Bent Rims
 

I was driving in Detroit at 4 in the morning and I didn't see it coming but I smacked a big pothole. When I got back later on in the night, I noticed that the lip on my rim was bent. I was pissed. Should I fix it or leave it alone? And if I can fix it, what should I do? They are SSR Comps 18" and Ive read problems with them but nobody said about driving on them or fixing them.

well is it just the edge with a little dent or is the rim dented?
if the rim is dented it's probably shit, an easy way to tell is to look at the tires and look for bubbled spots if that's the problem you may need a new rim.

Ouch :shock:
Those are some expensive wheels too!
Take them to a place that re-furbishes wheels. They'll let you know if they can be fixed or not. If they can fix them, it'll cost you a bit, but it would probably be cheaper then buying a new wheel.

The place where it is bent is right on the lip. its big enough to notice it but i don't notice it while driving. And the bent is proturding outwards. I mean, I drove on it for about 400 miles and I never noticed it until the next day. All Im concerned about is will it hurt the tire? If it does then I need to get it fixed. But like I said, I drove on it for about 400 miles and never noticed it. Should there be something I should be feeling in the steering? A vibration? cuz Im not. God damn potholes! :x Im soo pissed. I looke online and ive seen other people with problems like mine with SSR comps too

You should call the city first to see if theyll pay for it. The same thing happened to my dad but it completely destroyed his wheel. The law at home is they will pay for it if someone called in that there was a pothole atleast 24 hours before. i had a small dent on one of my wheels for years and it never really affected anything. just gotta check the tire pressure. also you should have it rebalanced.

See if you can make a claim against the City (you'll probably get denied).

If it can't be fixed, you should probably get a new wheel. If it's dented right on the lip, where the tire is, it's not safe to drive around like that...because if you're driving and turning and the bead breaks on the tire, you'll get an instant flat and lose control. Most tire places won't mount tires on wheels with a bent lip either...for the scenario I just typed and the possibility of liability against the shop for mounting tires on an unsafe wheel.

in Sydney, there is a tv program called "Current Affairs", alot of viewers went to them about potholes denting their wheels, some are serious enough to cause damage to the chassis over a long period of time of course. it says its a complicated and time consuming process to get money from the local council, but if you do everything by the book, u will succeed

In which case you should sue them, of course.

The state of roads in this country is really quite appalling compared to Western Europe

I heard about those SSR in AW.....personally i am against fixing bent rims because it is hard to make it the same as it was before....but goodluck :)

Be sure to pursue it as soon as possible. The statute of limitations on a government entity is shorter than for private citizens. Normally, you must be denied a claim before you can sue also, hence my advice to file a claim first.

Good luck.

are they forged rims, if so kiss them good bye, the tensil strenght has been sucked from the forging and are now useless/unsafe. if they are cast pieces they can be repaired...the forging thing really depends on how hard/big you hit/bent the rim. being you say it is only the lip, odds are it is repairable.
take it easy, Micah
the lowly Mechanical Engineering student