DIY: Wrapping Wheels in Vinyl

[TapeworksRob]

There was some interest in my Introduction thread about how I wrapped the wheels of my ST and it shouldn't have taken me five days to get to it, but with the stupid weather that hit me here in NC this past week, I was away from my work computer. I put up a page on the Tapeworks site that has reasonably detailed instructions and a bunch of pictures of just how I got the vinyl to conform to the wheel shape.

We just got some of this incredible car wrap vinyl that stretches more than any material we've ever seen. You'll need a heat gun to make it conform to the compound shapes in a wheel, but it's amazing what the vinyl and some heat can do if you're patient. Each wheel took about an hour to complete.

I only wrapped the right-side wheels for the moment, but I also ended up putting some 1/8" fluorescent orange Rimstripes on these black wheels. I don't think it's exactly the right match, color-wise, but the bright orange stripes don't look too bad against the Molten Orange.

 

[rooSTer]

Great job..are the vinyl strong enough to withstand the mounting and dismounting of tires?

 

[airjor13]

Not a fan of the color scheme but great DYI pics!

 

[Harvick]

Beautiful job

 

[TapeworksRob]

Great job..are the vinyl strong enough to withstand the mounting and dismounting of tires?

Probably not. A tire changing machine would mangle the vinyl pretty badly. But considering you'll probably be using a set of tires for 30k miles, I don't think it's too big of a deal; you'll probably get tired of it by then anyway.

 

[Colin1337]

Not a fan of the color scheme but great DYI pics!

2nd this
Great job none the less!

 

[rodmoe]

Wow looks nice and clean in a wrap must make brake dust a thing of the past ...

 

[tScott]

Nice!! It's great to see another NC resident on this forum!!

 

[samm3]

Wow looks nice and clean in a wrap must make brake dust a thing of the past ...

Actually, from what I've read flat vinyl takes quite a bit of care to keep looking nice. You have to clean and seal it every few weeks or it will get stained. I still love the idea and might try it out. If it gets too bad just remove the vinyl and apply new stuff.

 

[TapeworksRob]

...or it will get stained.

We haven't had anyone complain about their flat black vinyl getting stained. What have you read would stain it? It might get bleached by the sun over several years, but I haven't seen any other discoloration.

 

[MKVIIST]

TapeworksRob, what film would you recommend for long term durability? I was thinking of having my hood wrapped in a glossy black.

 

[TapeworksRob]

Well, the best durability is going to come from a good paint job but you can't go wrong with 3M's product.

 

[pelotonracer2]

I.E. race stripes: You should have extended the black stripe on the rear to the bumper and even the rear valence.

 

[pelotonracer2]

TapeworksRob, what film would you recommend for long term durability? I was thinking of having my hood wrapped in a glossy black.

Going for that cop car look huh? hehehe You should do the doors and hatch too! hahaha

 

[samm3]

We haven't had anyone complain about their flat black vinyl getting stained. What have you read would stain it? It might get bleached by the sun over several years, but I haven't seen any other discoloration.

Maybe stained isnt the correct word... dirty and hard to clean? I'll take your word for it though because most of my sources are from vinyl application how to's on YouTube lol. In any case you are at least protecting your stock rims from paint damage.

 

[TapeworksRob]

I didn't want to start a new thread for it, but I have my striping tool up on Kickstarter, so if anyone would take a look, I'd really appreciate it.

Here's a link to the Kickstarter. Thanks for looking!