Greg H.

A dealer told me that part of his used vehicle prep is to have the wheels checked. He said three of the wheels on the car I was inquiring about had to be worked on, and one was so far gone they had to replace it. These were stock technology wheels. I don't think he was talking about buffing out some curb marks because I asked if these wheels were prone to getting bent or going out of round from hitting a pot hole and he said it is very common. Is this true? Technology wheels get deformed one way or another and can be straightened?

Greg

dcpmark

It is VERY easy to bend the inside edge of 18" Turbo Technology rims, and more difficult (but possible) to bend the outside edge. Most rims can be straightened.

LC997C4s

I had my hollow spoke technology wheels repaired and refinished. I used Wheel Collision Center located in PA. A few years ago Car & Driver magazine did a write up on them which is how I came to use them..........The wheels came back is absolute perfect condition (no rollout, wobble, etc) and they refinished them back to the original factory finish.

I don't recall the exact price I paid but I believe it was in the area of $200 per wheel.

Terry Adams

My suspension and steering seem to be set up to track for potholes. Last time it happened, and I bent the rim, I used <a href="http://wheeltechniques.com/index.html" target="_blank">Wheel Techniques in SF Bay Area</a> with perfect results.

Richard C2S

I discovered that two of my technology (hollow spoke) wheels were in need of straightening. And Wheel Collision, which is in Bath, PA, near Allentown, does a terrific job.

Richard (not C4S)

Greg H.

Thanks guys. I hadn't heard this before and I was just checking if the dealer is on the level.

Greg <img src="graemlins/wave.gif" border="0" alt="[byebye]" />

Viken

The hollow spoke "Turbo I" (previously Technology) wheels will not bend any more than any other wheel with a low profile tire mounted. The main reason is severely under-inflated tires and/or softer sidewalls. When you drive over a nasty pothole or bump under such conditions, you are likely to bend any wheel's rim. Also, the reason why the inner rim bends more than the outer is the negative camber we all drive on.