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A good way to find out if your rim is bent.


StarQuestRims
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5 lug quest rims.

 

I get allot of questions about bent rims and how can one tell if it  is bent.

 

When you get the outer edge bent it is pretty simple and easy to see but that does not cause a great deal of problems (not a major edge bend). When the inner rim is bent (where the spokes are) here lies the difficulty and trickery. A bent inner rim causes that thump thump sound as well as wheel vibrations. People say you can put it on a balance machine and watch it spin. No, the eyes mainly focus on the outer edge and if the edge is even slightly bent the machine makes it look worse. Not to mention someone simply mounting it on the machine wrong. A simple way I have found is to use a guide stick. Go to any harware store and buy a piece of plastic 5/8 OD (outside diameter) pipe. Cut the pipe to a 15 7/16 length and sand lightly the edges to take the burs away. Now if your rim is within spec (a close approx) you should be able to place the pipe on the rim witihin the outer ring. Hold the pipe by your hand over the center cap and spin it around while holding it. It should be able to spin freely all the way around the rim without getting stuck. Be careful not to move you hand away from the center otherwise it will stick and grab. If you do this properly and the pipe gets stuck the rim is bent. And in most cases it is bent for about 2-3 inches in length. Make sure you test the back of the rim as well. The back is a little tricky since it has dirt and that tends to make the pipe stick.  

 

This is a quick and simple method to screen out a bad rim quickly. It is not the most accurate but it does work. So the next time you go to the junkyard for rims make sure you take your .50 piece of pipe it might just save you from spending $$$$ on a bent rim.

 

Mark V

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