Beware when buying used rims!!!
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Beware when buying used rims!!!
I really debated whether making an entirely new thread or if I just wanted to stick this in the ebay/craigslist find thread, but I figured this was important enough where I figured more people would come to find this information if I made a new thread.
First off, here's the story.
My older brother who has an EvoVIII regularly races it at a number of tracks in New England (Monticello, Lime Rock, Pocono, etc) and he was looking for a spare set of race wheels. He picked up a pair off of EvoM (basically the civicforum equivalent for Evo's) for a decent price. One day he was working on his car in his garage when his buddy accidentally bumped the stack of rims. One of them fell off the stack. While my brother's friend was swearing at himself for being careless, they made a striking discovery:
The rim was welded!!!
Essentially, if my brother hadn't seen this (and people like my brother are careful about this stuff, I don't think he was expecting this at all, I know I wouldn't) and actually raced with this rim, it could've costed him his car and his life. Originally the rims came with tires, which masked the defect. Thankfully the rims came with snow tires (on race wheels, I know
), and he removed them and sold them separate. If he hadn't removed those tires he would've never found out until it was too late . I don't know the details of what action he took after he made this discovery, but there is certainly a lesson to be learned from this.
I know a lot of people that own civics are (usually..
) kids my age (~19) and usually don't pick up on this stuff (like I said I certainly wouldn't have picked this up). But whenever you are buying used rims, HAVE THEM CHECKED! Seriously, when you go to buy them inspect them carefully. Are there any major cracks? Are there any weld marks? If the rims come with tires, take off the tires and inspect the inside of the rim. Paying the extra fee to have them re-aligned will FAR outweigh the cost of buying a new car. I know I sound extremely paranoid, but buying used car parts can be shady stuff, and if you aren't careful, you're gonna get burned. Rims are what make your car move. If a rim like that cracks while you're driving (racing or not), the result isn't going to be pretty.
/end wall of text.. sorry if I sound ridiculous... still kind of pissed about the whole situation. I thought it'd be best to pass the story on to others so that stupid crap like this can be prevented.
First off, here's the story.
My older brother who has an EvoVIII regularly races it at a number of tracks in New England (Monticello, Lime Rock, Pocono, etc) and he was looking for a spare set of race wheels. He picked up a pair off of EvoM (basically the civicforum equivalent for Evo's) for a decent price. One day he was working on his car in his garage when his buddy accidentally bumped the stack of rims. One of them fell off the stack. While my brother's friend was swearing at himself for being careless, they made a striking discovery:
The rim was welded!!!
Essentially, if my brother hadn't seen this (and people like my brother are careful about this stuff, I don't think he was expecting this at all, I know I wouldn't) and actually raced with this rim, it could've costed him his car and his life. Originally the rims came with tires, which masked the defect. Thankfully the rims came with snow tires (on race wheels, I know
), and he removed them and sold them separate. If he hadn't removed those tires he would've never found out until it was too late . I don't know the details of what action he took after he made this discovery, but there is certainly a lesson to be learned from this. I know a lot of people that own civics are (usually..
) kids my age (~19) and usually don't pick up on this stuff (like I said I certainly wouldn't have picked this up). But whenever you are buying used rims, HAVE THEM CHECKED! Seriously, when you go to buy them inspect them carefully. Are there any major cracks? Are there any weld marks? If the rims come with tires, take off the tires and inspect the inside of the rim. Paying the extra fee to have them re-aligned will FAR outweigh the cost of buying a new car. I know I sound extremely paranoid, but buying used car parts can be shady stuff, and if you aren't careful, you're gonna get burned. Rims are what make your car move. If a rim like that cracks while you're driving (racing or not), the result isn't going to be pretty./end wall of text.. sorry if I sound ridiculous... still kind of pissed about the whole situation. I thought it'd be best to pass the story on to others so that stupid crap like this can be prevented.
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I'm not going to be an ***, but please do your research before posting up threads like this, welding high end wheels isn't uncommon and is completely safe when done by a professional. Even if thats just an average quality weld it's still safer than any replica or low end wheel like those made by Rota and Konig.
Unless your driving a Indy car a wheel failing at speed is a relatively minor incident, yes it's dangerous, but you won't die and your car won't likely be totaled unless your driving on mountain roads with no guard rail and excessively high speeds.
Thats coming from someone who has experienced a wheel snapping off a commercial truck while driving downhill on a highway.
