jimbo3

Well, I finally did it. Hit a chuckhole and tore off a chunk of lip off the rear Technology wheel- 5" long and almost down to the bead.

The good news is that the wheel is still round, straight and holds air, plus no other damage to car or tire and the alignment hasn't changed. The bad news is that I've been told that hollow spokes are difficult to repair because the heat transfer may distort and/or warp the spokes and hub. Finding a single replacement is not terribly likely in the near term and Sunset can get a new one for "only" a grand (!).

So, while a solid spoke wheel will be the short-term replacement to buy some time to fix this one, is there anyone (preferably in Texas) who has some real experience and proficiency in repairing a Technology wheel? Or, does anyone have a line on a used one? (18x10, et65)

I'm not concerned with the paint part as I have that covered.

TIA-
Jim

chris walrod

Could you post an image?

Check with local wheel repair places, they are typically capable of fixing the nastiest (is that a word?) of wheels.

jimbo3

Thanks, Chris. I'm told that these are more difficult to repair correctly due to the hollow spoke design being very prone to warping with the heat during repair, so I'd hate to give this one to any old wheel shop and then end up throwing it away.

Will post a picture when the car returns from the shop.

chris walrod

This is true to some extent about heat induced distortion -- most wheel repair places do use a fair amount of heat on cast wheels.

TMc993

I always get nervous when I read about someone seeking repair in a cracked or broken wheel. I once saw a "repaired" wheel come apart on a Corvette traveling at normal highway speeds and the results were pretty ugly. Replacement may be the safer option.

AOW162435

I have an extra sitting in the shop - but it's bent.


Andreas

jimbo3

I'd be leary of cracks and breaks in the spokes or hub, but I'm thinking that the lip isn't all that structural. This one is still holding air and the lip is the only problem. Is it wishful thinking on my part that it shouldn't be a problem down the road?

Is it not practical to bend these back if it's a minor bend? These came on Turbos, too, so I'm thinking that they can't be all that fragile.

mongrelcat

My understanding is that it's no big deal to repair a minor bend.

I passed on a great deal for a set of MY02's because one of the rear wheels was out of round. In hindsight it was still a good deal considering an additional $150-200 for a simple repair on the damaged wheel (this was a very minor bend on the inside lip and the owner had no idea about it until the wheels came off his car and were spun up, at my request.)

I wouldn't use a rim that had a welded repair, considering my car will be seeing track speeds regularly, it seems to me that's putting an awful lot of faith in the guys doing such a repair. (But maybe there's nothing wrong with that either, as long as the repair is correct.)

TMc993

[QUOTE=jimbo3;6684475]I'd be leary of cracks and breaks in the spokes or hub, but I'm thinking that the lip isn't all that structural. This one is still holding air and the lip is the only problem. Is it wishful thinking on my part that it shouldn't be a problem down the road? [QUOTE]

Jimbo,

The part that would bother me is the statement you made about the break being "...almost down to the bead." Because of the consequences of sudden loss of tire pressure, breaks close to the bead bother me (But then, I'm an old man with an obsessive/compulsive personality ).

I try to look at this type of thing from a viewpoint of the best thing that can happen to worst thing that can happen and decide what I can live with.

In your case, if the wheel is repairable, then:

Best:
Absolute assurance from a competent shop that the wheel can be repaired and will be safe.

Middle:
Wheel can be repaired and will be safe, but may have a slow leak.

Worst:
Wheel can be repaired and will be generally sound but if there is an severe enough impact on the repaired area, the wheel may re-break at the bead with possible sudden loss if tire pressure.

And for me at least, the amount of time I spend chasing down the repair, the cost of the repair, and the time my car is off the road also factor into it.

But that's just me...Good luck with finding a solution.

Terry

jimbo3

^^^Good thoughts, Terry. Thanks. If this particular wheel weren't so expensive and good used ones hard to come by, I wouldn't give a second thought to replacing the wheel. I've never had a damaged wheel, so I'm new to all of this. In your estimation, if I were to find a top shop that could meet the terms of your "best" scenario, would you have the repair done if you were me?

TMc993

I fully understand the cost consideration...To answer your last question, if a top-notch shop were to give me a 95%+ assurance that the wheel would be "as good as new" after repair and if I was planning to use the car for street/highway driving only, I'd probably have it repaired. That said, first sign of any leakage and it'd be gone.

Others may have a different, and more valid, POV...

Regards,
Terry

Terry Adams

I had a dented one repaired with no further issues for about 130K miles until I sold the 993.

In your case, however, I would replace it.

VNTGSPD

I'd think you have yourself one pretty sweet hose reel now!

The rear wheels do a lot of work on these cars and if you drive it in a spirited manner at all, I would think you would not risk damage to your car resulting from a sudden wheel/tire failure.

I'm going through the process now of repairing body damage on my car and I can tell you that the process of making a car with no crash damage and all original paint appear unmolested is not fun (you can't duplicate 0% filler and you can't duplicate 14 years of patina). Imagine the weld breaks, the tire loses pressure at highway speed, shreds itself and damages the rear fender. At that point I suspect you would gladly turn back time and pay $1000 for a wheel! However, even that is not necessary as there are several alternatives to buying a factory new wheel. I think that wheel can be had for more like $500.

Good luck!

kjr914

I recently went through the same...found a nice crack in my rear twist (solid spoke, sorry no match to your broken one). It was a radial crack that went thru the inside lip and onto the flat....and was splitting 2 ways at that point! yikes!!!

Sounds like that wheel is toast. Look at wheel enhancement which has single wheels. They recently wanted $475 for a rear solid twist, far less than the stealership's $1100.

I looked for the replacement, but a set of the technology wheels popped up somewhat nearby so for $1200, I have a full set of (better) wheels. LOVE craigslist & thanks to a sharp RLer that pointed to them! .....then a set of MY02s pop'ed up even near'er by (damn craigslist....) and I bought those too....and kdurg's spacers... Two sets of wheels in 1 month....PLEASE, someone STOP me!!!

Anyone want 2front & 1 rear solid spoke WB turbo look wheels? pleeezzzz....my bank acct is screaming!!!

AOW162435

Jim,
PM sent.


Andreas