How to Apply Wheel Tape
The first thing I will suggest is that you DON’T use wheel tape to stripe your rims. All of the striping jobs I have seen where actual tape designed for striping wheels was used look a little rough up close. The tape is pretty thick and it does not look like paint at all, it looks like tape. Second, because the tape is so thick, it is pretty hard to put on in a perfectly round arc with even space on the top and bottom of the stripe all the way around. Third, if you start going crooked with wheel tape, the adhesive back is probably not so forgiving if you tear it back up a couple times to reposition it. I have seen decals that are shaped in a an arc to fit 17” rims and that probably works better than wheel tape. I used vinyl striping material to stripe my wheels. It is very thin, easy to bend in any direction when it is applied and sticks extremely well even if repositioned repeatedly. I have had the vinyl stripes on my wheels for about 10,000 miles and they look still look like they were just applied yesterday. If you use wheel tape, this tutorial will probably still be helpful to you.
If you use vinyl, I have been very happy with this company’s service and products.
Tools:
Masking tape
string
tape measure
Vinyl stripes
exacto knife
straight edge
Remove wheels. See How to Install and Remove Front and Rear Wheels.
1. Use masking tape to stick a length of string all the way around the edge of the rim. Cut the string where the ends meet. Measure the length of the string with a tape measure. Now you know the length of vinyl stripe you will need to cut off to reach all the way around your rim.
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I taped the string all the way to the edge. This measures the largest diameter so there should be no problem with cutting a strip that is too short.
2. Vinyl stripes can be purchased in standard widths and a selection of colors. If the width of stripe that you want is not available, you can trim a fatter stripe to whatever width you want. Use an exacto knife and a straight edge to cut the vinyl.
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I used masking tape to hold the the vinyl stripe steady while I cut it to the proper length. It’s a good idea to ad a few inches just in case.
3. Peel back a little of the paper backing on the vinyl and position the beginning of your stripe. Then, simply start sticking your stripe down, peeling the paper backing away as you work around the circumference of the rim. Lift the stripe back up if you go off course and then re-stick it. I’ve never had a problem with this stuff re-sticking no matter how much I repositioned it.
4. After you have circled the entire rim. Cut the excess off with a scissors a stick it down.
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I used an exacto knife to cut the ends of the stripe to a shape that matched the Carrazeria logo after the stripe was adhered. It’s not possible to lightly score vinyl and break it off. You do need to cut pretty much right through which is a scratching risk. I lifted up the ends and stuck a piece of masking tape under them before cutting.
Reinstall wheels. See How to Install and Remove Front and Rear Wheels.
* Last updated by: Rook on 6/3/2014 @ 10:41 PM *
