I was driving back from Elon recently and was behind a tractor trailor, so i decided to pass him on the left...as soon as i start moving over I hit what looked like a chopped up piece of wood (think fireplace) that was hidden from view by the truck. I started noticing a faint vibration (this was around 75 mph). Well, its definitely worse (and only really noticeable) around 38-40 MPH but not TERRIBLE, just an obvious vibration...I consulted a friend and he believes i probably bent a rim. 8(

What are my options? the wheel is still holding air and i dont see any obvious signs of it being bent. I checked to see if i threw the wheel weight, but i haven't. As far as i know, you cant buy these rims new anymore in the US (Mille Migla MM112's, 16")..so, if it IS bent, is it possible for cast wheels to be fixed if bent?

5/20/2006 5:00:29 PM

just go have it balanced. they'll let you know if it's bent. if it is, plan on buying a new set.

5/20/2006 5:08:11 PM

could also break a belt in the tire hitting something like that.

Quote :

"just go have it balanced."

yup, pretty much any tire place should be able to tell you the problem

[Edited on May 20, 2006 at 11:02 PM. Reason : ]

5/20/2006 11:01:36 PM

take it to MMautowerks. Kevin is a big bmw guy and he'll check it out for you. he can also fix some bent wheels. he fixed one for me once.

5/20/2006 11:09:42 PM

woah i coulda swore i posted in this the other day

5/21/2006 4:08:11 PM

vibration at 38-40 sounds like busted belt in the tire

5/21/2006 5:29:16 PM

^ agreed, had this happen before. my rear view mirror rattled off.

5/21/2006 5:32:03 PM

i just took it to a tire/alignment place and they jacked the car up and spun the wheel by hand, there was a slight wobble to the spin and the guy said it was bent...would that happen with a broken belt?

where is MMautowerks?

5/22/2006 4:46:30 PM

iirc, it is in morrisville on chapel hill road. just west of aviation on the south side (coming from cary, cross aviation, on the left) in a small strip mall with only a few stores in it.

5/22/2006 5:18:11 PM

Was there a wobble in the RIM or a wobble in the TIRE? If it's a bent rim, everything (rim/tire) will wobble when spun...if it's a broken belt in the tire, only the tire will wobble.

5/22/2006 6:14:14 PM

thats a good question, i couldnt tell.

5/23/2006 12:15:57 PM

another telltale sign of a busted belt will be a bulbous protrusion from the tire, either on the inner or outer sidewall or along the tread section.

5/23/2006 12:19:48 PM

now THAT i have done before...i had a huge goiter on the sidewall of one of my tires


not this time, unfortunatly.

5/23/2006 12:23:40 PM

liar, e30s cannot be hurt

5/23/2006 12:49:30 PM

i tend to agree.


damn faux-italian wheels.

5/23/2006 3:58:13 PM

Whatever it is, you'll probably need an alignment too.

5/24/2006 2:53:02 AM