Wheel rim choice – Diamond Cut or Powder Coated?

Anything F-Type related......
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RPSN
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Post by RPSN »

I’m considering replacing the 19 inch Propeller wheels on my car with 20 inch Gyrodynes. If I did, this would be sometime in the future as I've recently had new Michelin PS4S tyres fitted to the rears. I prefer silver coloured wheels rather than dark colours but the Gyrodynes are a mix of both (grey and aluminium).

I understand that when you go from 19 inch to 20 inch wheels the speedo needs to be recalibrated. Also, the Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) valves must be correctly programmed to the TPMS system as explained in this link........viewtopic.php?f=27&t=728

After speaking with an alloy wheel refurbishment specialist he informed me that although the Gyrodynes look really good on the F-Type they are much more susceptible to corrosion than powder coated rims. He said that it’s very rare to get any longer than 2 years out of a diamond cut or polished wheel before corrosion sets in which can happen in a number of ways e.g....

(a) If the wheel is insufficiently outgassed prior to coating, leaving moisture in the metal.

(b) Poor quality metal.

(c) Scuffing - As soon as the wheel is scuffed on the polished section, even by the centre cap chipping the inner hub, or tyre companies when fitting rims etc, the moisture will spread quickly and cause lacquer peel and corrosion.

The thought of having the Gyrodynes refurbished every 2 years or so doesn’t appeal to me as I intend to keep this car for many years.

For those F-Type owners who have or have had Gyrodynes fitted can I ask what they are like with regards to corrosion etc?

P.S. My car is not garaged and is used all year round (although a bit less in the winter when the roads are icy and loaded with salt).

TIA
Last edited by RPSN on Wed Jun 24, 2020 12:41 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Myer
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Post by Myer »

Well I have had the 20 inch Gyrodynes as a factory option for 6 years, on my 2014 F-Type R Coupe, with no corrosion whatsoever. Maybe if they have been poorly refurbished otherwise absolutely not, I can highly recommend them.
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Post by RPSN »

That's good to know, thanks.

Is your car also ungaraged and used all year round (with exceptions) like mine is?
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Tel
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Post by Tel »

After speaking with an alloy wheel refurbishment specialist -....... - He said that it’s very rare to get any longer than 2 years out of a diamond cut or polished wheel before corrosion sets in which can happen in a number of ways e.g....
That's the problem with a lot of specialists...they know about 80% of what they should and I'd say he's trying to sell you a powder coat option!

So long as you wash your car, say once every two weeks to keep corrosive materials like salt away and don't ram curbs, then 10 years should be achievable in my experience.

He was right on one account...Gyro's do look nice on an F-Type, but every F-Type looks nice, even if it's got no wheels in my book.
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Post by scm »

Tel wrote: Sun Jun 21, 2020 3:40 pm... but every F-Type looks nice, even if it's got no wheels in my book.
That depends on the choice of brick, surely? :D
I think you'd be hard pressed to get any wheels in your book ... :shock:
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Tel
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Post by Tel »

They will fit, so long as it's the 19'' :)

Screen Shot 2020-06-21 at 20.14.55.png

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Post by RPSN »

Tel wrote: Sun Jun 21, 2020 3:40 pm
After speaking with an alloy wheel refurbishment specialist -....... - He said that it’s very rare to get any longer than 2 years out of a diamond cut or polished wheel before corrosion sets in which can happen in a number of ways e.g....
That's the problem with a lot of specialists...they know about 80% of what they should and I'd say he's trying to sell you a powder coat option!

So long as you wash your car, say once every two weeks to keep corrosive materials like salt away and don't ram curbs, then 10 years should be achievable in my experience.

He was right on one account...Gyro's do look nice on an F-Type, but every F-Type looks nice, even if it's got no wheels in my book.

I was only interested in the diamond cut wheels he had (this is what our conversation was based on) so fair play to him......he genuinely wasn’t trying to steer me towards a powder coat option.

As for washing my car once every two weeks.......it’s more like four to five times every two weeks lol.

I try my best not to ram curbs but I did have a slight argument with one a few weeks ago......I posted the photos of the rash!

10 years without any corrosion issues on your wheels is a good achievement......especially if they are/were diamond cut.

My local wheel specialist (not the one who had the wheels I was interested in) are renowned for their excellent work and this is what they say on their website regarding diamond cut and powder coating.......

“Corrosion in diamond cut wheels is very common. Applying lacquer to a polished surface simply defies gravity, it is very difficult to achieve a long lasting finish when applying lacquer to a shiny surface. Small stone chips allow water in behind the lacquer and in time causes the lacquer to deteriorate and appear cloudy.”

"Diamond cut wheels will not retain their finish for as long as a powder coated wheel. Any damage to the lacquer however small will allow water to seep in-between the lacquer and the alloy leaving 'milky patches' on the diamond cut finish area."

“Diamond cutting involves removing a thin layer of alloy from the wheel using specialist lathing equipment. Diamond cut wheels can only be refurbished a number of times as too much alloy would eventually be removed. You may wish to consider our powder coat refurbishment as a durable and long lasting refurbishment method instead.”

https://www.thewheelspecialist.co.uk/al ... cutprocess

P.S. I’m sure the 20 inch wheels would also fit in that book of yours :)
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Post by NBC fdff »

19k miles later, daily driver in Scotland. No issues at all
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Philskill
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Post by Philskill »

Hi RPSN, In can say the diamond cut on my Evoque did start corroding slightly with only 1 use in winter. I now have a different set for winter. The trouble is you can see the corrosion as soon as it starts, under paint you can get away with it a lot longer, although it's still happening. Any stone chip or scratch will let the corrosion start.

And JLR stopped doing the diamond cuts on the Evoque, replacing them as painted versions, so that says a lot too.

I found 1 stone chip on the diamond cut surface of my gyrodynes while I was ceramic coating them, so very carefully cleaned it out with a needle and touched in some lacquer, can only hope its was enough in time!

The wheels are better finished than the Evoques, but if your outside in winter and very finicky about your car then it may not be the best choice, but they are lovely!
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Post by RPSN »

Abdul wrote: Sun Jun 21, 2020 10:41 pm 19k miles later, daily driver in Scotland. No issues at all

Good to know that from Scotland, thanks
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