Bent rims a continuing problem

[drsaab]

Yep. Bent 5 wheels. And had to replace 3 tires over the last 2 winters in the DC area. All 18" and 19" .

Never had that once in 10 years in fl.

Roads here suck.

 

[Alysashley79]

2 bent 19" tesla wheels. Anyone know of a good place to get them fixed in the Seattle area?

 

[artsci]

Oh boo, that's the first I've heard of 20" Avant Gardes bending, I have about 5,500 miles on 20" Avant Gardes and no bending so far. Guess our roads are a bit better here. How many miles did you put on them before bending?

Less than 500. Happened on the heavily traveled high speed ramp at BWI from 195 onto 295 where only total negligence by the state lets a pothole exist for more than a day.

 

[yobigd20]

Less than 500. Happened on the heavily traveled high speed ramp at BWI from 195 onto 295 where only total negligence by the state lets a pothole exist for more than a day.

More than a day? Jesus. In jersey it could take a few years to come around and fix potholes...sometimes even never.

 

[ArtInCT]

That's the problem. While the advice about steering around potholes is understood and appreciated, it's impossible when you can't see them. In both instances it was late at night with unfavorably weather and the potholes were all but invisible.

Correct, you have hit it on the head.
Even the 19" wheels are not "normal" by a far cry and are also prone to damage.
My driving experience has been as follows, on roads I do not know well, I keep a lookout for potholes in their season while keeping my speed down for quick avoidance jogs left or right.

In my town, the maintenance crews are now spray painting circles around the holes which makes them visible AND
lets all townsfolk know that the maintenance crew is aware of the problem (so do not call them about this pothole).
That all said, here in the north, quality hot patch is not generally available from late November until early April.
So filling of potholes is done with cold patch and that is tamped into the offending fissure.

Ahhh... such is life in the ice lane.:scared: You guys in warm climates.... enjoy your smooth roads.

Meanwhile, we Nanooks of the North, we drive the obstacle course each day... Haha

 

[JohnQ]

Must admit that CT does a pretty good job of staying on top of potholes. The road turns into hundreds of patches eventually making for a rough ride but at least it's not hazardous. 27k miles in the NE and my one bent rim was for driving over a low curb that I didn't see in the rain at night. $100 to fix the wheel and swap/balance a tire that I provided since there was a bubble in the sidewall.

 

[Kbsilver]

Slightly off topic but the thing I cannot understand is they will patch a stretch of road 1000's of times, the same holes over and over and over. Isn't is cheaper in the long run to just repave it?

 

[AnOutsider]

Slightly off topic but the thing I cannot understand is they will patch a stretch of road 1000's of times, the same holes over and over and over. Isn't is cheaper in the long run to just repave it?

I wonder that too, but thinking about to my 22 example earlier, that just might be too intrusive for certain roads. Also, considering the costs involved with engineering and such, it just might end up being cheaper to dump a bit of asphalt in the hole and move on.

 

[dsm363]

My guess is it's more expensive in the long run to patch and patch the roads but cheaper in the short term. Since politics is in the short term and no one is willing to fund infrastructure that is what's done. Just a guess though. Maybe someone here knows.

 

[artsci]

Getting the wheels repaired tomorrow am. Will take about 90 minutes, so I'll wait while the work is done. Cost about $250, far less than getting replacment wheels, which is the standard recommendation made by Tesla.

 

[Kbsilver]

Another data point. My BMW dealer uses a traveling rim straightening service out of a truck. The are able to straighten the rims WITHOUT removing the tire (after all you bent it with the tire installed). They sometimes have to remove the weights, and the tire should always be rebalanced after.

 

[islandbayy]

My car has been at the Rockville SC for the past few days having some routine matters addressed. Whenever I have the car at Rockville I ask them to check for bent rims. The results are often depressing. For example I hit a large pothole a few weeks ago with my new 20" rims and Rockville now tells me they're bent front and rear on the right side (both ran into the pothole).

This follows 2 bent Tesla 21" wheels that I had fixed last summer. I've also seen posts regarding bent 19" wheels so it appears that smaller wheel size is not immunity.

My conclusion? With a car this heavy the only way to avoid bent rims is keep the car off pulbic roads. In other words, inmpossible. Sure, the odds are lower with smaller diameter wheels, but smaller wheels are no guarantee.

