Enamel for alloy wheel?

I'm honestly staggered that millions of motorists aren't clogging the sides of the nation's roads daily, their cars on jacks (or blocks of wood), as wheels are evidently as good at holding air, as a football sock is at holding soup......
 
I'm honestly staggered that millions of motorists aren't clogging the sides of the nation's roads daily, their cars on jacks (or blocks of wood), as wheels are evidently as good at holding air, as a football sock is at holding soup......
If you have no leak problems, why do you have such great interest in these threads? Go watch TV, or something.

For me, slow leaks are a persistent problem. So, I am doing something about it. I know non-leaking is an achievable goal because my kwik fit fitted and supplied rears don't leak. I top them up once a couple of years. This, and the accumulated experience, lead me to believe leaks are fitter related. Hence I don't go back to the shop.
 
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I'd avoid ordinary enamel. What you really want is Hammerite Smooth. The hammered finish helps recreate the factory texture left by years of galvanic corrosion, and the iron particles provide a sacrificial anode effect. It's basically cathodic protection in a tin.

For best results, don't remove all the corrosion bubbles. They're structural, and taking them off can upset the wheel's natural balance. Just paint over them generously.

If that doesn't work, the accepted method is to inflate the tyre to 85-95 psi and drive figure-of-eights in a supermarket car park. The centrifugal force redistributes the corrosion evenly around the rim.

I think the bumps you feel are strips of duct tape, which were often used as bead sealing membrane in the 1980's
 
Too late. I took a chisel to the bubbles/bumps and burst them open. The bubbles are full of white powder - may be the original owner was smuggling stuff? Yes, the aluminium has lost material and became pitted. But, this doesn't matter because painting will fill the pits.

My car is 2004. So, 80's tech doesn't apply. In any case, there's nothing but aluminium with some iron contaminant's lightly peppered in a few spots as evidenced by the resulting rust.

I am not sure that domestic paints will work on cars. The fuel solvent on roads will destroy them. If I were to paint, I would use a thick paint of some kind to get an overall smooth finish. Enamel comes to mind. But, my new approach is to use bead sealer as a fragile rubber paint. I imagine it will work. But, will have to wait and see.
 
Only if you run your wheels without tyres on them..........
That's the first sensible thing you said in these threads.

Yes, it's a clean room environment inside the tyre. The 22 year old tyre is brand new on the inside. Hence I see no reason to buy a new one until I need to go on the road with it. Still, I prefer high temperature paint for this application. The closest thing I can imagine to work is the engine enamel. The temperature tolerance of domestic paints are generally lower.
 
That's the first sensible thing you said in these threads.

Yes, it's a clean room environment inside the tyre. The 22 year old tyre is brand new on the inside. Hence I see no reason to buy a new one until I need to go on the road with it. Still, I prefer high temperature paint for this application. The closest thing I can imagine to work is the engine enamel. The temperature tolerance of domestic paints are generally lower.
Makes sense. The inside of the tyre has been preserved like an Egyptian tomb for the last 22 years.

I'd probably go one step further though and use exhaust manifold paint. If the bead seat ever reaches 600°C you'll be very pleased you didn't cheap out with engine enamel.
 
Makes sense. The inside of the tyre has been preserved like an Egyptian tomb for the last 22 years.

I'd probably go one step further though and use exhaust manifold paint. If the bead seat ever reaches 600°C you'll be very pleased you didn't cheap out with engine enamel.
Sounds clever, but not. From product description:

Please note: VHT Flameproof very high temperature spray paint requires curing. For exhaust manifolds or systems this can be done on the car. For other applications the curing process requires a heat source of up 340°C (650°F)
 
Bake the rims in an oven then. Or drive at 155mph for 2 hours, that should get them up to temp for you
 
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