rickstar20000 Posted October 18, 2011 Report Share Posted October 18, 2011 ok... have a set of 18' matrix shadow (similar to new astra wheels) sitting in my loft.. not sure wether to just refurb in boring silver of do a white finish and contrast bits of my car.. then had the weird idea of wrapping them in carbon fibre.. this would be cheaper than refurbing them. can this be done? was goin to put a rim protector on to stop damage in tyre replacement. possible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Briano Posted October 18, 2011 Report Share Posted October 18, 2011 someone did wrap wheel last year some time, try hitting google Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c.a.r. Posted October 18, 2011 Report Share Posted October 18, 2011 I'm of the 'boring old man' opinion that wheels shouldn't be a lairy colour on a road car, as you (usually) just look a bit of a chav. Subtle silver or a darker anthracite will do on most cars. Something I've always wanted is some 'Shadow chrome' wheels, which is a paint finish you find on a lot of BMWs, like this - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpsmith79 Posted October 18, 2011 Report Share Posted October 18, 2011 Yeah Kar1 wrapped his wheels, but he only put the wrap onto the outside face of the wheel/spokes IIRC My biggest worry would be how well it would hold up to the extreme heat cycles everyday and constant battering of brake dust Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CelicaBen190 Posted October 18, 2011 Report Share Posted October 18, 2011 I suppose you could wrap them, then lacquer over it? Could also be a mess though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InsolentMinx Posted October 18, 2011 Report Share Posted October 18, 2011 You could carbon skin them, maybe? Imagine it'd be harder than wrapping, but would definitely be more robust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickstar20000 Posted October 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2011 (edited) hmmm been googling away and not found many.. think it should be ok cos they are a simple 5 spoke with sharp edges.may do 1 and if looks shabby just take it off again. Edited November 10, 2011 by rickstar20000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slugster Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 T'was me who wrapped a spare set of G7 wheels I acquired. To be honest the result was not up to my expectations. Heat didn't seem to be a problem tho, but brake dust and road dirt made a nice home for itself in the 3d bits of the wrap in no time at all. Attempting to keep them clean has caused a fair bit of lifting under the inner edges near the centres and around the bolt holes. These wheels have now been relegated to behind my shed and may well come out again for winter use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyper-wrap Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 Been done by lotsa people on various forums I've been on. Even a video on youtube showin you how to do it. Wouldn't bother with anything 3d as above..would collect shit in no time. I'm debating wether to wrap mine in matte black till winter buggers off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coralreef Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 They look really nice, I'm putting my Toyota ones back on for winter as they've got tons of tread on compared to my current wheels ... I was going to sand them down and spray them (badly) however I might try wrapping them (badly) instead, if i fail will just go back to the paint idea, cheers for the pics, did you sand them first to get the wrap to stick better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slugster Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 Before I did the wrappng I sprayed the wheels in Ford graphite grey but left the bits to wrapped in primer (and overspray), this may be what has caused the lifting at the edges to happen. Any sort of vinyl will stick better to a smooth glossy finish rather than a matt one. So if you have a smooth surface leave it that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyper-wrap Posted October 20, 2011 Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 They look really nice, I'm putting my Toyota ones back on for winter as they've got tons of tread on compared to my current wheels ... I was going to sand them down and spray them (badly) however I might try wrapping them (badly) instead, if i fail will just go back to the paint idea, cheers for the pics, did you sand them first to get the wrap to stick better? All you need is a smooth surface...and it has to be clean. The vinyl self adheres via heating it up to mould it to the shape of the item you're wrapping. If the wheels are badly kerbed and so on...they'd probably be better off being sanded down to make them as smooth as possible and then sprayed. Ray at RTP informed me that you really need to wait 6 weeks after spraying something before sticking wrap to it, I'd imagine it'd because the paint and wrap would bond together and make a REET mess when you come to remove the vinyl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickstar20000 Posted October 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 goin to give it a go.. if it looks w%*k i will just get them refurbed like the original plan was. whats the best vinyl to use and where to get it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts