ggesq

iTrader: (1)

My 8.5's were in really bad shape (bought that way) so I decided to get them powdercoated.

Before:





After:

Image that the shop sent me:



After gettting them home:






Overall, I'm pretty happy with the way they came out. There were a couple of dings along the edges of a rim or two the place couldn't completely smooth out without ruining the lip. They look dark at night- kinda like Tyler's.

Got them done for a fairly reasonable price as well- $295.00 with a 5 year warranty. Place I got them done at is http://www.wellprotectedwheels.com/. Lou has been there for 27 years and he was very easy to deal with.

Anyway, let me know what you think.

CLtotheTL32

iTrader: (3)

Hell yes! Those look great! Congrats

JTS97Z28

iTrader: (4)

OMG those look amazing! I would buy those from you in a heartbeat! I bought an amazing set from paperboy a while back that were the perfect shade of dark gray and I ended up selling them while I was in the process of selling my 08 Carbon Bronze Type S....and I regret it soo much as they would look incredible on my MRP S.

I think the 18x8.5" aspecs with slightly darker than stock powder coating is the best wheel you can get for the a 3G. Thanks for posting the info regarding who did the work because its hard, if not impossible to find mint 8.5's these days. They have all been dragged along a curb 20 times by now. Great to know if I can find a set that I can have him finish them with that same color. Post all the pics you got :-)

but no seriously, if you wanted those sold I would paypal you right now lol.

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

James for you- sorry for the photo quality- they were taken with an Iphone

terdonal

Looks good, would be nice to see them on the car.

rockyfeller

iTrader: (6)

Beautiful. I was thinking of doing the same thing, my gunmetal A-Specs look like they have been through a war. I just never did a respray because I know that exact OEM color is hard to match and I didn't want to lose that nice OEM sheen. If a shop just uses regular ol paint, I feel that it just won't withstand the heat, salt etc. that wheels go through. That's why I thought powdercoating would be the best bet.

Usually I see powdercoated items in flat colors only for some reason. If I did it I would want metallic gunmetal. Are those metallic?

rockyfeller

iTrader: (6)

I agree. I was trying to picture gunmetals on your color, I don't think I have ever seen that combo before. Would look really nice.

MAS

iTrader: (3)

Look great, congrats!

guitarplayer16

iTrader: (8)

I feel the exact same way about my rims

Looks good ggesq!

cokorote

iTrader: (1)

$295.00 with a 5 year warranty? That is incredible deal! Every place in South Florida charge more than $500 and no warranty.

JTS97Z28

iTrader: (4)

Yeah, I have seen one or two MRP Type S's with the newer 8" aspec wheels and IMO they just dont look the same as the 8.5's. Even though they arent all that different, the different lips and flatter face makes the difference I think. Plus with a little bit darker powdercoating it would just make the car. If I can track down another set I will buy them.






You wont lose any sheen whatsoever with a quality powder coat job. Plus, the OEM Aspec wheels never came in a dark enough color...atleast for my liking, they were just too light. OEM Type S color is good or even just a tad darker. What ggesq just had done looks perfect IMO.
Here is a picture of my previous Type S (08 CBP lowered on H&R sports), with powder coated 8.5's. I used the dark Type S center caps on them and it even made them look better without the chrome logo that sticks out that they normally come with. I want these again sooooo bad haha.

DarkTower19

^^ Looks great and goes perfectly with CBP.

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

Yes sir not flat at all.

feynman314

Congrats man, those look BO$$

Boogsephine

They look amazing! Can't wait to get mine put on my TL. Now I want to powder coat!

Slpr04UA6

Look Great Joe!


Throw some 255/40's on there, and mount 'em!

nttstt444

iTrader: (1)

Oh my, those look amazing!

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

ggesq-those look outstanding, brother!

mattpete

iTrader: (4)

those look A MA ZING

love those wheels in a darker color!!

yoks032rs

$295 that's a very good deal. I paid 400 with no warranty...I think. ggesq do you
remember what process they used to strip them? The PC company used a chemical
treatment rather than sandblast for my wheels.The reason well there reason was they
had issues with sandblasting wheels and having very very small holes in the material
and causing air lose when inflating the tires to psi specs, well that's what they told me.
JW

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

I'm not sure but I will ask for you.

MAS

iTrader: (3)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slpr04UA6

Look Great Joe!


Throw some 255/40's on there, and mount 'em!

245/35/18 is where its at for A-Specs.....oh, and 15 & 20 mm spacers too.







Hey ggesq, we were talking about trading A-Specs the other day....i'm ready now. I'll take them off your hands for you. Hahaha.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

robowarrio

Damn! Those wheels look sick!! Congrats man!! Now can I have them?? :P

Undying Dreams

iTrader: (3)

Congrats! They look awesome I loved seeing Tyler's so if these are similar...

eyedrop

iTrader: (2)

The shop did a great job with the powdercoating.

I end up getting the 18x8 because it's hard to chase after the unicorn. You have a nice rare set here.

Stephen00TL

Those look great.

gatrhumpy

iTrader: (1)

GGESQ, I'll pay you $5 to come and hump those wheels for 1 minute. Gorgeous.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

^^^^ Yep, we'll need video here.....

CubanLynx84

iTrader: (2)

Those look great! got me thinking of sending mine down there to get done.

rockyfeller

iTrader: (6)

I know some guys have done 255-245/35/18s on the 8.5" A-Specs. I did a lot of researching before deciding my route but I found those sizes hard to find with limited selection in all-seasons. Also there is QUITE a price differential it really jumps up at those sizes. Couldn't find any quality tire less than $200/tire. So I went with 245/40/18. Hardly a price difference, easier to find, minimal speedometer error, good handling and definitely looks meatier. I'd still want to do those 35s but I think 40s are wiser for me because these are actually for my winter wheels.

What are the opinions about the powdercoating heating process? Some say powedercoating is not advised for wheels because heating the wheels up too much during the process can damage the wheels, particularly if they are forged wheels. What about A-Specs?

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

I haven't seen a definitive answer on the PC heating issue. I'm sure there are instances of people who have PC their wheels that have suffered failures but IMHO there are way too many variables that come into play when trying to answer one way or another. I don't track my car and whether a wheel is PC or not, if you hit a pothole hard enough it's gonna cause damage. Further, in all my time on AZ and specifically in the 3G section- I have never seen an ASPEC wheel that was PC suffer some sort of failure.

RU_JELLY

iTrader: (1)

those look money