Really cheap rims - what's the catch?

[Wret]

At those prices they are worth considering for winter swap, fitted with the safest snow tires available of course.

[landrovered]

Chinese wheel ...

http://media.photobucket.com/image/chinese%20rims/Chiows/fake.jpg

[Perfectlap]

"Porsche quality" cast alloys aren't all that. I have a set of factory Carrera lights and I've bent two and cracked one. And did I mention I only drive weekends?

Unless you're talking a forged wheel (not hollow) you would be wise to keep the budget to a minimum and prepare yourself for the eventual wheel bend. Unfortunately finding a solid forged wheel is not cheap. CCWheel makes one for the Boxster but I think the set will set you back $3K. That's tough to swallow when its 30% of the resell value of some cars. But better that than spedning $3K on exhaust and headers that will net you an extra 10% hp.

I also had a set of BBS RK's (the mesh style) on my previous car which were also pricey cast alloys and while driving ohh...3 mph I hit a high driveway curb a just the wrong angle...ding. BIG dent. Solution? I drove over to the rough part of town where these guys working out of an old factory did nothing but fix bent wheels and repainted them for $100. They had dozens of SUV wheels stacked high waiting to be done. I don't think there were more than three guys working there.

[landrovered]

You touch on a good point and that is wheel design and manufacture has a lot to do with strength and durability.

Some wheel designs are obviously more prone to problems than others. The more spindley and the more "air" there is in the design the more likely it is to give in to the stress of use than a more robust design. Add to this cast vs forged and material quality to the mix and the use will dictate both the budget and the design of the wheel to be purchased.

Personally I like the older style wheels with a bit less air than the newer styles. Also I have decided to stick with my 17" wheels and not go to the 18" wheels due to the poor quality of the pavement in my rural area.

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

"Porsche quality" cast alloys aren't all that. I have a set of factory Carrera lights and I've bent two and cracked one. And did I mention I only drive weekends?

Do pot holes take the weekends off?

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

Unless you're talking a forged wheel (not hollow) you would be wise to keep the budget to a minimum and prepare yourself for the eventual wheel bend. Unfortunately finding a solid forged wheel is not cheap. CCWheel makes one for the Boxster but I think the set will set you back $3K. That's tough to swallow when its 30% of the resell value of some cars. But better that than spedning $3K on exhaust and headers that will net you an extra 10% hp.

I also had a set of BBS RK's (the mesh style) on my previous car which were also pricey cast alloys and while driving ohh...3 mph I hit a high driveway curb a just the wrong angle...ding. BIG dent. Solution? I drove over to the rough part of town where these guys working out of an old factory did nothing but fix bent wheels and repainted them for $100. They had dozens of SUV wheels stacked high waiting to be done. I don't think there were more than three guys working there.

What size are your wheels? I'm sure I'm not telling you anything you don't already know, but most of these 18" and 19" wheels have very low profile tires. The tire side wall protects the wheel from damage by absorbing the impact by acting as a spring, the more sidewall, the more protection from damage when hitting a bump.

There's a balance between using a material that's hard enough to make the wheel strong yet not keep it from being brittle. A quality wheel doesn't mean it won't bend, it just means that it will resists bending and will fail in a way that isn't dangerous to the driver when it does fail.

A brittle wheel would crack instead of bend in some situations and be dangerous instead of just annoying.

Also, everyone should be aware that a "fixed" wheel isn't necessarily as good as new. Rebending the wheel cold can product microfractures that will weaken the rim in that area and potentially add some brittleness. Adding heat while bending can manipulate the material's grain structure and make it softer in that area. Especially on a forged wheel. Forging introduces internal stresses into the material that helps with it's strength, heating the material can relieve the stresses and make it softer.

I'm not saying repairs can't be done right, they can. But there are many ways in which they can also be done wrong. And a repaired wheel isn't going to ever be "as good as new" but it may be good enough.