. This gets all the grease and oil of it making it a better surface for the Plasti dip to stick to.
4. Tape off anything you don't want to get painted :duh: Plasti dip rubs off easy though, so its rather forgiving.
5. A heavy coat for me worked at first making sure to spray heavy, even lines.
6. Wait at least 30 min, and then spray a 2nd coat. I did a much lighter coat this time more spot checking then anything.
7. I did a 3rd to be sure it was going to be nice and thick as this is going to see rocks/mud/sand you name it!
8. Im not there yet, but i'll edit for how everything is going.

The first picture is taping over the Toyota Symbol. We then used an exacto knife (or a razor blade) to cut it out. Then we taped off the lip around all 4 rims. We used Plasti dip, found it at Lowes for 5 bucks a bottle. We did 3 coats (I had the best luck doing the first one rather heavy and using the other 2 to more touch up the thinner spots).

 

[kac0825]

Tomorrow i will be taking off the tape around the Toyota symbol and lip, then re-taping AROUND it this time to prep and paint for the white or silver. Still haven't decided. I'll post how they look tomorrow when they're fully dried. Also painted the backside of them just real quick so help get the hard spots on the front.
The only problem i had spraying these is the little hole for the tire air thing, was hard to get at, and spraying super close to it, led to drips.


Criticism is only welcome if there is advice following it! :cheers:

 

[rebelbowtie]

when plasti dipping it is best to tear the masking off while the paint is still in between tacky and wet.

 

[kac0825]

when plasti dipping it is best to tear the masking off while the paint is still in between tacky and wet.

Really? Well guess im going to put on another coat. Good thing i bought 3 cans of it :bash:

 

[rebelbowtie]

also the more coats the better if you decide you want to remove it later down the road.

 

[kac0825]

Thats true. One day im going to upgrade rims, but not anytime soon. Im BROKE, so this definitely needs to last. I have nothing but good things to say about plasti dipping right now. They have covered the scratches pretty well, and i really like the flat black look. My real test right now is if itll pull off the tape.

 

[NorcalChris]

Good luck with the tape and the dry plastidip... that'll be a PIA. check out dipyourcar.com. has lots application info etc..

 

[kac0825]

Good luck with the tape and the dry plastidip... that'll be a PIA. check out dipyourcar.com. has lots application info etc..

Damnit. Should have read that first. They said pull off wet. Oh well. I can just cut it the way i've been doing the tape and do it that way. May take longer but same result. And since im painted the lip it wont matter it doesn't need to be PERFECT...Just close :biggrin2:

 

[kac0825]

How does the plastidip hold up to things like car washes and such? im kind of nervous about that, because i dont want to be painting my rims every other weekend.

 

[Illicitdream]

Plasti-dip rims

How does the plastidip hold up to things like car washes and such? im kind of nervous about that, because i dont want to be painting my rims every other weekend.

Rather quite well from what I have heard and seen... On Dipyourcar.com and on YouTube there are videos of him blasting the plastidip with a power washer and it holds extremely well. Just like rebelbowtie said the more coats the better. Good Luck and can't wait to see the finished results!:bluejump:

 

[trailhead98]

So the tire place is gonna be really careful when they put tires on those? I doubt that...plasti dip is GREAT for so many things..but id just paint your wheels..just my 2 cents. Looks good, good luck.

 

[kac0825]

Didn't think about when they put the tire on either! This was rather spur of the moment. The outside rim of the tire isn't painted though, so that hopefully will help minimize the amount they scratch it. Worst case scenario, i have to touch up the plasti-dip not worried about that.

And the reason i decided to go with plasti-dip over regular painting is because i've heard from numerous people that its easier to work with, and ends up holding better in the long run. Im sure this is an opinion thing, but so far they look good so im happy :surfer:

 

[kac0825]

So the tire place is gonna be really careful when they put tires on those? I doubt that...plasti dip is GREAT for so many things..but id just paint your wheels..just my 2 cents. Looks good, good luck.

BTW: How do you like your treadwrights? I plan on ordering the guard dogs, which are the MT's. Opinions on em?

 

[trailhead98]

BTW: How do you like your treadwrights? I plan on ordering the guard dogs, which are the MT's. Opinions on em?

I love him. Cant beat them for the price, they are a lot heavier than a normal tire...so youll notice that. Also getting the tire place to static.balance them which is the requirement from treadwright, was kinda a hassle but was fine once explained. But over all great tires and i would def buy again.

 

[rebelbowtie]

I love him. Cant beat them for the price, they are a lot heavier than a normal tire...so youll notice that. Also getting the tire place to static.balance them which is the requirement from treadwright, was kinda a hassle but was fine once explained. But over all great tires and i would def buy again.

Why would you want to do static balance on a tire? I understand these things are re-treads (which I'd never personally run) but that to me seems like an even better reason to get dynamic or road force balancing done since it is much more accurate measurement. Static test are archaic in terms of balancing

 

[kac0825]

Why would you want to do static balance on a tire? I understand these things are re-treads (which I'd never personally run) but that to me seems like an even better reason to get dynamic or road force balancing done since it is much more accurate measurement. Static test are archaic in terms of balancing

From what i've heard they're retreads, but theyre supposed to be more complexly made so that it doesn't lower the integrity as much as a traditional retread. Idk, never had em but what ive heard.

And thats awesome news! Like you said for the price im definitely going to give it a go. So they have to be static balanced?

 

[trailhead98]

Why would you want to do static balance on a tire? I understand these things are re-treads (which I'd never personally run) but that to me seems like an even better reason to get dynamic or road force balancing done since it is much more accurate measurement. Static test are archaic in terms of balancing

Yeah read up on it. But Treadwright says it has to do with the way the tires are weighted when retreaded. But if you dont do a static balance, you dont recieve the warranty treadwright offers. Ive read guys that got dynamic balance on them and they road terrible and did not feel right.

 

[trailhead98]

From what i've heard they're retreads, but theyre supposed to be more complexly made so that it doesn't lower the integrity as much as a traditional retread. Idk, never had em but what ive heard.

And thats awesome news! Like you said for the price im definitely going to give it a go. So they have to be static balanced?

Yeah just go to their site and do a little searching they are so helpful. Dont wanna jack this thread! I apologize haha.

 

[kac0825]

Yeah just go to their site and do a little searching they are so helpful. Dont wanna jack this thread! I apologize haha.

Lol no dude, i want to get treadwrights so this is more beneficial to me then me telling about how i plasti dipped my rims.

Im getting them for sure, so they have to be static balanced. So if i go to the show and tell them to balance them that way, they can? And will know what i'm talking about?

 

[trailhead98]

Lol no dude, i want to get treadwrights so this is more beneficial to me then me telling about how i plasti dipped my rims.

Im getting them for sure, so they have to be static balanced. So if i go to the show and tell them to balance them that way, they can? And will know what i'm talking about?

Yeah, Treadwright instructs you to have them static balanced. I took them to a local tire shop, first of all they were astonished that they were retreads cause they look so good. And secondly they were a little confused as to why they required this, however treadwright gives you a bright yellow card they explains how and why to balance them this way. So I just came into the shop and showed them that and told them about the warranty and they didnt have a problem with it. So a slight hassle but nothing serious. I told them they can always call Treadwright customer service if they have any doubts haha.