Straightening Wheels?

ohecht · 12-12-2002, 05:13 AM

I have a slightly bent C2 Turbo? wheel.

Does anyone have any experiences or recommendations for getting it straightened?

Is this a good idea at all, or only for street driving and not even an occasional DE?

Thanks,

Olivier

gregk1 · 12-12-2002, 06:16 AM

When you say bent do you meen the whole wheel is bent or just the edge of the rim bent like you hit a curb? There is a Guy down the street that does wheel strightening, As far as I know he is about the only one around that does it, I have been to his shop and he fixes some real messed up stuff. I repaired a phone dial wheel for a guy That hit a curb and bent the edge of the rim, I TIG welded the inside where it was low and blended it to match the rest of the rim on the inside, That makes the out side high, Then you blend the out side flat to match and a little silver paint and He was on his way $50 is what I charged him

ohecht · 12-12-2002, 07:38 AM

I feel a vibration, and I could see the inside edge of the wheel running out of round while the wheels were turning at about 15 mph. It was much less noticeable at 35 mph.

I am not sure if it is just the lip or the entire wheel, but I am feeling a vibration when driving. The tires have flat spots as well, so I do not know if the vibration is due entirely to the tires or the wheel at all.

Olivier

VincentVega · 12-12-2002, 08:05 AM

Try swapping the tires for a test drive to see if you can isolate the vibration. Ye Old Wheel Shop (sp?) just outside of Baltimore is known for doing good work on wheels. I see them advertise nationally, but I would think there might be a local place as well.

Kevin Stewart · 12-12-2002, 08:44 AM

fixing a bent wheel requires heat, So if you fix a bent wheel i wouldnt suggest it for de or track use because this makes is more brittle,i have had wheels fixed and only to put them on a balancer to find they are still 20-30,000 out of round, when i called and ask they said that it was in speck, not in my book we trashed the wheels and since have never tryed it again, plus you are looking at over a hundred bucks a wheel, what wheel do you need maybe I have one, wheel size model and offest, Kevin

Chuck Moreland · 12-12-2002, 09:06 AM

I have a cookie cutter wheel that has been trued in the "out of round" direction. The part of the rim that contacts the tire was turned, much like a drum brake is turned, to true it up. No heat was involved.

I've been using it without any issues.

RANDY P · RANDY P's Garage

I've had various wheels repaired - the way Foster's in seattle does it is with a huge hydraulic press to get the rough shape back, then he has a long tool that catches the lip of the rim, and he bends the outer rim till it spins true. It's definitely an art how these guys do it. He only uses heat to weld cracks, did that for me too. One of my rims the outer lip was curled up like a potato chop, and it got fixed. I don't have firsthand knowledge if whether or not you can do that if the wheel is actually folded or bent through the center - doubtful, but you never know.

My wheels have always balanced just fine afterwards. Last time I was there he had a F355 spyder he was doing this too. No second thoughts or issues.

rjp