Cracked alloy not mini
Turbo Mini Forums

Hi all, took the wife's car for rear tyres and one had a hairline crack. Now I was in a bit of a rock and hard place, knowing the ball ache of trying to get the BMW to replace it and the off road time I had it welded.

Now would you run a welded wheel?

Thanks for your opinions
Graham

I run a supercharger and I don't care the TB is on the wrong side.
VEMS + 12 PSI + Liquid Intercooler = Small Bore FUN!

Banded steelies are welded :) run them fine wouldn't worry your not track daying the car or throwing it around like a 17 year old it will be fine just careful bumping up and down curbs and stuff

It's the shite offset that is now worrying me, and it's the wife's car. Those crap 19" BMW wheels that were on watchdog!

I run a supercharger and I don't care the TB is on the wrong side.
VEMS + 12 PSI + Liquid Intercooler = Small Bore FUN!

Id look out for another wheel, yes it might be fine now and im sure some will say it will be ok but if its playing on your mind and its the wifes!!.

Just a pet hate of mine, that and shit tyres

rick

Im sure itll be fine but look out for another anyway

I seriously doubt it!

Where is the crack Graham.

and no smutty answer

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Bmw were replacing these foc, my old man had one replaced on his 335. Maybe worth contacting a dealer

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If its the your loved one ditch it. Pronto, its only money, Carls experience. And expertise. Would be. Invaluable. Here.

I would not run a welded alloy.

When alloy is welded it can change its properties, normally for the worse. But dont quote me on that. Its something I only know a little about.

That I also would be worried about is if there is a stress point there now. when welded how it is going to affect the stress point. It could move to a more vulnerable position.

It’s not worth it. In my opinion.

The welding process wont affect it - all the major refurb companies weld up deep scuffs in alloys regularly before refinishing. As a tig welder/fabricator myself - I wouldnt be too concerned tbh if its only on the rim, if its the spokes Id ditch it

I seriously doubt it!

Carl, Paul, it's on the inner lip/rim, the bit that you can't see on the inside of the car facing the exhaust.

It was a hairline crack, the lad at the true shop said that at least 50% of the wheels needed welding they use a bloke up the road. I did have a look when it came back and it looked ok ( they had welded it and ground it back), but then I know shite about tig welding.... Or and kinda of welding for that matter....


Re swapping I'm a bit stuck now as I've had it repaired, last time I had read about the subject BMW were ignoring it. If I had known I would have tried but I get the feeling you go through a loads of hassle and final might get it sorted weeks later! With no spare its not an option.

If I was to change it I think I would ditch the whole 19" thing and drop to a smaller size larger side wall and normal tyres with a repair kit in the boot. But I have been warned that switch from non run flats means a discussion with the insurance company, don't know how true this is but the tyre place didn't want to do it...

Carl do you do an 18"

Edited by gr4h4m on 8th Jul, 2012.

I run a supercharger and I don't care the TB is on the wrong side.
VEMS + 12 PSI + Liquid Intercooler = Small Bore FUN!

Ahh dude run flats are WANK! end of proper stupid Idea when I worked in the tyre shop the amount of people that had run them on low psi had ruined the tyres so much we struggled to get them off the rim and the wheels normal got damaged aswell, My mate has a Bmw Cooper S and I've told her a million times to go buy alloys with normal tyres. IMO run flats are wank!! (Yet BMC used them in the Early 70's on 1275 GT's according to mk1-performance.com?)