Used Alloy Wheels? What to Look out for

[EOppegaard]

I am looking to buy some subaru alloys for a 93 wagon (14in) of ebay, any reccomendations for or against this?

[benebob]

I just got a set of 93 Alloys from a junkyard to use as autox wheels. I paid $60 for 4. Wouldn't pay much more for 14" subaru wheels as they tend to all develop the same "issues" as they age. Basically they peel if not kept real clean. So long as they are round and w/o too much curb rash you should be fine. You might want to check out http://www.car-parts.com as well Might luck out and have a yard willing to sell for under $100 real close to home. That way you'll save on shipping. I'd suspect shipping would be at least $25-30.

[Setright]

I would stay away from anything that looks like it has been curbed, it indicates a careless owner and you need to be able to rely on your rims!

[4FOR4]

Besides the general ugliness of the clear coat peeling and the aluminum oxidizing underneath, the other problem I have is keeping them sealed.

 

When you mount the tires make sure the bead area is super clean and use some kind of sealant, otherwise you'll be chasing leaks and adding air daily.

[gbhrps]

I've had a bad experience at buying used wheels for my 300 ZX. They looked just fine, but 2 of them were bent. You couldn't see it until they were spun on the balancing machine, then the tire technician refused to mount the tires. Here in Canada you can get them remanufactured, where they heat them up and take out the bends to make them run true, reweld any curb damage and grind and polish it back to specs, and then paint or clear coat them, at about $125 a wheel. Does it make your used wheels a bargain?

[alias20035]

Originally posted by gbhrps

I've had a bad experience at buying used wheels for my 300 ZX. They looked just fine, but 2 of them were bent. You couldn't see it until they were spun on the balancing machine, then the tire technician refused to mount the tires. Here in Canada you can get them remanufactured, where they heat them up and take out the bends to make them run true, reweld any curb damage and grind and polish it back to specs, and then paint or clear coat them, at about $125 a wheel. Does it make your used wheels a bargain?

 

Some scrapyards will check for wheel trueness and apply an appropriate quality grading. Obviously the higher graded wheels will cost more.

 

One advantage of alloy wheels is that they tend to show damage except in cases where the wheel went over a sharp curb without impact to the alloy itself (tire protected it), in these cases the wheel can be twisted or bent with no noticable damage.

 

I would not buy any used wheel unless I can mount it on a tire mounting or balancing machine to check for trueness. With the "mag" type tire mounting machines you can lock the beading arm in place and use it as a guide to note any high points which are indicative of the wheel being out of true. Ideally a wheel balance machine would be used because with the higher speed it is easier to note any problems, and note if the wheel is not balanced (the wheels are balanced at the factory in most cases).

 

Keep in mind that with modern cars, the typical car in a scrapyard is there because it was wrecked not just simply worn out.