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I mentioned to a few of you over the weekend that I've started to get a bad shimmy when driving at highway speeds. Combined with a clicking at low speeds that varies with wheel speed. The suggestions ranged from bad wheel bearings to any number of bushings getting worn out. Well the verdict is back from the shop - bent rims. Mostly the front two but the back to a lesser degree.

My reaction ... really? Seriously? How could ALL FOUR rims be bent? I know that these are the original rims and have certainly seen some abuse over the years. But I avoid potholes as much as possible and never go off road. How could this come up?

Anyway, as Lisa Simpson said, "the Chinese use the same word for crisis as for opportunity" "Crisitunity!" So new wheels it is.

Are there any brands to stay away from? - Sport Edition, MB Wheels, etc.

I'll probably go for 17" and get some summer rubber to start with - I'd just like some guidance on things to steer clear of wheel-wise. Any hints?

--Alan

What is your budget for wheels and what is it for tires?

there are soooo many choices out there. it really will depend on your budget.

A clicking that varies with wheel speeds?

That's usually quite indicative of a bad cv joint.

Is your shop reputable? Do you trust them?

I normally trust them. But this just seems like an "easy out" kind of diagnosis. The clicking was when coasting / braking but went away with even light throttle. I mean, shaking does seem logical if the wheel(s) is (are) bent, but both? All four?

--Alan

Sabre wrote:What is your budget for wheels and what is it for tires?

I'd like to stay under $150/wheel if possible. Certainly not above $200/wheel. As for tires, I'll probably go with a Sumitomo HTR Z II, General Exclaim UHP or Kumho Ecsta SPT.

Did some digging on TireRack and thought these might fit the bill:

Kazera KZ-D
18.4 lbs
$135/wheel for 17x7.5



Thoughts? Warnings?

--Alan

WRXWagon2112 wrote:I'd like to stay under $150/wheel if possible. Certainly not above $200/wheel. As for tires, I'll probably go with a Sumitomo HTR Z II, General Exclaim UHP or Kumho Ecsta SPT.

Did some digging on TireRack and thought these might fit the bill:

Kazera KZ-D
18.4 lbs
$135/wheel for 17x7.5

Those look nice and seem to be fairly light.... I'm sure the good doctor will have more to weigh (see what I did there!) in on them.

I can highly recommend the Sumitomo HTR Z III

I would like to offer you a set of wheels to try and test the theory. If changing out the wheels fixes the problem, then bent wheels it is. if the problem persists, then you could save $800-1K and put if towards fixing the actual issue.

Lemme know.

zaxrex wrote:I would like to offer you a set of wheels to try and test the theory. If changing out the wheels fixes the problem, then bent wheels it is. if the problem persists, then you could save $800-1K and put if towards fixing the actual issue.

Lemme know.

Zak: what are you doing to our guy here?!?!
Allan: buy the wheels while you still have permission to do so. if it fixes the issue, great! if not, you still got new wheels...

Mr Kleen wrote:

zaxrex wrote:I would like to offer you a set of wheels to try and test the theory. If changing out the wheels fixes the problem, then bent wheels it is. if the problem persists, then you could save $800-1K and put if towards fixing the actual issue.

Lemme know.

Zak: what are you doing to our guy here?!?!
Allan: buy the wheels while you still have permission to do so. if it fixes the issue, great! if not, you still got new wheels...

in for pics of zak's prodrives on alan's wagon

I will make a plug for my favorites:
Kosei K1 TS
Finish: Light Grey Painted
17x7
$196 (each)
Offset: 50mm
Backspacing: 5.95"
Bolt Pattern: 5-100
Weight: 14.6lbs.!!! crazy crazy light

Enkei Racing NT03-M $199 Weight: 17.9lbs.
Enkei Performance EKM3 $163 Weight: 20.8 lbs
Enkei Performance EDR9 $155 Weight: 20.4lbs.
Enkei Performance EV5 $168 Weight: 18.6 lbs
Enkei Tuning SC05 $199 Weight 20.5 lbs

Kazera KZ-J $119 Weight: 21.4lbs.

