WILDCAT'S Plasti-Dip Wheels DIY

[wildcat333]

After reading multiple other threads, I took a stab at blacking out my OEM Audi 17" split-spoke wheels on my 2008 Audi A4 this weekend with Plasti-Dip. So far I am happy with the results. Here is my do-it-yourself guide:

* Buy Plasti-Dip in an aerosol spray can. I used two 11 oz. spray cans. They cost $8.99 each at my local hardware store. You can also find this spray online. Link to the company for more info: http://www.plastidip.com/home_solutions/Plasti_Dip

* Jack up your car, and put it on jack stands. I had to build a little wooden ramp (1.5" high on the first step, 3.0" high on the second step) because I was too low to get my jack under the car.



* Remove your wheels.





* Thoroughly wash your wheels. I used a pressure washer, sprayed it with some wheel cleaner chemicals, pressure washed again, then wiped by hand. Basically just make sure the wheels are clean. Dry with a clean microfiber cloth or towel.

* Cut up a paper plate, and use blue painter's edging tape to protect the center part of the wheel from the Plasti-Dip. I wanted to make sure my lugs and all moving parts in there still fit properly.



* Tape up the tire valve caps.



* Break apart a toothpick in half, and put both pointy ends into the small hole of your center caps (the small hole meant for the metal tool, which is needed to remove the center caps when they are on the wheel).



* Put notecards around your wheels on the outside. This is meant to protect your tires from getting coated with the Plasti-Dip. Some argue against this, but I feel it was worth the extra time to avoid a mess. Even if the spray is black, I still think it could look terrible all over a black tire. Make note to remove the cards right after you spray each coat, to avoid the cards from becoming attached to the Plasti-Dip (rubbery material when drying).



* Spray your wheels thoroughly with the Plasti-Dip.



* Remove the notecards.

* Wait 45-60 minutes to let it dry.

* Repeat as many times as you want. Two 11 oz. cans was enough for four coats on all four wheels.









I'll probably keep it this way for the winter, and remove the Plasti-Dip in the spring.

[schnell]

Looks sweet, quick question. How many turns did you do when tightening your wheel.

[wildcat333]

Looks sweet, quick question. How many turns did you do when tightening your wheel.

Thanks. I don't know an exact number, but I tightened the lugs as tight as I possibly could - using my own body weight and forcing them tight.

[yungcotter]

I wanna do mine but haven't seen anyone do it to the wheels I have the 14 spoke.

[CorneliusRox]

I just did the same this week. BTW, my wheels sucked to get every edge... But I love it! Makes the car look like it matches my age.

[CorneliusRox]

Oh, and I didnt tape anything. I just sprayed, and you can somewhat tell on the tire, but barely, and it is already 99% gone on the tire (although I just put on about 1500 miles since Thursday when i did this)

[BoSNiaN]

Love your DIYs wildcat!!! Subscribed and please keep us updated as to how the plastidip holds up (before and after the winter)!

[yayjohnny]

good DIY. always like seeing people contribute :)

[Mc Suly]

Nice.

I was going to do this before I powder coat my new wheels.

How do you remove the plasti dip from the wheels?

[Solarsuplex]

Nice.

I was going to do this before I powder coat my new wheels.

How do you remove the plasti dip from the wheels?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLsu6TQPvq4

[yayjohnny]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP_IK...eature=related

blue plasti dip?! owuttttt

[schnell]

I really want to do this. I'm just worried some of it will peel off, considering I wash my car once a week.

[B72.0T]

I really want to do this. I'm just worried some of it will peel off, considering I wash my car once a week.

I feel you on that one.

[AudiTFSI3o3]

surprised there was a DIY for plasti-dippin wheels.

btw OP, you went through all that trouble for taping everything off. why didn't you remove the rings on the wheel cap instead of painting over it?

[Mc Suly]

I heard some people running it through harsh winter / pressure washer spraying & cleaning.
They said it holds up pretty well :O

Peeling it off looks annoying haha!

