RAudi Driver

Ok, so I had my new TPMS installed today and while one of the front wheels was on the 9700, the tech came in and said that my inner barrel (E88) is slightly bent.

I walked to the machine to take a look and I really couldn't see it with my naked eye, so he placed this guage that's mounted to the machine and told me to place my hand on it, which I did and could feel it not totally round.

I don't know if it's enough to warrant buying a new inner barrel, but I guess it could be the cause of this slight steering wheel vibration I get on the freeway at 75 mph. Since I never drive this car on the highway, except to get to the crest (Angelus Crest in my backyard), it never really bothered me. the only place i really ever drive the car is in Angelus Crest on sunday mornings.

I always though the steering wheel vibration was the tires flatspotting since the car sits most of the time.

Anyways, best place for new 19" barrels?

ilko

A small bend can be remedied usually by re-balancing the wheel. You won't feel any more vibration. If it were my car I'd just leave it alone for the time being.

Spoddle

No need to buy a new barrel, just get it fixed.

LateBraking

If it's only that barely/slightly off and you're just putting around town with them, just get the setup re-balanced IMO. Get it road forced properly. The really good Hunter Road Force machines will tell you exactly where to position your tire on your wheel to get the best balance out of the setup (I believe some of the entry level machines will just test road force but will not tell you where to re-position your tire).

No wheel is perfect, and no tire is perfect either. Otherwise we wouldn't need to balance brand new wheels and tires. Your wheel is now less perfect than normal, but if it's not visible to the naked eye chances are it will road force out quite well, and maybe even end up better balanced than the rest of your wheels and tires.

I actually had that happen once in the past, a wheel with an extremely minor bend in it that was invisible to the naked eye and only could be picked up on a machine/careful touching like yours ended up in the best shape road force lb reading-wise. Shouldn't feel a thing once properly road-forced, unless your tires are cupping or something.

If your shop's machine doesn't have something similar to one of these (pictured below, see bottom left), then see if you can maybe find one that does. The place I usually go to for wheel and tire needs is 7L Autosport. They are primarily a Subaru shop but their mount and balance equipment, as well as their alignment machine is state of the art and they know how to use them. Ask for Steve Gerhardt (or Dustin Chin if he is unavailable).

shotor

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shotor

^^^ Fancy shmancy!

For BBS barrels, I keep hearing Cup team this, race team that. But in Western Canada, I find the easiest method is to just call BBS directly. I find them to be very professional and priced competitively. But again, I am in Canada.

mooty

if you can barely seen that it's bent and it holds air, just rebalance it.
road force balance is great but entirely unnecessary.
based on your description you will not feel it when driving. if a slight bent needs replacement then all the E88 shod race cars will need new barrels every single day.

i run E88 on street and on my race cars. if they balance out, i wont replace it.

but if there are CRACKS then that's entirely different story.

Spyerx

JB Weld?

RAudi Driver

The wheel balanced out perfectly. It was done on a Hunter 9700 RFB, so should be good and I'm going leave it as is for the time being.

Thanks for the replies guys.