Accuride Aftermarket Coating Matches What’s on Original Wheels
Accuride Corp., in what it said was the first service of its kind for the aftermarket, launched its ProFinish steel wheel refinishing service for North American commercial vehicles that applies the same coating used on its original equipment wheels.
The treated aftermarket wheels carry a 12-month warranty against rust damage, according to the Evansville, Ind.-based company.
“Accuride will be working closely with the commercial tire dealers that perform retreading because they have also been doing their own steel wheel refurbishment, albeit inconsistently, at these same facilities. ProFinish will give them an advanced, OEM-quality coating,” company spokesman Timothy Weir told Transport Topics.
“The large fleets that are spending millions of dollars annually across multiple suppliers want greater consistency and more standardized refinished wheels. Accuride entered the refurbishment business when many of our large fleet customers began asking us for an OEM finish nationally,” he said.
The turnaround time for the refinishing process is three days, and the work is performed at Accuride’s Henderson, Ky., steel wheel production facility, according to the company.
The ProFinish refinishing process begins with a quality inspection to exempt wheels containing cracks and other flaws that compromise structural integrity, Accuride said. Next, the wheels undergo a shot-media blast that removes 100% of the paint, regardless of coating type. The clean wheels then undergo Accuride’s proprietary three-phase Steel Armor coating process.
Most wheels of these sizes are eligible for ProFinish refinishing: 19.5×7.50, 22.5×7.50, 22.5×8.25, 22.5×9.00 and 24.5×8.25.
Accuride is a unit of Crestview Partners.