POWDER COAT [18"] $400-500 vs PLASTI-DIP $20

[jsandor91]

just did mine yesterday! i think it came out pretty good i lost my jack stands so i had to do one wheel at a time
but i think it came out good.

the first pic was my spare to see if i liked the look and the second was only the third coat.

btw Cornelius i wish i had your oem rims.

[jimrobbington]

Yes, they do hold up really well. Could probably last a couple years per paint session. Plasti dip comes in white, black, yellow, red, and blue. The only place I have colors other than black is at Ace Hardware. There is also a mix your own color kit you can order online. Downside is it doesn't come with a spray can, so I'm not sure what kind of a spraying apparatus would be required to do such a thing. But it would be really cool to try different plastidip colors when deciding on a powder coat.

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/ite...5229&catid=699

[event]

Looks good, but there should be concerns as noted above about fading at least. I've had to repaint my grille already after plastidipping because over time it thinned out and developed very nasty looking wear patterns. Wheels should fair a lot worse imo.

[CorneliusRox]

Looks good, but there should be concerns as noted above about fading at least. I've had to repaint my grille already after plastidipping because over time it thinned out and developed very nasty looking wear patterns. Wheels should fair a lot worse imo.

I'm planning on throwing a layer ontop until it starts looking bad, then redo or PC, but I like the diffused look.


jsandor91 - Thanks for the compliment. I love them but I would have loved if they were 18x8.5 instead of 17x7.5

[jsandor91]

yea if they were 18's i would just buy them and call it a day.

i plan on taking it off in the spring so i'm not to worried about fading

[CorneliusRox]

yea if they were 18's i would just buy them and call it a day.

i plan on taking it off in the spring so i'm not to worried about fading

These are my winter wheels now. I have some 18x9's for summer. Gunna try and squeeze some 255/35's on them.

[theklug]

They hold up great. Ran with them all winter in PA. No probs.

We all chimed in on this thread:

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...te-Black.-PICS!!

[B72.0T]

You need some spacers and a little bit more lower man.

[yungcotter]

just did mine yesterday! i think it came out pretty good i lost my jack stands so i had to do one wheel at a time
but i think it came out good.

the first pic was my spare to see if i liked the look and the second was only the third coat.

btw Cornelius i wish i had your oem rims.

Im so doing mine now, We have exact same car btw so now i know what it looks like.

[a3s-line]

In a few weeks time, I will have my plasti dip DIY! OEM TT MkII wheels 8,5X17 on sport suspension and red calipers! Stay tuned!

One question : any other way except the note cards (what is a note card?) .Can newspaper fit as well, paper adheshive tape?

and another one : what happens when I use tire shining foam to shine my tires?

TIA

[wildcat333]

You need some spacers and a little bit more lower man.

I just raised my coils up one inch in preparation for the winter. And yes, spacers sooooon.

Looks good, but there should be concerns as noted above about fading at least. I've had to repaint my grille already after plastidipping because over time it thinned out and developed very nasty looking wear patterns. Wheels should fair a lot worse imo.

Eh, if it fades or becomes shit, I will just remove it, no worries.

surprised there was a DIY for plasti-dippin wheels.

btw OP, you went through all that trouble for taping everything off. why didn't you remove the rings on the wheel cap instead of painting over it?

I feared I would break the little Audi rings on the center cap, plus I just wanted a totally blacked out look.

I really want to do this. I'm just worried some of it will peel off, considering I wash my car once a week.

Yeah, I was wondering about this. I might just do self-service washes, and NOT blast the wheels - we'll see.

I wanna do mine but haven't seen anyone do it to the wheels I have the 14 spoke.

Try it out dude!


>>> Thanks for the comments guys! For $18, and a little time, I transformed the look of my car drastically. It's not for everyone, but it was something fun I wanted to share. I'll post new better pics too later this week.

[wildcat333]

In a few weeks time, I will have my plasti dip DIY! OEM TT MkII wheels 8,5X17 on sport suspension and red calipers! Stay tuned!

One question : any other way except the note cards (what is a note card?) .Can newspaper fit as well, paper adheshive tape?

and another one : what happens when I use tire shining foam to shine my tires?

