Are steelies realistic, long term?

[GPPBronco]

Hey all! I’ll jump right to it… for those of you who are steelies diehards, any signs of how difficult these are gonna be to maintain?

Literally from day one - when my dealer swapped the stock Duellers for 33” Wildpeaks - I had scratches down to bare metal in several places. The dealer did right by me and agreed to powder coat them at no charge.

They look great but I soon noticed that the powder coating media didn’t make it down into the seams, and now there is surface rust starting. In Michigan that’s a non-starter and will absolutely be a problem after a single Detroit winter.

Hands down, I’ve been a steelies guy from the start. Ordered my ‘23 Base non-sas toward the end of the ‘21 and only once did I deviate from this plan and switched my order to a non-Sas Black Diamond. Steelies were mandatory for me and I haven’t wavered - but it’s complicated now.

I was thinking about picking up another set of steelies. But, every set I see is marred up (always down to bare metal) at least in the place where the wheel weights were pried off. So I’m tempted to get a set media blasted/powder coated correctly. But every place I talk to says that getting the media into the seam will be an issue for them as well.

So, for anybody with powder coating experience: is it true that I’m chasing something that isn’t possible?

Looking for ideas. Aftermarket alloys that look vintage and have a high-offset like our +55 steelies is all I’d want to consider.

Please don’t tell me I need to buy a set of big bend or OBX takeoffs.

Thanks in advance for your insights.

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[Beach_Bum]

I would grab another set for just winter use. Sure there is the added expense for tires.

 

[lapazleo]

Vehicles have had steel wheels for at least a century almost exclusivley till the early 90s other than a few here and there with something else. Rusting out wheels were not an issue, frames and bodies were another story. Besides aluminum wheels can corrode as bad or worse particularly on the bead surface which causes tires to leak. Steel wheels are easier to clean up rusty areas and repaint than aluminum are to remove and repair corroded spots. When it's all said and done regular washes are the best bet for either type of wheel.

 

[redone17]

They’re $125 a pop. Mine are beat up here and there from rocks, etc - but, they’re cheap to replace.

I just bought a bottle of black Rustoleum that you can brush on or use the pen. They still look fine 2 years later. But, I’m not looking to win any car shows or anything.

 

[userdude]

I know, probably cheaper to move to Texas than buy more steel rims. Geez!

 

[Lowcountry Bronco]

Steelies have been around forever and yes, over time will surface rust if the paint is scratched. Simple thing is to just sand, tape off and respray as needed, that's what makes them so easy! I've had to do it a couple of times on my old Ranger just from daily use and they look close enough to new when done.

 

[BigHoof]

Being just a steel wheel, why not coat them with a rust preventative of some kind. Reapply as needed.

 

[JohnnyBronco]

Being just a steel wheel, why not coat them with a rust preventative of some kind. Reapply as needed.

Powder coated from the factory steel wheels can still be can sprayed annually to preserve appearance.

Steel wheels.
Pro. Won't or shouldn't leak air like almost a porous alloy wheels eventually will.

Con. Paint will chip or be scraped just from installing tires. No tire shop I know of uses plastic install irons. They are called tire irons for a reason

Pro. Wheel weights are crimped on instead of glued and should stay in position better.

 

[redone17]

Just wish they made black wheel weights…

 

[HoosierDaddy]

So I’m tempted to get a set media blasted/powder coated correctly.

I swear I saw this post a while ago.... Deja vu all over again.



This is exactly why I dislike powder coating. It is not the miracle most people think it is. Once it is compromised (scratched) , the corrosion just runs rampant under that coating. Think of it as a shrink wrap, it never really bonds with the steel.

I think I'd rather sand blast and then spray with an epoxy primer and color coat of your choice. It will be almost as durable, more so in some aspects, and MUCH easier to repair.

The gritty texture that sandblasting leaves behind is an excellent surface for the primer to adhere to, and that scratched epoxy "seal"/adhesion will stay intact much longer than damaged PVC coating.
IE, if the epoxy gets scratched, the rust will spread much slower than when it gets trapped behind the PVC.

I wouldn't be surprised if the epoxy might seal up the void somewhat better than the PVC powder coating as well.

As for the rust now in that crevice, you could try an acid dip, but that acid will creep deep in there and eventually it will find its way back out again.

 

[Jason Sandsux]

Base with BD wheels powder coated body color.
Just spray some WD40 on then a couple times a year and be done.

 

[Jtbob3]

An E-coat /powder coat combo could work well. E coat gets into all of the nooks and crannies, has excellent corrosion resistance, and has excellent adhesion to steel parts. But it does not look great. The color can vary across a surface. Not a lot, but noticeable. So a powder coat is applied over top to give the appearance you want. I used to design a lot of automotive parts and everything got that combo.

You could still chip the powder coat, but the e-coat should prevent the rust.

Finding a place to e-coat could be a problem. Everywhere I know is set up for high volume automotive production and they would not take walk ins.

 

[AIR-EEYA-FIFF-T-WUNN]

Not a fan of my steelies. I've been through 1.2 winters here in Upstate NY and there's quite a bit of rust developing already. I failed to do any preventative treatments, but I shouldn't have had a result such as this. I don't plan on keeping them much longer, so I'm not overly concerned. Plus, from my experience, steelies just seem to leak air somehow when the weather fluctuates...could be my imagination.

 

[Gabby]

I'm down in Milwaukee so I get your concerns. If you're really worried I'd look for a good powder coater and just have them redone. Especially if you have the ability to pull and transport all 5 rims.

I know the dealer did right by having them redone, but there's a difference between a shop that also does powder coating and a shop that only does powder coating and metal finishes.

 

[Stigsdad]

CRC's Marine Corrosion Inhibitor is what you're looking for. Spray in the seam between hoop and center, wipe off excess...apply more liberally on the backside seams.

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