Bent rim repair & wheel straightening.

If the car shakes at freeway speed and the tyres are fine, the usual culprit is a bent wheel. It is repairable — but it is shop work, and it needs measuring rather than eyeballing.

Signs your wheel is bent

• Vibration that gets worse with speed — typically appearing somewhere around 45-55 mph and intensifying from there.
• Steering wheel shimmy (usually a front wheel) or a seat/floor vibration (usually a rear).
• A tyre that will not stay balanced — it gets balanced, feels fine briefly, then goes off again.
• Slow air loss with no puncture, from a distorted bead seat.
• A visible flat spot on the inner lip. Most bends are on the inside where you cannot see them without pulling the wheel.

How straightening works

1. Measure first. The wheel goes on a stand and runout is measured — radial (out of round) and lateral (side to side) — so we know exactly where and how far it is out.
2. Press. The bend is worked back with a hydraulic press, gradually, with heat where the alloy needs it.
3. Re-measure. Back on the gauge to confirm it is within tolerance, not just visually straighter.
4. Balance and refit.

When a wheel cannot be saved

Two situations. First, a crack in a structural area — inner barrel, spokes, around the bolt holes. We do not weld those and put them back on the road. Second, a bend so severe the alloy has already begun to fatigue; working it further risks a failure later.

We would rather tell you to buy a wheel than hand back one we do not trust.

Why it matters beyond comfort

A bent wheel is not only a vibration. It loads the tyre unevenly and wears it in patches, it puts cyclic stress through wheel bearings and suspension bushes, and a distorted bead seat can leak. Straightening the wheel usually saves the tyre too.

Common questions