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[whyzee125]

Hey guys,

I've been getting a slight steering vibration and have had several road force balances before one finally caught that my front right wheel is bent. They took me out there and sure enough, it's got a very slight bend. The runout on that wheel is only 17 lbs even with the bend which discount tire was happy to send out the door as 'in spec' but obviously it can't be improved as it's my wheel, not my tire.

Would you feel safe having this repaired or should I spring for a new wheel? It's an 18x9 et30 Apex ARC-8 on the front. The bend is very minor but as I understand it the wheel would have to be heated so depending on what all is in their alloy, the strength would likely be somewhat compromised.

I got a quote from the only shop here that straightens wheels (I've used them before on my stock 162s) and he said $90, whereas a new one is about $350.

What say you?

[HondaRC51]

I've has wheels repaired before with no ill effect for myself and customers. If I'm not mistaken you can call Apex and they can do an exchange with you for a discounted price on a new wheel if you choose to replace it. The only time I have replaced a wheel is if its bent to the point of structural damage or its cracked.

[whyzee125]

Originally Posted by HondaRC51

I've has wheels repaired before with no ill effect for myself and customers. If I'm not mistaken you can call Apex and they can do an exchange with you for a discounted price on a new wheel if you choose to replace it. The only time I have replaced a wheel is if its bent to the point of structural damage or its cracked.

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately I bought the car with them some years back so I don't qualify but could be worth reaching out to Apex to see if they have any sort of offer they'd be willing to do. The bend is real minor so I could keep this as a spare if I go that route.

[335i54n]

nope repaired wheels are poor paint and not cost effective if the wheel is not forged imo. 17lbs is within specs and unlikely to cause your vibration and also being slight bend only, they can force matching usually drop that a bit. probably looking at other steering/suspension issues

[whyzee125]

Originally Posted by 335i54n

nope repaired wheels are poor paint and not cost effective if the wheel is not forged imo. 17lbs is within specs and unlikely to cause your vibration and also being slight bend only, they can force matching usually drop that a bit. probably looking at other steering/suspension issues

No, the vibration is extremely slight and they told me multiple times it's in spec. I wasn't happy and finally we found this. They had rotated the tire a few times to get it this low, it was a little higher.

Noted on the repaired wheel though, I'm leaning towards getting a new one as well.

[335i54n]

did they force match the other 3, put the one with most rd force in rr, least lf. 17lbs is pretty good, i never really noticed excess rd force unless its in the 30s and higher speeds. if youre on original tie rods, its ez to miss slight inner play.

[whyzee125]

Originally Posted by 335i54n

did they force match the other 3, put the one with most rd force in rr, least lf. 17lbs is pretty good, i never really noticed excess rd force unless its in the 30s and higher speeds. if youre on original tie rods, its ez to miss slight inner play.

Yes, others are at 2, 11, 18.

[mattanderson]

Looks like it's been mentioned, but I'd start by contacting Apex.

[tcphoto]

I would contact Apex and see if they'll do anything like a small discount first. If unsuccessful, I'd buy a new one, fix the bend, buy a good used tire and use it as a spare.

[whyzee125]

Originally Posted by tcphoto

I would contact Apex and see if they'll do anything like a small discount first. If unsuccessful, I'd buy a new one, fix the bend, buy a good used tire and use it as a spare.

That's exactly the plan I decided on Thanks!