Grrr... F*$#ing Potholes!

[st13phil]

So, I go to have my Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4's fitted and find that both nearside wheels are buckled, the front only slightly, the rear more so

Recently I'd noticed a very faint steering tremor at motorway+ speeds, as though I had a wheel fractionally out of balance, but nothing really significant. There's no sign of any damage from the outer face of the rim, only on the inside edge. Just goes to show I suppose.

If anyone has for sale, or knows someone who has for sale, any W212 E63 Facelift Wheels, front or rear in the standard High Sheen / Titanium Grey finish please respond to this thread.

 

[AlexM]

why not just have them straigtened by a wheel refurbisher?. They have hydraulic presses that can align and correct out-of-round distortions.

 

[developer]

Sympathy brother bi-turbo .

My c£1100 damage claim is still on-going - the roads are a joke .

 

[AlexM]

I've got to say that the standard 10 spoke wheels on the E63 aren't very strong. Not sure if they are cast, but they certainly are easy to damage. When I had my wheels refinished, three out of four were buckled. I've never experienced this with any of my other cars.

You can almost certainly repair them - no point in replacing them as it will happen again, most likely!.

 

[AMGeed]

I can sympathise Phil. Recently had two new rear tyres fitted and the fitter showed me a cracked alloy that I had to have temporarily welded. Had to be pothole damage.

The local councils are all having their budgets cut by central government and it seems the upkeep of roads including pothole repair is one of the first to get the chop.
Hope you are lucky with replacement rims. New ones aren't cheap are they!

 

[HB]

Sorry to hear this Phil.
If I'm not mistaken,C200k was selling E63 wheels, pm him.

 

[nick mercedes]

It's less the roads, and more that modern wheels are so weak and prone to flat-spotting.

They're just so big with so little tyre between them and the road...

 

[grober]

^^^^^^Lack of tyre sidewall height in modern low profile tyre wheel combos must be a significant contributory factor?

 

[developer]

^^^^^^Lack of tyre sidewall height in modern low profile tyre wheel combos must be a significant contributory factor?

On a smooth well maintained road (i.e to the intended specification) a low profile wheel and tyre combination would be just fine.

The route cause will always be that of fault with the road, not the wheel/tyre.

In reality, of course, they aren't well maintained so...

 

[st13phil]

Thanks all for your sympathy

Harry: I've dropped a note to A, but I think he did actually sell them.

I've got to say that the standard 10 spoke wheels on the E63 aren't very strong. Not sure if they are cast, but they certainly are easy to damage. When I had my wheels refinished, three out of four were buckled. I've never experienced this with any of my other cars.

The wheels on my pre-facelift E63 where the forged AMG IV's, and they seemed pretty robust, but I agree that the facelift wheels (which are cast) do seem a bit prone to buckling

You can almost certainly repair them - no point in replacing them as it will happen again, most likely!.

I'm happy to do that and I'm sure both wheels will straighten, but they will almost certainly end up needing a refurb after straightening and as the car is my daily driver I can't have it off the road for any length of time - hence my preference for a couple of "spare" wheels.

 

[Charles Morgan]

My sympathy Phil. The roads round here and near you are beyond shocking. My Alpina (on mere 18s) suffered one full blowout and two buckled wheels in the few miles I did in it (I don't include the time I clipped my brick bin store).

 

[AlexM]

Thanks all for your sympathy

Harry: I've dropped a note to A, but I think he did actually sell them.

The wheels on my pre-facelift E63 where the forged AMG IV's, and they seemed pretty robust, but I agree that the facelift wheels (which are cast) do seem a bit prone to buckling I'm happy to do that and I'm sure both wheels will straighten, but they will almost certainly end up needing a refurb after straightening and as the car is my daily driver I can't have it off the road for any length of time - hence my preference for a couple of "spare" wheels.

The company I used ( AlloyWheelRepairCentre 020 8567 1713 )had a set of spare wheels that they lent me FOC while mine were done. The turn-around was only two days, and the price was £350 for strip, refurb, powercoating with diamond cut edge of all four wheels, and an extra £15 for straightening the buckled wheels.

I think most refurb agents will be able to provide loaner wheels for minimal or no charge.

Regards,
Alex

 

[camerafodder]

^^^^^^Lack of tyre sidewall height in modern low profile tyre wheel combos must be a significant contributory factor?

This ^^^

Problem is that we now expect racetrack smooth roads and it's simply not realistic. Before anyone berates me I have owned several cars with low profile tyres but after a while I realised that it wasn't viable (and never has been) living in rural Cumbria.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

This ^^^

Problem is that we now expect racetrack smooth roads and it's simply not realistic. Before anyone berates me I have owned several cars with low profile tyres but after a while I realised that it wasn't viable (and never has been) living in rural Cumbria.

Agree.

I don't think that the roads have got worse but I know that wheels/tyres have become poncified.

 

[c_200k]

Cheers for the heads up Harry

I've spoken with Phil but have already sold the wheels earlier in the year.

Hope you get this sorted Phil, maybe try the Pre facelift wheels as they are forged?

 

[grober]

Part of the problem centres round the 4th power law as applied to road pavement.
It centres round the relationship between axle weight and inflicted pavement damage in that it is not linear but exponential. Putting it another way a heavy goods vehicle such as a tractor trailer or bus inflicts far more road damage compared to a lighter car than you would expect from a simple comparison of weights. see page 16 of the following
http://bettertransport.org.uk/sites/default/files/research-files/heavy_lorries_MTRU_research.pdf
This doesn't take into account what might be termed the "edge effect" where a wide vehicle may break down the edge of a road pavement by being too wide for the single lane its travelling in.
Some argue on that basis HGV's don't pay enough of a road fund licence to compensate for the damage they do but the economic reality of course is that if we want our supermarket goods cheap, stuff delivered to the door from Amazon and intercity express buses etc etc crap roads are the price we apparently have to pay.

 

[Doodle]

Agree.

I don't think that the roads have got worse but I know that wheels/tyres have become poncified.

The roads around this way are in a shocking state, but ironically so bad that it doesn't really generate any appreciable potholes. It makes chronic acne look positively smooth.

 

[Peter DLM]

That's very frustrating Phil, I suspect I have a slightly buckled rim also as I think I have a barely perceptible high speed shimmy. Had all 4 wheels balanced also.

 

[st13phil]

I suspect I have a slightly buckled rim also as I think I have a barely perceptible high speed shimmy.

Sounds just like mine

 

[Deleted member 37751]

As it's always great encouraging someone else to spend their money Phil, so what about a forged set of wheels?