Plastidip Trail Wheels w/ Pictures

[Black T]

Quick Writeup

1) Washed wheels with wheel cleaner, soap and water, and then wiped with rubbing alcohol.

2) Tape rims to prevent overspray. I used the good 3m tape for my first pass since it sticks well to most surfaces without leaving residue. I used some cheap painters tape for the rest of my passes.

I used a plastic razor blade to make sure the tape was stuck to tire good.

Also I painted the center caps before the wheels. Below includes several pictures of the caps and how to remove the logos if you wish to do so.

 

[Black T]

3) Lightly coat wheel and let sit 15 minutes

4) Coat #2, still a light coat, but the black is becoming the dominant color of the wheel now.

 

[Black T]

5) Coat #3, heavy coat of plastidip. I found it difficult to get into the inside radius of the holes on the wheels.

6) Coat #4, confriming the wheels have adequate coverage and any minor touchup. Be sure to remove tape during this step while the plastidip is still wet. Let cure for 6-8 hours.

7) Mount back on vehicle, and let wheels cure more..... (Can't I just drive outside and showoff my work yet?)

8) Pull your 4runner outside and enjoy your transformed ride.

Before

After

 

[Black T]

 

[joneseyyy]

Excellent post sir...that looks great.

 

[K.C.]

 

[4RunnerTrail]

looks awesome

 

[IsItMe?]

Very nicely done!:thumb3:

 

[emsmatt]

Great write-up. Ive been waiting for someone to do this write up. Looks awesome!!

 

[04rnr]

:beer: looks GREAT.... Ive been thinking about doing my wheels also, but the first time I hit a trail, it would have been waisted effort and time lol

 

[Jtraskell]

:beer: looks GREAT.... Ive been thinking about doing my wheels also, but the first time I hit a trail, it would have been waisted effort and time lol

Could those wheels be powder coated? And if so, would that not hold up a lot longer/better in the field? (If not forever) They look great, and it was a great write up and instructional post, but I agree, with simple spray paint, not sure if it will hold up very long at all.

 

[Renegad44]

Looks good, great job. :thumb3:

 

[A&F]

Looks great!

 

[Antman]

Very nice! :thumb3: I would paint my SR5 wheels but I am waiting on some feedback as to how well the Plastidip holds up. Wheels live in a tough environment. Please keep is posted!

 

[JAH-T4R]

I myself have been wanting to this same exact thing to my black TE. I just showed my wife and she gave me the go ahead. (Thank you!)

Just to clarify, it only took one can?

Great Work!

 

[fatfaka808]

:thumb3:

 

[04rnr]

Could those wheels be powder coated? And if so, would that not hold up a lot longer/better in the field? (If not forever) They look great, and it was a great write up and instructional post, but I agree, with simple spray paint, not sure if it will hold up very long at all.

Yes, those wheels can be powdercoated, and yes, PC wheels will hold up better than Plasti Dip, but PC will still chip when scrapped againt a rock, and once it chips, then it will peel off.

again, to the OP, awesome job :guitar3: the end product looks factory

 

[Black T]

Very nice! :thumb3: I would paint my SR5 wheels but I am waiting on some feedback as to how well the Plastidip holds up. Wheels live in a tough environment. Please keep is posted!

Will do, I am curious about this as well. I could not find any solid information online about how long it holds up. Even though this is MY daily driver, my wife and I car pool to work together in her Yaris so it will take me some time to put some miles on the wheels. I do take 500 mile round trips back home every month to my farm, so that should be a good test.

Just to clarify, it only took one can?

To coat all 4 wheels I used 3 cans. There is still some plastidip remaining in all cans due to the fact you needed to manipulate the can at all angles to get it out. Resulting in larger splotches of this stuff getting on the wheel and ruining the nice smooth coats that I already applied.

 

[DocMT]

I've read that PlastiDip shouldn't be applied in light coats. Other have said that it is difficult to peel off cleanly if you apply it lightly a few times and then apply a heavier final coating. Did you let the PlastiDip dry between coats (the light coats and the heavy coat)?

The results look good, but I'm just wondering if you'll have problems if you have to peel it off for whatever reason.

BTW, instead of using tape, regular index cards can be stuck between the rim and the tire to prevent spraying the tire with PlastiDip.

 

[tpirman]

This could not be more timely, for myself. I am just a few days away from doing this exact same thing. I have three cans of Plastidip in the garage waiting.

Thanks for doing this and thanks for the write-up! Good tip on removing the tape before the Plastidip dries.