Car wheel question

[Daniel Moore]

Ok, so back in 2000 my dad spent nearly $1600 on Borbet alloys (17") to replace the factory 15" alloys that my car came with, and some really cool Yokohama tires with full-width treads that make the car twice as a maneuverable around corners at high speeds (and a real PITA on going straight at normal speeds ).

As luck would have it- with less than 4,000 miles on them he hits a really bad pothole and bends one so badly that air leaks out of the tire because it came away from the tire at the seam. He was depressed at his loss, put the old set back on, and the Borbets sat in the garage stacked up ever since.

Today I brought it to New England Wheel and Tire and they straightened three of them (apparently two others had bent just during driving 7 years ago!), plus I got them re-balanced. For $330 I had the new $1600 wheels and tires back, but I have a nagging question:

When they bent it back with the wheel straightener, they heated the bent areas with a torch to make it soft. Does the aluminum go back to the same hardness with just air cooling, or are parts of the wheel softer? I don't want to wreck them again! As cool as they are, I'm now wondering when they're going to start bending again. I know 17"s are a lot more fragile than 15"s, but the fact that three bent in 4,000 miles seems odd.

 

[Sid Post]

Low Profile tires are hard on rims, steel or aluminum or otherwise. Roads in the USA are rough, even the ones without pot holes. You have less cushion on the sidewall and less air volume to soak up and mitigate some of the impact force caused by driving down the road. All of this is made progressively worse as speed increased.

I'm not a metallurgist but, aluminum doesn't heat harden like carbon steels.

 

[mete]

Heat ? depends on how how hot what alloy etc.

 

[Matt Shade]

Mete can give much better info as to what actually takes place, although he does tend to be picky about details like what alloy and all that. Not being a scientist or engineer, I'm more comfortable throwing out wild ass guesses

I would say that the heat was applied to relieve stress in the wheels caused by the initial bend, and then the straightening. Wheels need to be tough and absorb alot of impact, they would tend to be on the softer side of the spectrum anyhow.

The question I would ask is if they warrant their work at all? Obviously they won't cover you if you hit a big pothole tomorrow, but will they at least try to make it right if you have abnormal tire wear, or leaks after a little driving?

 

[Daniel Moore]

I am completely confident that if something happened as a result of their work, they'd make it right. It's a place in Hampton, New Hampshire called New England Wheel and Tire. They were very helpful, they let me watch what they did and explained it all, they were thoughtful about it (they fixed the worst wheel first so if it cracked during the reshaping I wouldn't be charged anything etc.). It was a relaxed and enjoyable experience, and I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed spending $330 there

I can't tell you what the exact makeup of the wheels are unfortunately. I was just wondering if heating the wheel enough to make it more pliable for straightening would change the properties of the alloy noticeably, but I realize there are probably too many variables for an answer other than a "wild ass guess".

 

[Cougar Allen]

My wild ass guess is it's a work-hardening alloy and heating annealed it so the portion that was heated might be a little less likely to crack under future abuse.

At best, though, your wheels are no more able to stand abuse now than they were when they were new -- so don't bomb along pothole-ridden roads like your father was wont to do! Make a little effort to dodge the worst potholes, slow down if there are too many to dodge, use some discretion. Keep an eye on tire pressure, too -- that may well have been what caused the problem.

 

[Daniel Moore]

I've always babied my car on potholes and other obstructions (raised pavement and high manhole covers included), but before I was just doing it so I can put off replacing my rusting front struts and now I'm doing it so I also don't need to spend another $110 getting my wheel redone.

My dad has well-above-average mechanical knowledge and a lot of mechanical sympathy, he takes meticulous care of his cars, but he admitted that at the time he felt indestructible because he had nice new Koni shocks in it and he must have overestimated the strength of the wheels.

 

[the_mac]

Another thing to bear in mind is that damage to your rims is much more likely if you're under inflated. Run a little overpressure and you'll get better mileage as well.

 

[pcnorton]

PITA going straight? I'd say you have issues. Good grippy tires don't make it difficult to go straight unless you are going over grooved pavement. Called tram lining.


Paul

 

[brewthunda]

PITA going straight? I'd say you have issues. Good grippy tires don't make it difficult to go straight unless you are going over grooved pavement. Called tram lining.


Paul

I had a set of Yokohama AVS ES100's that tramlined something awful. Getting a GOOD alignment helped a lot . . but never cured the problem. They're known for this and if you live in an area with rutted roads, it's not worth the hassle.

 

[bladefixation2]

Yeah wide low profile wheels / tyres are a PITA going straight. I've got low profile 18" on my car they go where they want to go if you dont keep a good hold of the wheel

 

[pcnorton]

Yeah wide low profile wheels / tyres are a PITA going straight. I've got low profile 18" on my car they go where they want to go if you dont keep a good hold of the wheel

Got Mini Cooper S with 17" low profile tires Goodyear RSA runflats and ...no problems going straight, even at 135. I'd check into new tires , roads or suspension if my car wouldn't hold a straight line on smooth pavement. Of course if my car was a Honda Civic and not set up for the cool tires i'd hold on too.

Paul

 

[Win Heger]

I think your wheels will be fine. I'm no metallurgist but I have 20+ years in the tire business. I've used similar companies and never had a problem.

If a car is not tracking straight it's a problem other than wide tires. City streets and a lack of sidewall will contribute to wheels going out of round or dinging. Fact of life if you want fancy wheels and tires.

I'm not really in the performance end of tires anymore, thank goodness. I can't believe the problems my dealers are having with customers not understanding what came OE on their cars. Sticker shock when they find out their cars tires are $200+ each.

Win