Rim Repair?
01-18-2010, 08:29 PM
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S550
Rim Repair?
Question, is it ok to repair a slightly dented rim on a car like this? I have an 07 S550 w/ AMG sport package and the 2 front rims are a little dented. Anyone have any experiences with rim repairs? Someone told me the rim will never be the same and it would be worth replacing them. But they cost $1000 each! Any ideas?
01-18-2010, 09:08 PM
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CL65 AMG , white S550 Sport w/ white Giovanna 22s, wild custom chopper
Yes, they can be repaired. They won't be 100% as good as new, but they would be good enough if there are no cracks. The way the repairs work is the tires are removed, wheel is heated and worked on a lathe or with a lead mallet. The lead mallet take a lot of the impact and does not damage the material on the wheel too much. Then the wheel finish is stripped, the area that was damaged is sanded/polished and the wheel is refinished to match the factory or original color.
Depending on what material the wheel is made from will control the result. The cheapest wheels that are repaired are often cast aluminum, those can easily crack. Second strongest is forged wheels. Unlike what most people think, forged wheels are made from billet castings that went through a forging process - makes them stronger. Billet wheels are a misnomer that a wheel is made from some strong material. All billet means is that the raw material that the wheel was CNC-machined from was a square block (billet) and not a "round". The strongest wheels can be made from high end/high stress aero/military grade material like 6061-T1 aluminum alloy. On a typical 3-piece high end wheel, you will find that the center of the wheel is 6061-T6 or 7075-based and the wheel hoops and inside hoops are made forged alloy.
cast wheels often can crack and be weak after repair, while forged and high end alloy wheels can handle many repairs.
I've fixed my Lowenhart 20"s 10 years ago twice on my S600 coupe, and my Lowenhart LSR 20"s on my CL once without any issues. I fixed the cast 22s my S550 just a few weeks ago after hitting a bit pothole and although the powder coat was not damaged while I repaired it, I did feel that the wheel was a lot weaker than my forged Lowenharts.
Depending on what material the wheel is made from will control the result. The cheapest wheels that are repaired are often cast aluminum, those can easily crack. Second strongest is forged wheels. Unlike what most people think, forged wheels are made from billet castings that went through a forging process - makes them stronger. Billet wheels are a misnomer that a wheel is made from some strong material. All billet means is that the raw material that the wheel was CNC-machined from was a square block (billet) and not a "round". The strongest wheels can be made from high end/high stress aero/military grade material like 6061-T1 aluminum alloy. On a typical 3-piece high end wheel, you will find that the center of the wheel is 6061-T6 or 7075-based and the wheel hoops and inside hoops are made forged alloy.
cast wheels often can crack and be weak after repair, while forged and high end alloy wheels can handle many repairs.
I've fixed my Lowenhart 20"s 10 years ago twice on my S600 coupe, and my Lowenhart LSR 20"s on my CL once without any issues. I fixed the cast 22s my S550 just a few weeks ago after hitting a bit pothole and although the powder coat was not damaged while I repaired it, I did feel that the wheel was a lot weaker than my forged Lowenharts.
Question, is it ok to repair a slightly dented rim on a car like this? I have an 07 S550 w/ AMG sport package and the 2 front rims are a little dented. Anyone have any experiences with rim repairs? Someone told me the rim will never be the same and it would be worth replacing them. But they cost $1000 each! Any ideas?
Last edited by CL55_Serge; 01-19-2010 at 01:25 AM.
01-19-2010, 01:27 AM
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CL65 AMG , white S550 Sport w/ white Giovanna 22s, wild custom chopper
Here is a post from a chopper forum that discusses the strength of various alloys:
"Always cracks me up when people state "it aircraft grade billet", so tell us what that means. As if it means that it won’t snap, Aluminum will snap.....but in these application I would have to imagine having it snap would be better than if they were made of steel. Always find it funny that in this industry the "aircraft grade billet" it thrown around like it’s something special. when in fact all it means is that aircraft industry uses aluminum.....um yep, that is correct. Then the word billet.....all that means is it comes from one piece......which is usually how any normal person would machine items of this nature. Anyways, good looking product at a good price!
