Buckled rim repair

marcusus · Postby **marcusus** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 2:00 am

The short version: Is it worth getting buckled rims repaired? If so, approximately how much does it cost?

The long version: When I moved from Sydney to Perth about 3 years ago, somehow my factory NB8A rims got buckled. I'm pretty sure they didn't wobble before I put the car on the truck, but when I got the car on the other side, it was doing it rather badly. In the end, I ended up buying some MS-01R rims, and have just been running those ever since.
Recently, I upgraded my brakes (new rotors, new pads), and it seems that I'm now incredibly good at flat spotting my tyres when doing autokhanas with the MX-5 club and missing my braking/turning marker on turn 1 at Barbagallo. The tyres I've got on the MS-01R rims at the moment are relatively new (maybe 2 months), and I'm pretty sure at least two of the tyres are flat spotted. Rather than waste the tyres by chucking them out, I'd like to get my old rims repaired, and run the MS-01R rims as my race rims, flat spotted tyres and all. That way I'll have comfort when driving the car as a daily, and I can peg it around the track without having to worry too much about how bad the ride quality will be afterwards.

If it's worth doing, does anyone know somewhere in the Perth area that'll do a good job?

Postby **Okibi** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 2:37 am

http://www.alliancerimrepairs.com.au

But you might be better to start with a slightly less bent wheel:
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/101370471919

marcusus · Postby **marcusus** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 9:16 pm

Thanks Dave. It'll be worth asking them the question as to how much it'll cost. I still have another set of NB8A rims back in Sydney which are fine, so if it's prohibitively expensive, I'll get that set sent over.

michaelz · Postby **michaelz** » Wed Mar 27, 2013 12:24 am

years ago i had a mild buckle on the rim re-rolled and wheel repainted for $150 all up.

worth the cost IMO but the only problem was the finish didn't exactly match the other 3 but you'll hard pressed to pick the difference unless you're looking for it carefully.

marcusus · Postby **marcusus** » Wed Mar 27, 2013 1:19 am

Hmmm... $150 for one rim is a bit much when I have a spare set sitting around (admittedly in another state) and already paid for. Not to mention the fact you can probably pick up a full set of NB8A rims for about $400.

I think I'll still take the rims in to see which ones are wobbled, how badly by, and how much it'll cost to fix. The next question is how is the integrity of the rims after such a repair? Are they more prone to buckling again after being fixed, or are they close enough to the original strength that it won't make much of a difference for every day driving?

Postby **Okibi** » Wed Mar 27, 2013 1:38 am

I'll be keen to hear how much they charge

de Bounce · Postby **de Bounce** » Wed Mar 27, 2013 5:38 am

As a price indicator, I had a NB8B rim re-rolled late last year
The rim was badly buckled and came back perfect.
Cost was $80 regardless of the damage assuming it can be repaired Neway Wheel Repairs

Benefit of re-rolling is that the rim comes back straight where as buying 2nd hand you don't know what you get.
One bent rim in the set makes what looked like a good deal a little expensive.

marcusus · Postby **marcusus** » Wed Mar 27, 2013 11:28 pm

Thanks for the indicative cost. If it's only one or two rims, that'll make it easier to bear. I'll still need to find shoes for them too after they've been repaired, but at least I can finally have a set of track and road rims. I'm a bit loathe to finally get semi slicks though after all these years of racing in the standard non semi slick classes. I'm gonna get destroyed when I move up a class

project.r.racing · Postby **project.r.racing** » Thu Mar 28, 2013 9:32 am

IF you buy a rim from a wrecker, and they'll be cheaper than from another forum member. If they are buckled, then the wrecker will give you a refund.

And if at a wrecker, then you just jack up a front wheel of your car, put it on the hub spindle and spin like 'wheel of fortune'. You'll know then if it is stuffed or not.

michaelz · Postby **michaelz** » Fri Mar 29, 2013 2:53 pm

marcusus wrote:Hmmm... $150 for one rim is a bit much when I have a spare set sitting around (admittedly in another state) and already paid for. Not to mention the fact you can probably pick up a full set of NB8A rims for about $400.

it was a 17" uras wheel for my nissan. if it was a stock 15 or 16" MX5 wheel i agree, bit pricy and not worth doing when you can buy another one.

marcusus · Postby **marcusus** » Fri Mar 29, 2013 3:27 pm

Does anyone have any feedback about what the rim is like after the re-roll? Does it still maintain it's integrity OK? I would expect it's not going to be as solid as it once was, but is it prone to buckling again after the repair?

project.r.racing · Postby **project.r.racing** » Fri Mar 29, 2013 10:07 pm

it really depends on the damage. depends on the metal the wheel is made of. wheels have to be heated and pressure put on them to repair them. sometimes things just don't work out.

marcusus · Postby **marcusus** » Tue Apr 02, 2013 9:14 pm

project.r.racing wrote:it really depends on the damage. depends on the metal the wheel is made of. wheels have to be heated and pressure put on them to repair them. sometimes things just don't work out.

They're factory NB8A rims.