Accuride launches wheel refinishing service

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Accuride Corp. has introduced its ProFinish steel wheel refinishing service for the North American commercial tire aftermarket.

The company said ProFinish will refinish all steel wheel makes with Accuride's Steel Armor coating. The product offers corrosion protection and carries a 12-month warranty against rust damage.

Accuride said it is responding to demand from large fleets that are spending a portion of their maintenance budget across multiple tire dealers and refinishing suppliers who want a more standardized refinished wheel product.

"Accuride launched ProFinish in response to the concerns fleet and aftermarket customers had with the coating quality and durability of their refinished wheels," said Scott Hazlett, Accuride Wheels president. "ProFinish gives them the advanced corrosion protection of Steel Armor coating on their refinished steel wheels. Our ProFinish refinished wheels will stand up to the toughest road environments in North America and deliver a level of quality and performance other wheel refinishers simply can't match."

Accuride said the wheel-coating process is critical to ensuring the correct paint thickness on the mounting surfaces of wheels, and that there is a well-defined correlation between wheel nut torque loss and excessive paint thickness. According to Accuride, the ProFinish process achieves consistent coating thickness under the 3.5 mils required by OEM standards.

Accuride's wheel refinishing service operates at the company's Henderson, Ky., steel wheel production facility, using the same coating line that applies the Steel Armor powder coating to OE wheels.

The process begins with an inspection to identify flaws and other compromises in structural integrity. Next, all of the paint, regardless of coating type, is removed. Then the wheels undergo Accuride's proprietary three-phase Steel Armor coating process that includes applying tri-metal zinc phosphate to prepare the metal for maximum adhesion; applying an epoxy e-coat to protect against corrosion; and finally apply premium powder coat.

Accuride manufactures components to the North American and European commercial vehicle industries, including commercial vehicle wheels and wheel end components and assemblies.