The symptoms are usuually clear -- unusual vibrations when driving at speed that one might associate with balance or alignment issues. After I hit the pot hole I noticed a change in the ride immiediately and knew it was bent wheels.

Of course, bent wheels can be repaired (in many cases you don't need to buy new wheels, as Tesla advises, just have them repaired). But when it happens it's a real PIA, especially if you don't have spare wheels (fortunatley I do).

I've concluded that bent rims is something I have to learn to live with and factor in to the annual maintenance costs of the Model S.

50,000 miles on MILWAUKEE Roads (Said to be 100 years behind in maintanance), and many pothole strikes later, my S60 has had no blow outs, bent rims or problems of any kind. I did hit one Niagara Falls that I thought DID blow the tire, immediate pull over and I found no damage what so ever. Was a hard enough hit to bounce the front end.

 

[EarlyAdopter]

When I bent a wheel on my old Audi after hitting an open man hole (really hard hit) the repair shop that checked the car out for any suspension damage made a good point that wheels are designed to crumple and absorb the energy of a hard hit before the impact can be transferred to the suspension components, where damage is considerably more expensive to repair.

 

[napabill]

Getting the wheels repaired tomorrow am. Will take about 90 minutes, so I'll wait while the work is done. Cost about $250, far less than getting replacment wheels, which is the standard recommendation made by Tesla.

Actually, my advisor at the SC suggested a rim repair shop.

 

[jerry33]

I suspect people are tired of hearing me say this, but in cold weather the air shrinks. The air pressure in the tire is the main protection against pothole damage. Be sure your tires have plenty of air in them.

 

[artsci]

Got the Avant Garde wheels repaired this morning at Alloy Wheel Repair in Baltimore. Took 90 minutes. The right rear was bent so badly that the edge cracked when it was being straightened. The crack was welded but for saftey's sake they recommended that I replace that wheel.

I found AWR on the Internet and I'm glad I did. They're a franchised operation with shops accross the country and state of the art equipment and they're the only wheel repair firm approved by many auto manufacturers. They also do powdercoating and simpler cosmetic repairs for things like curb rash, scrapes, and scratches.

If you're in the Baltimore/DC area or near one of their franchises around the country I highly recommend them.

 

[3mp_kwh]

Adding to the thread title, I have a 19" tesla wheel at home that I suspect is bent. The vibration happens pretty high, in mph (~80-85), but lets you know as it gets worse. The SC balanced it, but it evidently isn't a balance issue. A month later, I get Rials for winter and can rotate out the exact Tesla wheel causing the problem.

This thread is motivating me to call the SC, and push a little harder. The car came to me this way (inventory).

 

[artsci]

To set the record straight, as a number of you have stated, bent rims are not a concern that's unique to the Model S. Any car with large diameter wheels is vulnerable, and the greater the diameter the higher the risk. I saw an SUV the other day with 28" rims, The tire couldn't have been more than 1.5 inches thick. Bent rims? That SUV will have them out the wazoo

 

[Kbsilver]

Adding to the thread title, I have a 19" tesla wheel at home that I suspect is bent. The vibration happens pretty high, in mph (~80-85), but lets you know as it gets worse. The SC balanced it, but it evidently isn't a balance issue. A month later, I get Rials for winter and can rotate out the exact Tesla wheel causing the problem.

This thread is motivating me to call the SC, and push a little harder. The car came to me this way (inventory).

Good observation. My experience is balance issues are felt most in the 55-65 MPH range, slightly bent wheels more in the 75-80 mph range. Very bent wheels will usually be felt at anything over 40 MPH. Remember most bends occur on the INSIDE side of the wheel. The outside of the wheel which has the supporting spokes is stronger.

 

[JohnQ]

Got the Avant Garde wheels repaired this morning at Alloy Wheel Repair in Baltimore. Took 90 minutes. The right rear was bent so badly that the edge cracked when it was being straightened. The crack was welded but for saftey's sake they recommended that I replace that wheel.

I found AWR on the Internet and I'm glad I did. They're a franchised operation with shops accross the country and state of the art equipment and they're the only wheel repair firm approved by many auto manufacturers. They also do powdercoating and simpler cosmetic repairs for things like curb rash, scrapes, and scratches.

If you're in the Baltimore/DC area or near one of their franchises around the country I highly recommend them.

I concur about AWRS. I used one their franchisees in Danbury, CT and they did a great job at a very reasonable price.