When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Plasti Dipped OEM Rims with Black Acura Wheel Center Cap Decals
Hi everyone,
Unfortunately, it's that lovely time of year when us lucky Michiganders get to take off our nice rims and are forced to put our winter boots on. It's always sad when the Motegi's have to go into hibernation
Anyways, let's get to the reason for my thread...
I was never really a fan of plain black Plasti Dipped rims, so I first tried taping off a design to add some character to the OEM rims. Unfortunately, I failed miserably and it turned out like crap. There was no need for an "after" picture of this epic fail.
This is my attempt at being innovative.
I don't know why I thought this would look good.
Here we go! Fail...
Anyways, I just decided to utilize the standard approach and Plasti Dipped the entire rim (front and back).
When putting the rims on my car, the breaker bar slipped and I chipped off a tiny section of Plasti Dip near the center cap. Please don't judge
It turned out better than I thought it would. For winter rims, I can deal. Take it or leave it haha.
When I Plasti Dipped my first rim, I made sure to insert cardboard pieces in between the rim and the tire (as you can see in the previous pictures). It seems like everyone and their brother recommends doing this in order to prevent oversray from getting on your tire. However, when I attempted to remove the cardboard pieces, the Plasti Dip adhered strongly to the cardboard itself and I had to use a utility knife to cut along the perimeter of the rim in order to separate the cardboard from the rest of the Plasti Dip on the rim. Additionally, the cardboard slits left a very ridged and ugly line all along the outer perimeter of the rim. I could see the aluminum showing through along the edge (sorry I didn't get pictures of this). Anyways, long story short, I recommend not inserting cardboard pieces. The Plasti Dip pretty much came right off of my tires with a little patience and elbow grease. It's definitely worth having a crisp solid line to help reduce the risk of peeling. I do recommend that you tape off any lettering that you may want to protect though.
Lastly, I ordered some Acura black circle wheel center cap decals to go with my Plasti Dipped rims. I was hesitant with the decal-look at first, but, I wasn't about to spend big bucks on brand new black center caps for my winter rims. Those stupid things are expensive! When I received the decals, I noticed that the the decal was actually made out of 3m vehicle vinyl (good quality). Once I installed them, I was pretty pleased with how well they accented the silver lug nuts. Here is a link for the decals that I purchased:
I'm from the Grand Rapids area and we just received our first big snow storm this past week. So far, I haven't noticed any chipping or peeling from the winter environment, but I will continue to keep an eye on it.
In total, I would estimate that I sprayed about 5 coats of Plasti Dip on each rim. I did this mainly because I made the mistake of initially applying the Plasti Dip when the cans were too cold. The liquid came out very blotchy at first, so I waited for the cans to warm up and did the best I could at evening out the spray. Normally, I think 3-4 coats should suffice for harsh winter climates. In the end, I think that mine turned out pretty good, but I was really worried after applying my first coat. Plasti Dip is tough stuff though, so I don't foresee any issues occurring. We shall see what happens in the upcoming months though.
It's been about a month and a half and I have to say that the Plasti Dip is far exceeding my expectations. Despite trucking through ice, snow, and salt on a daily basis (Gosh, why don't I move) the wheels are pretty much in the same condition from a quality perspective. They're obviously dirty and its hard to tell if they're stained from the road debris, but I plan to give my car another thorough washing this weekend if it isn't too cold and will post pictures after.
1) I think you might have had issues with the cardboard around the rim because it's so thick. I've seen it done with playing cards, but never anything as thick as corrugated cardboard. That might have played a part in your troubles removing it.
2) You could use old graffiti trick of heating up the cans themselves before using. I'm not advising or condoning (ie. do at your own risk) but putting the cans in a pot of boiling water for a few seconds, shaking, and rewarming (repeat) will help thin out the contents as well as increase the pressure to get a thinner coat. Of course, leave it in too long and you'll have a dipped stove and kitchen.
11-26-2016, 02:19 AM
