I have recently put 20" wheels on my car and apparently have hit something because there is a small flat spot in the lip on one of them. It is visually barely noticeable, but once you are at speeds between 50-80 there is a vibration thorugh the floor and the steering wheel shakes mildly. I am trying to get it repaired but an unaware if anyone can do it in the next 3 days because I am going to the dragon. I am wondering, will this vibration and flat spot cause horrible wear on any components in the car if I was to drive the roughly 800 miles to the dragon and back? I have been told it will adversely affect my bearings and such, but am unaware is this was bull$hit. Could anyone with some knowledge on the subject please shed a little light.

Just to clarify, my hope IS to get the wheel repaired, but I am wondering if they tell me they can't, will I have to skip the trip?? I definitely do not want to hurt the XF.

Thanks.

 

Tire or wheel?

If the wheel,
It may be correctable by balancing weights. More likely your wheel is now out of round and unusable.

If the tire, you must replace it.

I wouldn't do 800 miles of vibration but then I wouldn't miss the Dragon either. Try it with the bad wheel on the back axle. Might be bearable.
OR
Put your old wheels back on !?!


franc

 

there is mobile wheel repair for like $125 per wheel call your local tire store.

the 20" wheels are all around or in the rear only.

i think you said all around and if it is the front rim i wonder if it is the little bolts that stick through the fender area or the ball joint bolt.

those are critical areas to clear and can tear up your tire or rim and other stuff.

 

I have been battling these wheels since I got them, they have been a huge pain in the a$$ and if they didn't look so good I would be truly disappointed. I know it is not a fitment issue, they clear the top nut and everything else (I have 10 MM Eibach hub centric spacers for this). The first thing I thought was balance, so I checked them. All the wheels will balance perfectly, except the one with the 'flat spot' on the lip of the rim.

As far as factory wheels, they are waiting on rubber because they will be my winter wheels, the factory rubber was shot, so I stripped them and threw them away.

As for putting the rim on the rear, can not be done b/c they are 20x8's up front and 20x10's in the rear.

I think there is a guy here in Indy that can do it if I drop my car off to him for the next 2 days so I am thinking this is the route I want to go, but he can't guarantee me it will be done.

Damn I knew something like this would happen.

Thanks for the ideas guys, can never have too many of them.

 

Check out these guys: http://www.mobilewheelrepair.com/

They are a nationwide franchise service across the country. I've had good luck in my area with the firm that is associated with them. See of they have a mobile rep nearby. They should have everything they need to repair the wheel in their 2-room mobile shop. They claim 1-hr turnaround time at your home.

Hope this helps,

 

I use a Goodyear store in Sheridan...they could at least put it on the balancer and give you an opinion on whether the wheel needs repaired or replaced...sometimes the old hammer used correctly will do the trick. I know someone will comment, but I have straightened many a wheel at this very store as a young man. Anyway, its a short drive for you...317-758-4456...Tom, Brian, or Freddy...Doc Holliday recommended you.....good luck

 

Reminds me of a story about an old consultant!

 

If the wheel is truly out-of-round, I would think all they would have to do is dismount the tire and put it on a lathe. It shouldn't be that much of a time consuming repair.
Just explain to the guy you have to have it back by Thursday, and maybe slip him a tip for his consideration.
My concern is the long term effect the 10mm spacers may have on your wheel bearings, tire, and brake pad wear.

 

I have it at one of the best wheel shops in Indy right now, dropped it off first thing this morning. Let the guy know the situation and he said he would have it done by Wednesday evening. I told him I would take care of him, money talks, bull$hit rolls around on rims that have flat spots

As far as the spacers, I did not want to have to go that route, but I am not worried about long term wear and tear. First off, there are several forum members that have used larger (up to 20mm) spacers all the way around and they have had 0 problems after several years of use. Second, they are high quality hub centric Eibach Pro spacers. Lastly, after speaking with many people who said they would never run them and many people who are currently or have in the past run them, I am not worried about 10mm in the front. The suspensions are strong on these cars, and I will only be running them for 6 months out of the year.

Thanks for the ideas, hopefully these guys will take care of it and I can go to the Dragon on time.

And thanks for the idea about the mobile wheel repair, but there is no one around my area, I looked into that first.

John

 

[quote=05XF-LVR]As far as the spacers, I did not want to have to go that route, but I am not worried about long term wear and tear. First off, there are several forum members that have used larger (up to 20mm) spacers all the way around and they have had 0 problems after several years of use. Second, they are high quality hub centric Eibach Pro spacers. Lastly, after speaking with many people who said they would never run them and many people who are currently or have in the past run them, I am not worried about 10mm in the front. The suspensions are strong on these cars, and I will only be running them for 6 months out of the year.[quote]

That's great news, glad that you'll be able to make the Dragon.
Thanks for the update on the spacers. I had a bad experience with some spacers only 3/8" thick, on a car with a suspension a lot more "heavy duty" than what's on the Crossfire. It made the brake pads wear out unevenly, and scored the rotors bad enough they needed replaced.
It's good to know that nobody's had any problems with them after long term usage. One less thing to worry about when considering wheels.

 

John, Glad to see your going to make it.