Bent 22 Inch T Sportline Wheels

[MichaelATX]

I installed a set of 22 inch MX118 T-Sportline wheels on my Model X P90D about a month ago.

I recently noticed some vibration and thought the wheels might need balanced or perhaps were improperly balanced at the tire shop.

The tire shop discovered that two of the rims were bent (front driver and rear passenger). The manager said bent rims are common with any low profile wheel and can be caused by a pothole or speed bump.

I am the only person who drives my vehicle (other than an occasional valet) and I haven't hit a curb. I certainly may have encountered a pothole or two.

I was wondering if anyone has had an issue with bent 22 inch rims on the MX, generally, or with the T Sportline wheels, specifically. I wonder if the weight of the MC could be an issue.

I can repair them for $150 each but don't want to have to do that every two months.

Any insight would be appreciated, including advice on how to avoid this in the future (other than the most obvious advice of not hitting pot holes).

 

[hill]

no hits yet in the model X, however I did hit front & back passenger rims on our other ev (front wheel drive only) - hard enough to cause both tires to go flat. I got a strong hunch that it tweaked the drive line or something - so there's an inordinate amount of vibration/noise now coming from down there. I'm sure something is wearing prematurely but don't have the time to have it diagnosed & sitting in a shop waiting for who knows how long before parts come in. That said - it wouldn't be a bad idea to have the dealer check yours out. In other words, "do-as-i-say-not-as-i-do" .

.

 

[Mrcook4590]

My husband has 22s (low profile, I assume they are 22s) on his S, and he has told me many times to be VERY careful not to hit potholes because of the possibility of bent rims.

 

[Mickie]

Wow. And they're forged too. What a letdown.

 

[Derek Kessler]

That's the risk with low-profile wheels — and why I immediately swapped the 21" Turbines that came on my S for the 20" TSTs from T-Sportline. That, and I wanted all-season tires and they don't make those for the 21s.

 

[Zaphod]

Why don't you talk to T-Sportline? Maybe they can work with you on getting them repaired. Yes, as with all larger diameter wheels with low profile tires and especially with the weight of the X, the wheels will definitely be more "fragile". Less rubber sidewall to absorb the occasional bump or pothole. Nothing one can do to prevent other than trying best to avoid potholes or large bumps.

 

[Zaphod]

Wow. And they're forged too. What a letdown.

Making them forged doesn't make them impervious to damage. Yes, the material will be more dense and higher strength but because of that they usually make the wheels thinner and lighter which could almost make them easier to damage in some cases. Unfortunately running larger diameter wheels and short sidewall tires carries the risks of increased damage potential.

 

[MichaelATX]

Why don't you talk to T-Sportline? Maybe they can work with you on getting them repaired. Yes, as with all larger diameter wheels with low profile tires and especially with the weight of the X, the wheels will definitely be more "fragile". Less rubber sidewall to absorb the occasional bump or pothole. Nothing one can do to prevent other than trying best to avoid potholes or large bumps.

Fortunately a local company specializes in repairing rims and was able to do so for $150 per wheel. My concerns is I can't recall a single instance of hitting a hard bump or pothole yet needed up with two bent rims. And by bent I mean a slight wobble that is visually apparent as the wheels are being balanced. I assume there is no chance they could have been manufactured with this wobble, but I will make sure I through new wheels on a balanced before installing them.

I probably should have gone with the 20" T Sportline but I love the aggressive stand of these wheels.

 

[inconel]

How are they going to repair the bent? I am no expert but I wonder if they use heat and if this can weaken the structural integrity of the wheels? Make sure you check with them before. The X is a very heavy vehicle...

 

[MichaelATX]

How are they going to repair the bent? I am no expert but I wonder if they use heat and if this can weaken the structural integrity of the wheels? Make sure you check with them before. The X is a very heavy vehicle...

The bend was minor and the repaired them mechanically. But I agree this might weaken the wheels, and I will keep a close watch over the next couple months.

 

[tdotx]

Hey MichaelATX, I actually have the 22" MX118 from T-sportline too. Very sorry you're having to deal with bent wheels. If it makes you feel better, it's possible the damage could have been worse with cast wheels.

I haven't noticed any wobble with mine. I too am very careful with potholes as I live in Toronto; I've hit some, but never what I would consider hard enough to bend wheels.

In terms of avoiding, I keep the suspension geofenced at high/very high in potholey and constructiony areas. I don't know if this actually matters (depends on suspension setup), but theoretically on low/very low there may be less travel before it bottoms out. And bottoming out = sudden deceleration of suspension travel = potential bent wheel.