TIA

Sick. Throw up those pics when you're done!
I think tire shine will be fine, as long as you don't blast the tires/wheels area with water after.
Notecards = Index Cards > http://www.staples.com/Staples-White...oduct_SS233601

[wildcat333]

Im so doing mine now, We have exact same car btw so now i know what it looks like.

Do it, and post up pics dude!

[jsandor91]

yungcotter thats awesome do you have the same oem rims aswell?
like wildcat said post up pics when your done!

[Coderedpl]

Thanks. I don't know an exact number, but I tightened the lugs as tight as I possibly could - using my own body weight and forcing them tight.

You might be surprised to hear that this is too much. They only need about 90lbs or so of torque. I used to do the same until I got a torque wrench and seriously second guessed on the tightness but it's the proper way. No way to really know unless you get a torque wrench though. Juss sayin..

[TravisW0204]

This looks sick. I think I wanna try this out. Great DIY Op. Are there any downsides to doing this?

[TravisW0204]

just did mine yesterday! i think it came out pretty good i lost my jack stands so i had to do one wheel at a time
but i think it came out good.

the first pic was my spare to see if i liked the look and the second was only the third coat.

btw Cornelius i wish i had your oem rims.

That looks sick dude. I like how you have the B8 lights on it. I wanted those for my B7 but I have adaptive headlights and no one has yet to conquer these yet and I don't wanna take the headlights apart and do the whole LED thing.

[agkellyboy]

You might be surprised to hear that this is too much. They only need about 90lbs or so of torque. I used to do the same until I got a torque wrench and seriously second guessed on the tightness but it's the proper way. No way to really know unless you get a torque wrench though. Juss sayin..

I'm embarrassed that it took 30 posts until this was mentioned. If you decide to start working on your own car, the first thing you do is go out and buy a torque wrench. 90 ft/lbs. Do it right or don't do it at all.

Nice wheels though

[yungcotter]

yungcotter thats awesome do you have the same oem rims aswell?
like wildcat said post up pics when your done!

Yezzir same everything.as it sits, only thing different is AWE exhaust isn't on in this pic.

[wildcat333]

You might be surprised to hear that this is too much. They only need about 90lbs or so of torque. I used to do the same until I got a torque wrench and seriously second guessed on the tightness but it's the proper way. No way to really know unless you get a torque wrench though. Juss sayin..

Hmm, good to know. AZ has taught me a lot so far. Can you suggest a good torque wrench? Link?

I'm embarrassed that it took 30 posts until this was mentioned. If you decide to start working on your own car, the first thing you do is go out and buy a torque wrench. 90 ft/lbs. Do it right or don't do it at all.

Nice wheels though

Thanks, and ya, I had no idea. I'm up for suggestions on a good torque wrench from anyone. That can be my next fun tool to buy. I just bought this halogen lighting set for work in the garage - best $50 I've spent in a long time.

[Coderedpl]

Those halogens help keeping a bit warm in the winter too lol

For the torque wrench, I just went to my local auto-parts store and just picked one out. I don't use it as much as a shop would or something but it does the job. I used it for torquing up spark plugs, wheels, and other misc bolts here and there.

[jsandor91]

x2 on torque wrench suggestion. would i need a different one for spark plugs?

yungcotter our cars are twins. dont see many of our rims on az.

[Coderedpl]

x2 on torque wrench suggestion. would i need a different one for spark plugs?

yungcotter our cars are twins. dont see many of our rims on az.

Nope, just different socket.

[theklug]

x3 on the torque wrench. I was cheap the first time around and bought a kobalt one from lowes, used it, then returned it the same day for a full refund.

...then I needed it again and again and it was more of a pain than just buying it for $90....just use it, especially to know your up to spec and your not going to start loosing your lugs on the highway.

[CorneliusRox]

x3 on the torque wrench. I was cheap the first time around and bought a kobalt one from lowes, used it, then returned it the same day for a full refund.

...then I needed it again and again and it was more of a pain than just buying it for $90....just use it, especially to know your up to spec and your not going to start loosing your lugs on the highway.

I Never use mine unless I am doing head studs or bearing caps.