Should You Ceramic Coat Your Wheels? (Yes!)

Applying a DIY ceramic coating like Armor Shield IX to wheels is simple and easy. Just make sure you do all the prep work.

Got a quick YouTube video today for any of our detailing enthusiasts. YouTuber, car guy, and C6 Corvette Owner, Jason Debler of In Jason’s Garage, recently teamed up with Corvette Forum vendor Avalon King to show how easy it is to apply a DIY ceramic coating. In this case, Debler’s coating his shiny new black Forgestar wheels with Armor Shield IX.

Debler says he’s often asked about whether or not it’s a good idea to ceramic coat wheels. The short answer is yes. He says ceramic coatings make chrome and painted surfaces shine, although they will turn matte finishes into something more of a satin look. (You can also apply to trim and other non-porous surfaces.) And they help prevent the build-up of brake dust, which can eat away at your wheel’s finish.

Step One: Prep

Just like applying a ceramic coating to your car’s paint, the most important part of the whole process is properly prepping your wheels so the Armor Shield IX ceramic coating can adhere and cure properly. In Jason Debler’s case, his wheels are brand new so he skips directly to step number five.

1. Clean all surfaces thoroughly with soap and water
2. Use iron or tar removers if or as needed
3. Use a clay bar or clay mitt if or as needed
4. Apply any paint correction if or as needed
5. Wipe down every surface you plan to coat with isopropyl alcohol (IPA)

Step Two: Applying Armor Shield IX

With the hard part out of the way, Debler applies his coating, buffs off the excess as directed, and gets ready to wait 48 hours for the ceramic coating to cure.

1. Apply a few Armor Shield IX drops to the supplied applicator
2. Coat every surface you wish to protect
3. Check the instructions to wait a specific temperature-based amount of time
4. Use the supplied microfiber towel to buff the wheel surfaces
5. Don’t touch it while it dries.
6. Keep coated surfaces away from water for 48 hours.

Like any ceramic coating, Avalon King’s Armor Shield IX needs time to cure. During this time, Debler warns against touching the protected surfaces. He says the coating should be dust dry in a couple of hours, and dry to the touch in five hours. But, “over the next 48 hours it’s going to continue to cure,” Debler says, “so you want to avoid any water or anything like that.” Avalon King recommends keeping coated parts in a garage and away from dust, but says leaving protected items in the sun to bake also helps the curing process.

Overall, it’s a short video that inspired me to try coating my wheels the next time I do a super clean. And, if you’ve recently ceramic coated any part of your Corvette, make sure to enter The Great CorvetteForum Show & Shine before May 26!

Have you ever ceramic coated your wheels? Let us know HERE in this thread and don’t forget to —

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