Daluu, these wheels are not safe. Their mechanical integrity, their ability to stay true and to maintain the integrity of the bead seal if the wheel hits a hole in the road have been compromised, as has the roundness of the rim which affects its dynamic balance (balance while spinning). In short, different sections of the rim have their center of gravity different distances from the rotating axis. And the badly bent areas also have their centers of gravity varying distances from the centerline of the wheel. The wheels in these photos are no longer usable.
Think of these wheels as analogous to a ceiling paddle fan that has five different length paddles. It will hang straight when still, but will never rotate smoothly.
I think I paid $20 each for a couple of Riviera wheels from the junk yard. Kinda puts it in perspective. Couple tanks of gas. The bend was imperceptible to the eye but still caused vibration.
Personally, it’s not about appearance but safety. Wheels/ tires are an important part in keeping you on the road and safe and those wheels don’t look like they can do that. There are a lot of inexpensive options online or like others have said check the junk yards. It will be worth paying a little to avoid being stranded or in an accident.
I had just a bit of that damage on a steel wheel on my Chev Cobalt after hitting a deep pothole at night. I let the air out of the tire and a few wise hits with a hammer put the rim back to where it belonged. That is a very good feature of steel wheels as compared to alloy wheels. I would pay extra to get a new car with steel wheels but that is not possible. Don’t be concerned with weakening the steel. Pounding it back will work harden it. It might not be good, however, to bend it back more than once. Keep enough air per spec in your tires to help avoid wheel damage in potholes.
Yup!
Unless one is talking about luxury vehicles, it is almost always possible to buy a “strippo” trim line of a particular model that comes with steel wheels and those almost-always appalling-looking plastic wheel covers.
True, but if you want any upgrades, they usually include alloy wheels.
For example, when I bought a new Forester, I wanted a roof rack… not the bolt on part, but the rails that the rack bolted onto, so I could attach a roof rack when needed. And that came only as part of a package with alloy wheels.
So if you really, really wanted/needed to have steel wheels. Selling the alloy’s that you don’t really want would more than pay for a set of steel wheels. I am fairly sure you can find steel wheels for just about anything. A little more trouble than just getting them to begin with, but if you really, really wanted/needed to have steel wheels. There are options. Problem solved. I think.
When I used to buy winter tires, I would order them pre-mounted on steel wheels from either Tire Rack or Discount Tire. Steel wheels were always available from those retailers for my cars.
And, on a somewhat related note…am I the only one who has noticed that steel wheels nowadays seem to look rusty after only a few years? Years ago, when steel wheels were the norm, I can recall my wheels being rust-free even after a decade.
I think that because steel wheels are now considered to be…low-rent items…not very much care is given to painting them properly.
Oh boy. So the reason you would want steel wheels instead is so that when you ran into something and bent them up, you can just take a hammer and straighten them out again? Interesting. I’ve never thought of that.
Gee good eye for detail. Yeah that sure is grass. Just like you’d see if you ran it into a ditch or something and survived. Notice the tire was made in Indonesia too?
I saw a geo metro at junkyard this weekend. almost new alloy wheels/tires. I had to walk around car once or twice to see the model. no visible damage. even had a new exhaust. I bet those rims might fit on the Hyundai accent the OP has. cheap too.
Y’know, I can’t help but wonder, is that grass sticking out from between the wheel and tire in the photos? Have these wheels been in an accident?
Accident, maybe. Car was stolen and found abandoned on the road in another city 30+ miles away. It had some damage when found. Don’t know what it looked like at the scene since I picked it up at the towing facility where it was held.
2 of the 4 rims (and wheel covers) had damage, the other 2 looked ok (w/ wheel cover looking fine intact, would think the rim would be ok for that as well, but will find out later). It was the ones on the right side of car that sustained damage, and those were the only visible damage on the right side.
What’s wrong? Still not getting the answers you want?
No, just wanted to get more feedback. I did read elsewhere earlier online about getting the rims fixed rather than replaced, and few posts describe how severe of rim/wheel damage is considered severe vs ok - there’s more examples illustrating for worn/rotting tires.
This is a job for “Insurance Man”!!
Seriously, all of this should be covered along with a full evaluation of other possible damage by your comprehensive. You do have comprehensive, don’t you?
My wild guess is that the thief slid the vehicle sideways over a granite curb and down onto a berm. That can cause all sorts of hidden chassis damage. The vehicle needs to be gone over with a fine tooth comb.
