riggy

1) you need new shocks/struts? i want to lower my car when i know i need new ones so i can get everything done then.

2) when you have a "bent rim". what do you do once you have one and is there any way to prevent it from happening.

Daniel B. Martin

You may evaluate your struts by performing the Bumper Jounce test. Park the car on a level surface. Walk to any corner and use your weight to press down on the bumper. As soon as it sinks, release it and let it come up. As soon as it comes up, press down again. Do this three or four times. When you have a good up-and-down rhythm going, press down one last time, step back, and observe. If the body comes up just once and stops, the strut at that corner is good. If the body continues to oscillate, the strut at that corner is bad. Repeat this Bumper Jounce test at the other three corners.

Daniel B. Martin

When driving a bent wheel mounted at the rear of the car is hardly noticeable. When mounted on the front of the car it will produce a subtle shake in the steering wheel. The amount of the shake depends on how badly the wheel is bent.

You may test a suspect wheel in the following way.

1) Mount a dial indicator gauge on a heavy stationary base.

2) Raise the wheel to be tested.

3) Position the base and gauge so the gauge tip rubs against the lip of the wheel.

4) Spin the wheel slowly through 360 degrees. Measure the total lateral runout. The ideal measurement is zero. I don't know how much is "too much". I couldn't find any specification in the factory service manual.

5) Repeat this measurement for all four wheels. If you discover (for example) that one wheel has a maximum runout of 0.125 inches and the other three have 0.025, you have found a problem. The problem might be a bent wheel or a bent hub.

6) Exchange the suspect wheel with any good wheel. Remeasure the corner of the car which formerly had the suspect wheel. If that corner still has 0.125 inches of runout, the defect is a bent hub rather than a bent wheel.

See Chilton (page 9-11) or Haynes (page 9-10) for examples of using a dial indicator gauge to measure runout on a brake rotor. You want to do the same thing to measure runout of your wheels.


If the bent wheel is a steel wheel it probably isn't worth trying to repair, just replace it. Alloy wheels can be repaired. Look for a shop in your town that handles that kind of work, or contact one of the outfits which advertise wheel repairs in the motor-head magazines. The following two were picked at random. I have not done business with them and cannot vouch for their quality.

Wheels America
1-888-434-9746

Wheel Collision Center
1-800-292-7467
www.wheelcollision.com