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Wrap ?s

Chewy22

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I’ve never done one so sorry for the rook questions.

1 - gloss or mat finish, pros/cons of each?
2 - ok to put over stock decals or better to remove?
3 - any words of advise for a first timer?
4 - anything specific to watch for or know for an ascender install?

Thank you
 

summ8rmk

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If its a full wrap, give urself 12hrs.
I would remove stock decals and rub it down with alcohol before u apply new decals.

Spray bottle with water and a few drops of dawn dish soap. Spray both sides of the decals when applying. U can move the entire piece to get it perfect.
Use squeegee, start from the center and work bubbles and water out of the bottom(backside/sticky side) of the decal. Keep the outside wet so u don't scratch the decal.

 

madmax

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I know people who put them on over stock decals. IMO just doesn't look as clean, but it does work. Whether gloss or flat is just kinda up to you. I have a sled with each right now and can't tell a lot of difference. Ive been told the gloss holds up better if you're a tight tree rider and prone to scratching. I did a acrtic fx and a octane ink on each of my ascenders this fall. Both are pretty easy if you take your time. Personally the ordering process is second to none for arctic FX. No other company has an interactive website where you can custom design and order your wrap on line without multiple phone calls. Arctic FX does cost more than any of the others, probably because of their website, I'm sure it was hugely expensive to set up.
 

summ8rmk

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Definitely go with gloss!
If nothing else it sheds snow the best.
Flat matte finish will hold snow....
I learned that with my 09 snow camo M8.
Buddies with 10/11 and gloss finish had almost no snow and mine was blocking the headlights. (Attached extreme example).

Gloss tends to allow trees to glide across the decal leaving less damage.
ee54be703c8677de7f60f37c394d1e5a.jpg


 

niner

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Liked the Alpha look but the stock decals are crap. So got this wrap made with gloss black to cover up the matte black. Colours just POP now.

01D47AFF-7735-48A0-A008-8AECC3EC5A37.jpeg B9E74476-801D-4F40-9F71-C173E0E8F82B.jpeg DE8F6DF3-DC7F-4FFE-84F5-5483A459AEA5.jpeg 45EB5778-7E20-4E61-9D83-BB67381ABBAC.jpeg 8CF77AF8-7FAE-4D98-8A0D-908ACA7A435A.jpeg
 

Chewy22

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Never under stand the wrap....too old school I guess.

I hear you. It’s taken a long time to get me here. I guess you could say I’m throwing in the towel. I have fought and fought the decals on my 16; trimmed and reglued after every trip. To the point it looks like shiot! It’s time to sell that sled and I’m half embaressed to do so with how rough it looks. The Alpha decals aren’t going to hold up either. The factory stuff just isn’t as good as it use to be. I’m sure that is by design with how popular wraps are now.

I know some like it but I’m not a fan of the naked look.

As much as it’s going to kill me to spending money on a wrap I’m to a point I need to try one. This is the first year I’ve seen some designs that have really caught my attention.

Will be a summer project, just starting to do the research now.

Thank you for all the responses! Great info....
 

jakey-boy

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Definitely gloss. Matte wraps do not have the protective vinyl over top of the decals so it is not a lot different than the factory graphics... I always remove the stock decals. I just cant imagine you could peel the wrap off later and have the stock graphics look good underneath because they would have glue on them so might as well get them out of the way and get a good bond with the wrap plus you can see the graphic lines underneath and sometimes even see the graphics in your seams.
 
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