Bent Wheels

[TheMilkman]

I have an '08 and just had new tires put on this weekend and the tech said my rear wheels were slightly bent, but the fronts were good. I thought that was odd because on my last cars it was always the fronts that got bent in some pothole and the rears were fine.

I have noticed the ride was a little bouncy at around 75/80 and thought at first it was due to the roads. The vibration does almost go away at higher speeds.

I searched the forums and saw a comment "A Bent wheel would give vibration and that Viper wheels bend very easy"

I did not see any recommendations on what do to with bent wheels. Can they be repaired/fixed (if they aren't too messed up), or should I be looking for replacements.

 

[uvbnbit]

Definitely repairable. Will vibrate and wear your tires out too because the wheel is not round. Did they tell you how out-of-round it was? OEM tolerance is .030 in (radial run-out). You'll typically start feeling it after .050 in. And that's hardly noticeable while spinning. It needs to be measured to find out.
-Chip

 

[MarcRoth]

If you find a shop that has a Road force wheel balancer it should correct your problem. They balance the rim to the tires.

 

[uvbnbit]

Regardless, Road Force can only "equal/even out" so much of the radial force variation as the wheel rotates against the pavement. Fact of the matter is, an out of round wheel is going to have an out of round tire and there is going to be a flat spot (ever so slight) no matter how much weight is added to counter that. If it's beyond .060 in. out of round, you should probably get it repaired. Cost should be in the $125 range with mount/balance included.
If you decide to replace them, let me know. I might take the bent ones off your hands.