ceramic coating for LE wheels?

Natek · Dec 30, 2019

Hey guys

Few questions-
Do ceramic coatings on wheels really help with brake dust and dirt or is it a gimmick?
Will ceramic coating apply a gloss finish or are there types that are made matte wheels like the LE all blacks?
Is this a one and done process or do you have to keep reapplying?
Which is recommended (again for LE wheels)?

Half Vast · Dec 30, 2019

Natek said:
Hey guys

Few questions-
Do ceramic coatings on wheels really help with brake dust and dirt or is it a gimmick?
Will ceramic coating apply a gloss finish or are there types that are made matte wheels like the LE all blacks?
Is this a one and done process or do you have to keep reapplying?
Which is recommended (again for LE wheels)?

From my experience, ceramic coating on the rims do not help with brake dust. Still must be washed with a brush or a mitt. Foam cannon and pressure wash just does not remove the brake dust alone.

The coating on my rims is glossy. Unsure about matte wheels.

Like any ceramic, it will have to be reapplied. I'm sure the brake dust will hasten the reapplication.

Sorry, no LE here; not much help on this question.

Natek · Dec 30, 2019

:/ oh well. if brake dust still accumulates and cant just be sprayed away that makes it not really worth it. Detailing he wheels every time the car is washed does get old fast so I was seeing what I could do about it.

s219 · Dec 30, 2019

I am mixed on ceramics -- yes they have some great benefits, but they also require periodic reapplication/maintenance to maintain the capabilities and benefits. I have a ceramic coat on my M2C (body and wheels) and it's good but I think regular wax would also be good if I was giving it a reload spray and buff every time I washed the car and wheels.

If the ceramic coating makes the wheels any easier to clean, I can't tell. The M brakes dump out an insane amount of dust and the wheels are complicated and hard to wash.

JasonO · Dec 31, 2019

The dust still sticks but it doesn’t appear to bind as well IMO. So you still need to scrub, just not as hard. The only issue is you need to reapply much more often as the scrubbing wears away the coating fairly quickly. I typically reapply when I rotate tires since I give them a good cleaning when off.

Essentially your trading time. It may last longer if you pressure wash the wheels or have meticulous wheel washing habits. It still won’t last near as long as on bodywork. I feel that by the time I get to 5,000 miles hey driving, the coating is practically gone.

Half Vast · Dec 31, 2019

JasonO said:
Essentially your trading time. It may last longer if you pressure wash the wheels or have meticulous wheel washing habits.

Agreed on trading time. I've started using Gyeon Iron to help with removing the brake dust. I don't have to really scrub the wheels but still use a wheel brush to assist with the cleaning. It's the last thing I do when washing the car. Make sure the wheels are wet, spray the Gyeon Iron on, wait until it turns purple (lets you know its working), hit it with the wheel brush and power wash it off. I'll probably use the suggestion of reapplying the ceramic coating when I rotate the tires.

https://gyeonquartz.com/product/iron/

Famo · Dec 31, 2019

I'm actually debating this too. I'm told forsure this will make cleaning the rims easier and will not have as much brake dust. He's also telling me that ceramic coating the car is better than ppf and charging me $1900 for the coat. Feel like that's a little overpriced no? Might just end up calling around and doing a full body Xpel Stealth and coating over that.

JasonO · Jan 3, 2020

Famo said:
I'm actually debating this too. I'm told forsure this will make cleaning the rims easier and will not have as much brake dust. He's also telling me that ceramic coating the car is better than ppf and charging me $1900 for the coat. Feel like that's a little overpriced no? Might just end up calling around and doing a full body Xpel Stealth and coating over that.

Ceramics are like a long term wax. You apply it once every several years. They do not protect the paint from rock chips, minor abrasions, scratches, etc. They provide some protection from bird droppings, chemicals, tar and make the car easier to wash.

PPF is protection against physical damage along with locking in your paint’s state when applied. It protects against chemicals but doesn’t tolerate them well (like paint). Ceramic coating the film provides the chemical protection for the film and allows for easier cleaning long term. With that said, full PPF protection is not cheap.

If you like gloss, I’d do a full frontal PPF (hood, front bumper, front and rear panels behind the wheel, and mirrors) with ceramic over the whole car.

$1900 is high. I would expect paint correction along with two coats and a top coating at that price. If you just go ceramic, I’d do the iron rinse, clay bar, and IPA wipe and do the coatings yourself with a quality coating system.

Honestly it sounds like your guy realized he underbid the PPF or he won’t be able to provide the quality you both desire once he started researching and is looking for a way out while still making good money.

EDIT: Ceramics do not really enhance gloss much if at all, they only protect what is there. PPF can provide some gloss, but if the paint has blemishes, they will show. So with either system, unless you go matte ppf, if you need paint correction, you cannot avoid it if you want a flawless finish.

Famo · Jan 4, 2020

JasonO said:
Ceramics are like a long term wax. You apply it once every several years. They do not protect the paint from rock chips, minor abrasions, scratches, etc. They provide some protection from bird droppings, chemicals, tar and make the car easier to wash.

PPF is protection against physical damage along with locking in your paint’s state when applied. It protects against chemicals but doesn’t tolerate them well (like paint). Ceramic coating the film provides the chemical protection for the film and allows for easier cleaning long term. With that said, full PPF protection is not cheap.

If you like gloss, I’d do a full frontal PPF (hood, front bumper, front and rear panels behind the wheel, and mirrors) with ceramic over the whole car.

$1900 is high. I would expect paint correction along with two coats and a top coating at that price. If you just go ceramic, I’d do the iron rinse, clay bar, and IPA wipe and do the coatings yourself with a quality coating system.

Honestly it sounds like your guy realized he underbid the PPF or he won’t be able to provide the quality you both desire once he started researching and is looking for a way out while still making good money.

EDIT: Ceramics do not really enhance gloss much if at all, they only protect what is there. PPF can provide some gloss, but if the paint has blemishes, they will show. So with either system, unless you go matte ppf, if you need paint correction, you cannot avoid it if you want a flawless finish.

Yea I ended up finding a guy that's done 5 supra's already in ultimate. Told him what I was looking for and he has a discount right now that's PPF + ceramic coat 35% off. Right now he has me at about 6.5k for the entire car (custom not precut) in stealth + Modesta ceramic coating on top of the ppf, wheels and interior of car. I'm pretty much set on doing this. I like the ultimate gloss look, but I think for white that stealth looks ridiculously good plus its going to be super easy to maintain with the Modesta coating.

changyin1 · Jan 6, 2020

Got mine done here in SoCal with detox and paint correction, full frontal PPF and mid tier ceramic coating (3-5 years) + window tint was only $1500

tedan628 · Jan 6, 2020

i would say ceramic coat for wheels are just waste of money. It would prob be better to ask your local powdercoat shop to clear coat it for extra protection.

ceramic coating for LE wheels?

Natek

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Half Vast

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Natek

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s219

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JasonO

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Half Vast

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Famo

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JasonO

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Famo

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changyin1

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tedan628

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