dingo

I've had 2 bent (OEM) rims in 1 month and I'm going nutz!!

My wife drives the car and can't seem to avoid pot holes. I live in SC and our roads are certainly not any worse than those in the more Northern climes. I can't get rid of the wife so that option is out. I can't get rid of the car - 1 yr old plus she loves it (other than having to replace rims) so that option is out.

What other options do I have? Can I put smaller rims (say 17 or 16" - and where would I get such a thing?) and appropriate tires (are run flats avail in this size?) ? Would this solve the prob?

Or would buying aftermarket 18" rims solve it ? Are forged rims stronger and less prone to bending than the O***s?

Are the run flats contributing to the prob or are they helping me avoid even more bent rims? Would just changing the tires (Bridgestones now) do the trick?

As much as I hate the run flats - I feel like I need them for the security factor for when my wife is out in the boonies on one of her shopping trips.

I sure do need some help on this - any ideas will be appreciated - any links or phone numbers for someone who really knows their stuff and can give me some guidance will be most appreciated!!

Doc C

dingo,

I put L-sportline wheels on my car when I bought it. I never had the OEMs. However, this summer my wife hit an area where they roto-milled the asphalt away from a concrete surfaced bridge. There was a 3-4 inch lip raised up where they didn't put a ramp or anything. She hit it at 45 mph and bent all four rims at once. So, I feel your pain. I will give you all the info and knowlege that I have acquired in this area.

I was told that the run flats have very very hard sidewalls and have very little cushioning to such blows. Also, they are low profile tires which also contribute to very little protection for the wheel. So, a higher profile, non runflat tire will provide a little more cushioning.

Also, cast wheels are weaker than forged wheels. The OEM wheels are a cast wheel. Forged wheels are also usually a 3 piece unit and if you bend one particular part of the wheel, you can just replace that portion of the wheel. Forged wheels are more expensive. Look at hrewheels.com or iforged.com for some nice forged wheels. One nice thing is that forged wheels are significantly lighter than cast wheels. You can read more on this on thetirerack.com in their tech center.

As far as your wheels go, you may be able to repair them. I was unable to have mine repaired, since they were torqued or warped, not just a simple bend. Wheelsamerica.com does a good job of repair and usually can do it with a 48 hour return time. Cost is around $100-150 a wheel if they can repair it, and if they are not chromed. As far as the run flat question, I will tell you this. I had run flats and just put Michelin Pilot Sports All Seasons on my SC. I went with the 19" HRE 540R wheels. My car rides WWWWAAYYYY
better than with the runflats. Handles better too. Your wife will LOVE the better smoother quieter ride. I was worried about my wife being stranded as well and I live in a very remote part of Colorado. But, as long as your wife has cell signal, she can call Lexus Roadside assistance, and they will come to her aid. That solved that problem for me anyway. I don't know if this helps or not, but that's about all I know and I have been throught the same nightmares you've been having and it took me 3 months to get things finally corrected. Happy driving!!!

Doc C

dingo

Thanks very much for your post, Doc.

I'm surprised that you went with an even larger rim and smaller profile tires! I was thinking about going in the opposite direction.

d

DeniskaGS4

Whoaa thats crazy that you can bend stock rims like that.. mine are fine and I drive in new york city and jersey all the time.. roads are horrible here compared to SC.. even manged to drive on 20's with no bends.. The stock rims are very strong and I have no idea how she managed to bend them.. Try raising the tire pressure to 40 psi that might help

Doc C

dingo,

Yeah, you're right, but I really liked the look better and was told that the forged wheel in conjunction with the regular (non run flat) tires would provide as good or better protection than the first setup. That may not be true, but if they get bent, because they are 3 piece wheels, they shold be easier and less expensive to repair. Besides, I think a 16 or 17 inch would look a little odd on this car IMO. The 18s even look a little anemic on the rear IMO.

Doc C