Yes, you can put a tire on a bent rim but it’s not advisable to do so. Driving a car with bent rims will damage your tires. Bent rim will cause poor handling and vibrating steering wheel issues. Thus, the ride will be uncomfortable. It’ll also greatly compromise the alignment and fuel efficiency.
Why Shouldn’t You Put Tire On Bent Rim?
As we mentioned, putting tires on a bent rim is a bad idea. Here, we’ve tried to elaborate on its effect on your car:
Tire Damage
There won’t be a perfect seal between the rim and the tire if the rim is bent. Air will leak out from your tires since the seal is compromised. As a result, the tire pressure will fall drastically.
Also, the tire rubber on the bent spot will face serious strains. While driving, the tire’s section around the bent spot experiences excessive pressure. Thus, it’ll fail prematurely due to the bent rim.
Poor Handling
A bent rim affects the wheel balance across all the four wheels. Thus, it’ll be harder to control your vehicle.
Also, a bent rim will misalign your wheels and will impact the whole wheel assembly. While driving, you’ll notice the car pulling off on one side of the road. Thus, it’ll be harder to handle.
Steering Wheel Vibration
A bent rim causes the steering wheel to vibrate. It’s unable to provide a continuous contact patch with the road. Thus, with every rotation, the whole car shakes.
If the rim is severely bent, it’ll also make loud thumping noises with vibration. Some think that it happens due to unbalanced tires. So, be sure to inspect all the rims for damage before balancing your tires.
Reduced Fuel Efficiency
As the tire rolls along the road, it naturally deforms to a certain extent. However, a bent eim may cause the tire to deform too much in an uneven way.
Thus, the friction between the tire and the road increases. This increased friction, or rolling resistance, causes the tire to require more energy to roll. Thus, the fuel efficiency decreases.
Additionally, a bent rim causes the vehicle to pull to one side. It can also result in additional drag.
Uncomfortable Ride
A bent rim won’t be able to absorb shocks from bumps. You’ll hear noises while driving. It happens especially on highways because of the high stress on tires. We’ve already mentioned shaky steering wheels and poor handling issues.
Thus, your ride is sure to be an uncomfortable one.
How Bent Is Too Bent for Rims?
When your rims are too bent, you’ll hear rhythmic thumping sounds while driving. Aside from poor handling and fuel efficiency, the TPMS sensor will also detect the problem. Thus, the TPMS light will illuminate. The braking will also be compromised.
Is It Ok to Drive on A Slightly Bent Rim?
No, it’s not ok to drive even in a slightly bent rim. Here also you’ll have to face all the problems we mentioned earlier. The difference is it’ll start slowly but eventually keep on increasing.
What Should You Do With The Bent Rim?
If the rim is bent, you’ll either have to repair or replace it. If the rim isn’t severely bent, repairing it should do.
With the proper tools, you can repair a bent rim yourself. For guidelines, you can follow this video:
You can also get the bent rim repaired by a professional. It’ll cost you about $150 to fix a bent rim.
However, if the rim is severely bent, just replace it.
You can replace the rim yourself as well. To replace the rim, just remove the wheel and unmount the tire from the rim. Then, take your new rim and mount the tire on it. Here, you can watch this video: how to mount a tire by hand
But how much does it cost to replace the rim?
It’ll cost you about $200-$500 to replace a rim. If you want to replace all 4 rims, you’ll have to spend about $800-$2,000. The labor cost fro installing the rims are $50-$200 per wheel.
How to Prevent Rims from Bending?
Lastly, we’d like to tell you what steps to follow to prevent your rims from bending. Just follow these tips:
- Always maintain the recommended tire pressure for your vehicle.
- Always try to use high-profile tires. Low-profile tires are thinner and have lower bounce. Thus, the pressure travels to the rim and damages it.
- While driving, try to avoid potholes. Driving on uneven surfaces like pothole puts serious pressure on your rim.
Follow these tips and hopefully, you’ll get the most of your rims.
FAQs
Do Larger Rims Make Car Faster?
No, rims don’t make your car faster. A rim with a larger diameter will enhance your handling. But, it won’t increase the speed. Rather, it might slow down the acceleration. Although, you’ll have to reduce the length of the tire sidewall. This will ensure that the total diameter remains constant.
How Long Does It Take to Repair A Bent Rim?
Repairing a bent rim can take about 45 minutes if you’re doing it yourself. Although, it varies from person to person based on their skills. But, if you get them fixed by a professional, it’ll probably take lesser time.
Do Rims Get Hot While Driving?
Yes, rims will get hot while driving. Especially if hard braking is involved. While braking, the friction between the pads and discs converts kinetic energy to heat. Thus, after a spirited drive, the wheels might be too hot to touch for a moment.
Bottom Line!!
Hope you enjoyed reading this article about can you put a tire on a bent rim. Still, we’d like to mention one last thing. If you’re concerned about bending, use alloy rims. They have more durability. Thanks for styling with us till the end.
