Wheel rim choice – Diamond Cut or Powder Coated?

RPSN

RPSN

New member
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........https://www.ftypeforums.co.uk/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
 
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.
 
That's good to know, thanks.

Is your car also ungaraged and used all year round (with exceptions) like mine is?
 
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....
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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.
 
Tel said:
... but every F-Type looks nice, even if it's got no wheels in my book.
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That depends on the choice of brick, surely? :D
I think you'd be hard pressed to get any wheels in your book ... :shock:
 
Tel said:
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....
Click to expand...

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.
Click to expand...


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/alloy-wheel/finishes/diamond-cutting/#dcutprocess

P.S. I’m sure the 20 inch wheels would also fit in that book of yours :)
 
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!
 
Philskill said:
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!
Click to expand...


Hi Philskill,

That doesn’t say much for the diamond cuts on the Evoque so I can understand why JLR stopped doing them and replaced them with painted versions!

I would think that the lacquer touch up you’ve done on the Gyrodyne should prevent any further corrosion in that area for quite a while. Probably worth checking it every now and again though?

Yep, my car is outside in winter so the wheels etc are more susceptible to corrosion issues.........I need a garage like yours ;)

I agree.....the Gyrodyne’s do look very nice! I’m not in a rush to get them so I’ll ponder for a while before making a decision?
 
I have the Gyrodynes on mine and they seem to be finished in a far better way than the diamond cut alloys I had on a previous Mercedes and on the Mercedes we have now. On my previous merc, once they had started corroding (just over 4 years old) I had them powder coated by thewheelspecialist so that they looked as close as possible to original, but without being diamond cut again. If you looked closely and compared to an original wheel you could tell of course but normally day to day no one would know.
 
I have the 20" Gyrodyne.
When I got the car 18 months ago - I kerbed it twice !
At that time I investigated refurbishment and as pointed out, some of the metal is taken away so not good over the long term
The diamond cut portion was damaged in my kerbing but as I thought this will be common I didn't do anything and so far no corrosiion (and no more Kerbing I might add)

They get a good cleaning every week - no dust allowed to build up
 
No problems for me with the 20" Gyrodyne after 6 years and 21,000 miles! In fairness it is always garaged, used 3 or 4 days a week and lives in Southern Spain.
 
I love the techno babble from the wheel refurb guy. He must have digested a page from a detainer’s forum..
Agree with other posts though that lacquer is a problem. Wheels on Z4’s used to fester away under it within weeks of application..

I’ve had my diamond cut rims for 7 years and 55k. No corrosion at all. Bit of Autosol polishing once a year and some Porboys wheel sealer 2 years ago.
Have a bit of rash on one rim, but that’s my fault and will fix when I get them refurbed that doesn’t look like any day soon..

IMHO fit the rims you want and enjoy the car.
 
Thanks for your replies.

I'm having second thoughts about the diamond cut 'Gyrodynes' after seeing these beauties on the same F-Type model and colour as my own.

In my opinion these powder coated 'Turbine' wheels look amazing on this car!
 

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I'm really happy with the 20" Turbines - I think they have a really nice flow to their form, which compliments the F-Type's design.

Do get them Gtechniq or similar coated as you'll be spending a lot of your life cleaning the brake dust off :D
 
Lunar said:
I'm really happy with the 20" Turbines - I think they have a really nice flow to their form, which compliments the F-Type's design.

Do get them Gtechniq or similar coated as you'll be spending a lot of your life cleaning the brake dust off :D
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I bet you are.......those powder coated 20" Turbine wheels look the business!

With regards to brake dust, I clean my wheels with water (no chemicals), a soft brush and a sponge, approx 3 times a week. Would coating them with Gtechniq or something similar really make that much difference?

The APEC brake pads mentioned in this link apparently produce very little brake dust.
https://www.ftypeforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=4527&p=44712#p44688

Alternatively, the more expensive Porterfield R4-S brake pads are also renowned for it.

http://www.davidapplebyengineering.com/shop/productdetails/Jaguar_F_Type_R_V8S_V6S_Porterfield_R4_S_Brake_Pads_Front_AP_1750/629

http://www.davidapplebyengineering.com/Shop/ProductDetails/Jaguar_F_Type_Porterfield_R4_S_Brake_Pads_Rear_AP_1752/631

Before making a decision (the 20 inch Turbines are high on my list), I need to consider the fact that I currently have 19 inch wheels on my car and the ride is very firm but comfortable. Apparently the ride is even firmer with 20 inch wheels (Turbines are only available in 20 inch for the F-Type) and lower profile tyres, so I'm wondering if this would be too firm for me? There again, as my car has the sports suspension with adaptive dynamics, would this make a difference and help to compensate for the firmer ride?

Another thing I have to consider is if the car's ground clearance is affected (lower) with the 20 inch set up? This is because there are certain car parks etc which I find difficult to enter/exit without scraping the front bumper lower air deflector. So much so, that I have stopped using some of them and I wouldn't want this to be any worse as a result of fitting the 20 inch wheels!

Any thoughts?
 
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