bader$

Has anybody had any problems with Phone dials bending. I took min off to balance them (bad Vibration) and two of were bent. I was able to straighten them enough to get them balanced. Took it for a long drive today and everything was fine until I got almost home and the vibration came back. Are these wheels real soft or do I just have a bad pair.

joseph mitro

i had to replace a 16" front wheel on my 951. don't know if maybe these are just soft or something?

89magic98

Just curious, I have phone dials as well, what speeds did you notice the vibration (a range of XXX-XXX MPH, or it just starts at XXX MPH and gets worse).

-Kevin

bader$

At first it was at 60-80. After I straightened and balanced them there was none. Now it starts at 30 and gets worse from there. I don't remember hitting anything either.

Chris_924s

I had a vibration fom 55-65 MPH- I have a slightly bent LF rim. Balanced, aligned, new wheel bearings and bent wheel on the rear- no vibration at all.
I have a spare- straight true good 15x6" PD if someone needs it. late offset.

stolarzj

Just found out last week I have four bent 16" phone dials on my car.

James86-951

My LR is bent. I found my vibration problem is related to the condition of my front suspension. I have no wear, but a vibration from 65-75 mph. I rebuilt the ball joints this weekend and the vibration is greatly reduced. The next step is tie rod ends.

How did you straighten the rims? There is a guy in Roswell (Rennsport) I used several years back to correct a bent 300zx wheel. I think he used wheel wizard. I'm not sure if the alloy used on these wheels has a memory, but that is possible.

bader$

I used a hammer. I know, it's not the right tool but I did it with the air in the tire and used abrupt blows so as not to crack it. The strange thing is I didn't hit anything that should have bent them to start with. I wish I could get some input from the guru's here. I don't get alot of response here when I post. I guess they just have to get used to you before that happens.

nine-44

There's a small shop up here in Cincinnati called Cliff Jacobs, they did my 17X9 Twist wheel. They do it by had and DO strive for perfection. I think it was around 80-100 bucks. Also, you may have thrown a wheel weight off of the wheel. Check that first.

bader$

I don't think so. Tires usually don't vibrate that bad at low speeds.

F18Rep

I have seen aluminum wheels straightened (this was 15 years ago by a wheel shop in Indianapolis). The guy dismounted the tire then put the rim on machine that slowly turns the wheel, then he made an adjustment to a side roller wheel that put pressure on the bent area with each revolution. A few minutes later, he tweeked the roller again. it was interesting to see it done. He salvaged "a usable rim" for me in about an hour but also told me that the rim was probably not within the run-out spec and that some rims can be bent even by the tire mounting machines. I suppose this same approach could be used for straightening an alloy rim. Cost for me was $100.

Thats a little much for a PD since they sell for a little as $25 on Ebay. The sad thing there is that you may buy one that is bent even worse than the one you're trying to replace.

If you're really interested in finding vibrations, checking the wheel for run-out is very similar to checking a brake disk. This might be a really good idea too before spending a lot of time refinishing a wheel.

Robert D

I have a bent 16inch 928-style wheel...warps my rear tires over time. I swear, it sounds like there is a bird in my trunk howling COOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I'm going to bring my actual 928 (65mm offset) wheel by a local shop to see if they will allow me to trade it for a 928 (52mm) wheel. Hopefully....