Unless your driving a Indy car a wheel failing at speed is a relatively minor incident, yes it's dangerous, but you won't die and your car won't likely be totaled unless your driving on mountain roads with no guard rail and excessively high speeds.
Thats coming from someone who has experienced a wheel snapping off a commercial truck while driving downhill on a highway.
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I understand you can get rims repaired by a professional... but that's not necessarily my point. The whole point of this thread is to inspect something BEFORE you buy it, especially when you're buying it used. There's no research to be done on this matter, it's simply something you got to get into the habit of doing...and when you're racing at speeds 120+, a wheel cracking can easily total your car. That weld cracked by just being knocked off a stack (~3ft) above the ground. I understand that welding can be done correctly and safely, but this guy sold the rims to my brother like it wasn't even there. THAT's why I made this thread.
Last edited by Zeferint; Mar 22, 2011 at 11:33 AM. Reason: lol grammar
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ok everyone, before it gets crazy in here, REMEMBER that everyone is entitled to their opinion and please respect each other the way u want to be respected.
with that said,
i think both of you have good points. but imo, if im going to shell out some $$$ (especially major $$$$) i wouldnt want to buy crack rims because:
1. if im gonna buy something, then i better get exactly what i expect.
for example, if i knew the rims were cracked, it might have affected me decision to get the rim (or i may have offered a lower price).
like i hell am not going to buy $2000 volks if they are cracked and welded. id rather spend the $2000 on another set of volks that arent cracked.
2. i dont know if it was professionally done, and done correctly. u know how the auto industry is, a lot of shady things out there.
3. with welded rims (from what i researched on the net) have balancing problems IF not done correctly.
now lets say they are safe (which i dont know because this is not my field of expertise), then they would be ok, but again, if i was buying a set of high end rims thinking they are perfectly fine, that would be an issue. and i think thats what Zeferint is trying to get at. check ur stuff before you buy it.
with that said,
i think both of you have good points. but imo, if im going to shell out some $$$ (especially major $$$$) i wouldnt want to buy crack rims because:
1. if im gonna buy something, then i better get exactly what i expect.
for example, if i knew the rims were cracked, it might have affected me decision to get the rim (or i may have offered a lower price).
like i hell am not going to buy $2000 volks if they are cracked and welded. id rather spend the $2000 on another set of volks that arent cracked.
2. i dont know if it was professionally done, and done correctly. u know how the auto industry is, a lot of shady things out there.
3. with welded rims (from what i researched on the net) have balancing problems IF not done correctly.
now lets say they are safe (which i dont know because this is not my field of expertise), then they would be ok, but again, if i was buying a set of high end rims thinking they are perfectly fine, that would be an issue. and i think thats what Zeferint is trying to get at. check ur stuff before you buy it.
Last edited by sl33pyriceboi; Mar 22, 2011 at 11:44 AM.
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i think one good analogy that most can relate to:
if a car gets totaled, it gets a salvage title. even if u fix it up properly, it will still be a salvaged car and the worth much below the same car with a clean title.
but hey, if u feel comfortable driving the salvage car, more power to you.
.....but what if u buy a car thinking its a clean title (and for a clean title price), and it turns out to be salvage? wouldnt u be angry?
goes back to Zeferint's point.
NOTE: when i say "you" i mean "you" as in general toward anyone. lol dont get butt hurt people.
if a car gets totaled, it gets a salvage title. even if u fix it up properly, it will still be a salvaged car and the worth much below the same car with a clean title.
but hey, if u feel comfortable driving the salvage car, more power to you.
.....but what if u buy a car thinking its a clean title (and for a clean title price), and it turns out to be salvage? wouldnt u be angry?
goes back to Zeferint's point.
NOTE: when i say "you" i mean "you" as in general toward anyone. lol dont get butt hurt people.
Last edited by sl33pyriceboi; Mar 22, 2011 at 12:37 PM.
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aftermarket rims are a mixed bag. ive heard of many occasions where even new ones broke in pieces like $2000+ SSR rims for example.
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Those types of rims tend to be extremely light, so any kind of pothole or curbing will tend to destroy them, cracked or not. Even if you get a rim welded the strength is never guaranteed.
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im poor. i have konig feathers... lol i think its cheaper just replacing them than actually getting them fixed...
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Buying used wheels can be a very scary thing is you don't know what your looking for in terms of quality wheels. Good info here for all of us to look at and gain some knowledge.
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