I must suck at searching. There's got to be something about this already, but I didn't find anything. I have an SSR D5R 2-piece wheel that has a pretty noticeable bend in it, and tons of curb rash. It's driveable and holds air, but it looks rough so I'd like to get it repaired. Recommendations?
There is a local company (Precision Wheel? Something like that. In Hopkins) that straightens wheels. It's expensive, and typically I believe that the finish is likely to be damaged enough that you'll have to get the wheel repainted/recoated. Most people who look into it seem to decide against it. The curb rash can be cleaned up and/or filled. Filling it with a resin is easy, but leave it more apt to be damaged again. Just cleaning it up (by fling/sanding, machining, what have you) might not be an option if it's deep enough though.
Hm. Precision Wheel I've heard of. I drove out there one day and tried to find the place, but couldn't. It definitely wasn't where Google Maps said it was. Maybe I'll try again.
Their website lists their address as 10921 Excelsior Blvd #106 in Hopkins. Looking at Google Maps it appears to be in about the same area as a glass and mirror shop I have used (Glass & Mirror Outlet...same address...I just Googled them). It is in a cluster of commercial buildings on the south side of Excelsior. It does not front on Excelsior Blvd. You have to drive between a couple buildings to get to 10921 as it is behind the buildings that face Excelsior. You won't see a storefront facing Excelsior as you drive past.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure I drove in there when I was looking for the place. I might have missed their sign. I did notice, however, that their website is 11 years old (according to the copyright at the bottom). I'll probably try their phone number tomorrow and see what I get.
I just looked in the new Dex Yellow Pages (came out a month ago) and that is still their address. Yeah, some of us old dudes still use paper references. The Information Superhighway is littered with potholes just like the real streets are.
Have you priced out a new shell for the wheel? I'd rather do that since repairing the wheel could mean heating it and changing the grain structure of the aluminum thus making it a lot weaker if it is forged or spun.
It was a beautiful night for a drive, so I just went out there and found the place. Easy to miss, since the only sign that the place even exists is a small logo on one of the glass doors on a big building with multiple suites. There is also a small, generic aluminum sign next to the door, but that's it. No, I haven't done that. Where would I check? I suppose Precision Wheel might know something about that...
Done... we'll see what they say. These are the D5R's, which I think are discontinued so I'm not optimistic.
Emails are cheap. Always worth the few minutes of work. Jongbloed might be able to make you a shell if all else fails.
You could also email Kodiak Racing Wheels. They sell 3 piece custom made wheels, but I believe they also sell just the shells and might be able to make you a shell for your wheel.
Is this the set Lee was selling? How many good wheels are in the set? If you have at least 2 good ones then I'd suggest getting 2 more different wheels. Preferably from a different brand. Even better if they're a different size altogether. They definitely have to be a of contrasting design and extra points for an obnoxious color. Even more points for steelies. Run the wider 2 up front, the skinnier ones in back, and throw a type-r badge on the trunk. Seriously though, good luck. You might have luck searching ebay/craigslist/SSR distributors that might still have one kicking around. Wheel repair can sometimes exceed the cost and value of the wheel itself.
If you dig through the laughs and sarcasm here, there is a good point to be made. If two of hte wheels are questionable, meaning, one bent and another one that looks like ass, you could do what I said earlier, about contacting Kodiak. And have them make 2 of those wheels a wider width. YOu'd want to do the tire circumference calcs to make sure you get a width+tire combo that is as close as possible to the circumference of the other two. But then you could have a staggered set of wheels. Even better, rather than dicking with tire circumferences and such, just have them alter the offset on them but keep the same width, so that 2 of your wheels have a deeper lip. Staggered look without all the math.
Yeah, SSR emailed me back and basically said they can't help me since it's a discontinued wheel. Two of the wheels are in good condition (very minor curb rash), the third is a little worse. Only one of the wheels is actually bent, with really bad curb rash. I drove on the set for a few weeks in June and they felt great. No balance issues that I noticed. They also look great as long as you're not within 10 feet of the car... All this talk of new shells, experimenting with staggered widths, etc. sounds fun. But also expensive. Any idea what numbers we're talking about here? I was really hoping to find a solution for around $150-200 total, so new tires are pretty much out of the question right now. Waiting until next year is also an option. I bought the set with tires + an extra 5th tire all for $350, figuring I'd have to spend some money on repairs and it would still be a great deal... starting to wonder if I was right. :ugh:
Whenever I have gotten wheels repaired through work it has always been around 150 per wheel, it they can do it...
How does the wheel center connect to the shell? Depending on that you may or may not be able to get a shell from Kaiser, Kodiak, or Jongbloed. Of course you should bring it into Precision to see if it is even repairable.
Yeah, good call. The SSR guy did say something in his email back to me to the effect of "it's a two-piece wheel, so the center is welded to the outside." I don't really get the "so" part of that sentence, unless all 2-piece wheels are always welded together. But I guess that means my wheels are probably welded. Shoots McGoots. Precision Wheel, here I come (tomorrow).
If it is welded, you are probably boned. Best option at that point is to see what Precision wheel wants to fix it. But I'm going to bet it is expensive, I think I remember calling them when I dented a wheel and it wasn't pretty.
