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[AllydNYC]

Hey guys, I'm going to put red time attack rings on my rims, they are new and have no tires on them for another 2 days, I want to put the rings on now and was wondering if anyone had previous experiences with putting them on, with a couple do's and dont's.

edit: tom@eas sent me this:

Steps are simple:
1. Remove wheel from vehicle and place on flat surface with tire still mounted.
2. Clean all brake dust/grease/wax off wheels with mild dishwashing detergent.
3. Fill a spray bottle with water and 2 drop of dish liquid and spray a fine mist over the face of you wheel, this will help with decal adhesion.
4. Peel backing from decal.
5. Position decal onto wheel, you have about 5-10 minutes before adhesive sets. Use the "crosshairs" to line up the rings.
6. Allow a minimum of 1 hour for drying.

Anyone have anything to add from when they put them on? Don't wanna screw mine up ! Thanks!

[AllydNYC]

[igotaweinerdog]

im in the same boat... anyone?

[PaulBailey@ltbmw]

Originally Posted by igotaweinerdog

im in the same boat... anyone?

[VMRWheels]

Everything sounds right. Goodluck on it! and be sure to post pictures.

-Charles@VMRWheels
www.vmrwheels.com

[ohsnap]

ive installed these quite a few times (6-7?) when they first came out on 19" csl's. i didn't find the original install instructions very good. if you have never worked with vinyl, have patience.

key for me was to pre-cut the square overlay which made the process much easier. details below and good luck.

tools:
small spray bottle w/ a few drops of joy (or any other dishwashing detergent) and warm water.
small squeegee - a few bucks at your local auto parts store, you can use tinting ones (be careful with credit cards, they can easily mar the vinyl as the plastic is way to hard)
rubbing alcohol (for clean/prep the wheels)
heat gun or blowdryer (low heat) to accelerate vinyl application

1. i found cutting out the overlay (roughly 1/2 inch or less) from the outside edge ring was the easiest way to line up/center the decal prior to applying vs. applying from the square stencil backing. i found the built in x-hairs useless when aligning the decal to wheel. they only give you a rough idea of center when it comes to alignment. using the outside ring to wheel lip was the best reference in my opinion and is much easier when you cut out the overlay. make sure you keep the spacing (1/2") even throughout when cutting the overlay. again, ive applied these many times and this was definitely the way to go. it is also helpful if you cut out some tabs (1-3") on the 12, 3, 6, 9 positions which will assist in grip during application since the overlay will have a tendency to suck in during application especially when it gets damp from the soap/water spray.

2. prep/clean wheel; use rubbing alcohol and make sure the wheel lip is clean. this is key to a solid application. clean until no more residue is pulled from your cotton/mf towel. make sure to clean the wheelside lip in between the tire beadbead! careful when using paper towels, etc as it will leave fine particles which can get easily trapped underneath the vinyl, hence bubbling, etc

3. measure/align; place the wheel flat on the ground (face up), take the overlay (precut round with tabs and backing - dont peel backing, your just practicing alignment here) so you get an idea of alignment. its important to note the overlay is roughly 1/8" larger then the wheel (19" csl rep). this is due to fact that the 1/8" edge will fold over on the outside wheel edge rim bead. this is important to note as you will end up using this as reference when aligning the overlay to wheel. obviously if you have a 1/4" gap on one side and none on the other, its not aligned properly..

4. application; prep the wheel face with the soap/water mix. apply an even fine mist on the wheel face. don't use too much water (aka beads of water bubbling on wheel) or it will take forever for adhesion. peel overlay backing (no need to spray backing), grip the 4 tabs (12, 3, 6, 9 if u got 4 hands, 12-6 or 9-3 with 2 hands). hold roughly an inch from the face and begin alignment using the outside edge as reference. once you have alignment, place the overlay on wheel. at this time you should be able to gradually move and align the overlay. if it starts sticking immediately, you didn't use enough soap/water (pull overlay up and spray some more). the trick is to have just enough spray so you can still work the overlay around but not so much it just slips around like a greased pig. make sure you have the overlay taught (think drum face here) when aligning or you will end up with major creases and inconsistency when squeegeeing the overlay down.

5. squeegee/adhesion; after the overlay is centered/aligned, take the heatgun (low heat) and go around the rim face a few times or until you start getting good adhesion. take the squeegee and go in a clockwise direction with the heatgun to work out the remaining water/soap and bubbles. once all water/bubbles are worked out, finish drying with the heat gun and let sit for 20 mins or so. this is a good time to start on the next wheel. do not try to fold over the ring edge (1/8") at this time. let it sit and dry. if done properly, the overlay should look like a drum face literally (tight!)..

6. remove overlay backing; at this time the overlay should be dry with a good bond. work from one side/tab at the 12, 3, 6, 9 and slowly start lifting the backing. if the overlay begins to lift with the backing, you need to let it dry some more (heatgun here). keep in mind that you will still have that 1/8" lip on the edge of the ring exposed. once the backing is removed, start from one side and with the squeegee or finger, begin folding over the exposed lip on the rim edge. go in a one direction here. be careful and have some patience as the exposed lip will stick immediately. once the lips folded over, take the squeegee and go over the folded lip.

7. curing; don't make the mistake of slapping the wheels back on and going for a joyride to showoff your new rings right after your done. let the wheels sit and dry for a few hours at minimum once the overlays have been applied. i let the wheels sit overnight inside my house once i was done. you will want to check and re-squeegee (especially the folded rim) to make sure there is a good bond.


a few other things to note:

alignment is the hardest part, no questions here. i ended up destroying two rings when i first tried the application which was mostly due to the fact; 1. first time doing it, 2. loss of patience and major frustration during alignment using the stock square. 4 hands are better then 2. grab a friend to assist if you can as it will make it that much easier keeping the overlay taught when it comes to aligning.

i have had the rings on for well over a year on a few of the wheels. the quality of the vinyl is quite good and has held up through summer and winter abuse. a few minor chips (size of a pin head) of course but nothing noticeable until you get up close to inspect.

changing tires; may as well kiss them good bye. my local shop had to change a flat out and tried there best to remove the tire without jacking up the overlay. this was done on there hunter tc3700 which is a pretty nice machine. long story short, it mangled the overlay..

[nano10]

thanks so much for the DIY ohsnap