ASA AR1: $134 Weight: 21 lbs

Rotas to consider:
Rota G-Force: (19 lbs)
Rota Boost: (19 lbs)
Rota SDR: (18.5 lbs)
Rota Torque: 17" x 7.5 (18.25 lbs) light
Rota Grid: 17" x 7.5" (17.5 lbs) light
Rota SDX: 17" x 7.5" (16.75 lbs) very light

Others worth a look:
MB Wheels Mesh X ($99) 20lbs
Drag DR-35 ($110)
Drag DR-34 ($110)
MB Wheels Weapon ($125) Very nice and under 20lbs each
Konig Feather ($135) 16.4 lbs very light!


As for tires Here are my suggestions: 215/45/17 (or 215/40/17 just slightly narrower than 225 but 1" less diameter for slightly lower final drive ratio. It's what I'm running)

Sumitomo HTR Z III (Price: $86.00) This is a steal for the price and is a very good Max performance summer tire! Well worth the extra $1 over the SPTs or the ZRis
Kumho Ecsta SPT (Price: $85)
Fuzion ZRi (Price: $85)
Kumho Ecsta XS (Price: $114.00) Basically a track tire, but has received rave reviews so far.
Falken Azenis RT-615 (Price $114.00) The Ecsta XS target tire.
Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec (Price: $125.00) Best bang for the buck tire you can get!

Steel wheels are usually much lighter than all but very expensive alloys, and require significantly less maintenance.

You know what to do

snaab wrote:Steel wheels are usually much lighter than all but very expensive alloys, and require significantly less maintenance.

I'd have to see some evidence of that before I agree. I had a full size 15" steel wheel on my Galant and that thing weighed over 20lbs.
But then that was 1992, maybe they are lighter than that now.

My research is application-dependent and not entirely scientific. You can't argue with the lower maintenance aspect, though!

snaab wrote:My research is application-dependent and not entirely scientific. You can't argue with the lower maintenance aspect, though!

What application is this?

One Camry. It was ONE Camry's wheels that had me take notice. After tossing 17''-19'' rims and tires all day, it's nice to pick up a wheel and tire combo that weigh less than just the tires for some other cars.

It was really more anecdotal than anything, but there's something to be said for a steel rim that you can just bang up and not worry about. Plus, ain't no one's going to steal it.

zaxrex wrote:I would like to offer you a set of wheels to try and test the theory. If changing out the wheels fixes the problem, then bent wheels it is. if the problem persists, then you could save $800-1K and put if towards fixing the actual issue.

Lemme know.

I think I'll take you up on that, Zak. The shop balanced and rotated the wheels but I can still feel some vibration. Any chance we can meet up this week during the day? Perhaps grab lunch somewhere? I'm at Gallows and Rt 50 but can get to most places in the area.

--Alan

snaab wrote:You can't argue with the lower maintenance aspect, though!

Wait, you mean I am supposed to maintain my wheels? I thought dirt was a protective covering?

I've made arrangements to borrow some wheels to test out the shop's theory that it's bent rims causing the shaking, etc. So if that solves the problem, then I was thinking of getting these from Oakos:

Rota Tarmac II's
Weight: 19.65 lbs


Anyone know if these have any hidden dangers? Are they prone to damage, etc.?

--Alan

zaxrex wrote:I thought dirt was a protective covering?

That was the stance I took on the FXT.

WRXWagon2112 wrote:I've made arrangements to borrow some wheels to test out the shop's theory that it's bent rims causing the shaking, etc. So if that solves the problem, then I was thinking of getting these from Oakos:

Rota Tarmac II's
Weight: 19.65 lbs


Anyone know if these have any hidden dangers? Are they prone to damage, etc.?

--Alan

I ran these on my last forester...the gunmetal, remember? Not prone to damage and actually can take a beating. FYI, they weigh less than 19.65lbs. More like a little over 17lbs.

I have a set of Tarmac II for winter use. I've had them for almost 5 years now with no complaints (other than they're heavier than my STi BBS take-offs )

sirwilliam wrote: FYI, they weigh less than 19.65lbs. More like a little over 17lbs.

I have found Oakos' weights to be high overall:
They claim the SDR to weigh over 19 lbs. Whereas both Sport Compact Car and my scale said 17.5lbs. Oakos has grids at 18.15lbs where my scale had them at 16.5lbs.

drwrx wrote:

sirwilliam wrote: FYI, they weigh less than 19.65lbs. More like a little over 17lbs.

I have found Oakos' weights to be high overall:
They claim the SDR to weigh over 19 lbs. Whereas both Sport Compact Car and my scale said 17.5lbs. Oakos has grids at 18.15lbs where my scale had them at 16.5lbs.

Oakos is high for everything, especially price