I picked up a set of staggered 17" JDM wheels manufactured in Japan late 90s early 2000s vintage. Of course they need to be refinished. The powder coater had only one disclaimer. If there is any magnesium in the wheel there could be an issue with the process. To me they appear to be all aluminum - anyone know if any of the JDM wheels were using magnesium alloys? These are very similar 5 spokes to the OEM FD wheels, just 17" versus 16" Same markings as well. The only real difference is the OEM had a ridge/rise in the spokes and were of course not staggered.

 

99% of aftermarket wheels are aluminum. Magnesium is EXTREMELY rare, it's much more expensive, much more reactive, but lighter. I would be shocked if they were magnesium.

Stock wheels are always aluminum.

Dale

 

Some BBS wheels were in fact magnesium. I had a BMW E39 M5 fitted with some 17x9 BBS aftermarket rims that were in fact magnesium.

Also, the valve covers on the BMW V8 were magnesium. And powder coating just did not hold on. It flakes off magnesium in sheets.. I tried to paint them in 2-pack enamel paint with a spray gun, and same result. Its because the magnesium outgasses, and it causes the paint or surface coating to gradually lift over time unless done professionally or something. I gave up with that damned car lol.

But it seems to be more of an exception than a rule to have "mag" wheels and not alloy wheels these days. Hope my BMW anecdote helped some.

 

Typical casting alloy will have a percentage of Mg, but no, they're not full magnesium.

Would have thought anodising rather than powder coating would be an issue, as the finish can be compromised depending on alloy. Although they're better than the early wheels for cracking, powder coating wouldn't be my choice.