TL_99

how do i check for bent rims? can u spot them by eyeing the rims?
today i ran over a big pothole, but only doing about 26mph. just by looking at the rim face, they look ok. i also poked my head out and checked the rim while it is rotating, and they dun looked to be warped. but the question is do i need to dismount them to see if they are dented or not. and does anyone have pics of dented rims??

adam

if you can't see any damages, they would probably have to be put on a wheel balancer at any auto center. or, you may also be able to hear it at high speed.

songoku

What size rims??

TL_99

there're 18s, i hope they're all rite, but at high speed wut does a bent rim sound like?

Teedoh

I would take if off with a tire machine, and just check to see if it has any visible signs and stuff. then just reseal it with beadsealer and put it back onto the rim and balance it, as long as there is no huge differences it should be fine.

TL_99

where do i go to have that done? i have no clue, and i live in richmond bc

Allout

Find a shop that has a Hunter GSP9700. The machine applies a load to the tire, checks wheel runout and then checks tire runout separately. It can tell you if your within tollerance. It will also optimize the placement of the tire on the rim. Both tire and rim have some runout so it determines how much to rotate the tire on the rim for the optimal assembly. Go to Hunter.com and look at their products under wheel balancing machines. It can help you locate a shop with one of the machines in your area.

I had mine done and the ride improved drastically. They also identified one of my rims as being marginally within tollerance.

Mr Hyde

I would just bend down and look at the lip of the rim, inside and out. If you are still not sure, ask someone else to drive the car and look at the rim and see if you see anything. Even a small bend will make the wheel look its out of round.

If you dont see anything, and the car runs right without any vibration, or wobble, why go through the hastle of dismounting the tire and possibley having the shop scratch your rim to see if its bent?

Livin in NYC, Id never be able to drive my car anywhere other than the tire shop if I took it into the shop everytime I hit a pothole.

TL_99

the car runs fine, no wobbles during high speed (110km/h), and right after i hit that pothole, i stuck my head out, they seem not bent, still makes a nice round circle when rotating. thanks for all the replies though. yeah, i dun think i have a problem (hopefully). now i highly recommend these motegi rims, not bad considering they're ok "cheap", good stuff

Strannik

When there is a problem with a rim or a tire, the easiest way to check is to see if there is a vibration at any speed, which seems like you already done. If car runs fine, there is only like 0.1% chance something is wrong. If you do feel paranoid, get wheels checked on a tire balance machine. Tires do not have to be dismounted. Or just try to go 200 km/h, see if you get any vibration then.

patrick

TL_99: so you got Motegi rims? I might have seen your car around - do you park your TL on Renfrew (near or around the skytrain station)? Coz I recall seeing a black TL (or was it white?), lowered with Motegi rims in the spring/summer of this year.

TL_99

no, that's not me, i have a heather mist, not lowered, and just got my rims 3 weeks ago!! and also I usually just hang around richmond on the weekends and ubc during the weekdays.

SilverUA5

Go on the freeway and go from 50 mph - 70 mph, you will feel a vibration or your steering wheel shakes a little bit. Don't matter if it's rear or front, it will have the same effect. If you get it balance, it might not solve the problem because those machines only spins up to certain speeds.

Chinaman38

I bent my rims one time and you can tell when your driving if your steering wheels shakes alot at high speeds...or you can take to discount tire and they can but it on some balance thing and let you know