And for those who are interested:
Aluminum Alloys can be divided into nine groups.
1xxx Unalloyed (pure) >99% Al
2xxx Copper is the principal alloying element, though other elements (Magnesium) may be specified
3xxx Manganese is the principal alloying element
4xxx Silicon is the principal alloying element
5xxx Magnesium is the principal alloying element
6xxx Magnesium and Silicon are principal alloying elements
7xxx Zinc is the principal alloying element, but other elements such as Copper, Magnesium, Chromium, and Zirconium may be specified
8xxx Other elements (including Tin and some Lithium compositions)
9xxx Reserved for future use
1xxx Series. These grades of aluminum are characterized by excellent corrosion resistance, high thermal and electrical conductivities, low mechanical properties, and excellent workability. Moderate increases in strength may be obtained by strain hardening. Iron and silicon are the major impurities.
2xxx Series. These alloys require solution heat treatment to obtain optimum properties; in the solution heat-treated condition, mechanical properties are similar to, and sometimes exceed, those of low-carbon steel. In some instances, precipitation heat treatment (aging) is employed to further increase mechanical properties. This treatment increases yield strength, with attendant loss in elongation; its effect on tensile strength is not as great.
The alloys in the 2xxx series do not have as good corrosion resistance as most other aluminum alloys, and under certain conditions they may be subject to intergranular corrosion. Alloys in the 2xxx series are good for parts requiring good strength at temperatures up to 150 °C (300 °F). Except for alloy 2219, these alloys have limited weldability, but some alloys in this series have superior machinability.
3xxx Series. These alloys generally are non-heat treatable but have about 20% more strength than 1xxx series alloys. Because only a limited percentage of manganese (up to about 1.5%) can be effectively added to aluminum, manganese is used as major element in only a few alloys.
4xxx Series. The major alloying element in 4xxx series alloys is silicon, which can be added in sufficient quantities (up to 12%) to cause substantial lowering of the melting range. For this reason, aluminum-silicon alloys are used in welding wire and as brazing alloys for joining aluminum, where a lower melting range than that of the base metal is required. The alloys containing appreciable amounts of silicon become dark gray to charcoal when anodic oxide finishes are applied and hence are in demand for architectural applications.
5xxx Series. The major alloying element is Magnesium an when it is used as a major alloying element or with manganese, the result is a moderate-to-high-strength work-hardenable alloy. Magnesium is considerably more effective than manganese as a hardener, about 0.8% Mg being equal to 1.25% Mn, and it can be added in considerably higher quantities. Alloys in this series possess good welding characteristics and relatively good resistance to corrosion in marine atmospheres. However, limitations should be placed on the amount of cold work and the operating temperatures (150 degrees F) permissible for the higher-magnesium alloys to avoid susceptibility to stress-corrosion cracking.
6xxx Series. Alloys in the 6xxx series contain silicon and magnesium approximately in the proportions required for formation of magnesium silicide (Mg2Si), thus making them heat treatable. Although not as strong as most 2xxx and 7xxx alloys, 6xxx series alloys have good formability, weldability, machinability, and relatively good corrosion resistance, with medium strength. Alloys in this heat-treatable group may be formed in the T4 temper (solution heat treated but not precipitation heat treated) and strengthened after forming to full T6 properties by precipitation heat treatment.
7xxx Series. Zinc, in amounts of 1 to 8% is the major alloying element in 7xxx series alloys, and when coupled with a smaller percentage of magnesium results in heat-treatable alloys of moderate to very high strength. Usually other elements, such as copper and chromium, are also added in small quantities. 7xxx series alloys are used in airframe structures, mobile equipment, and other highly stressed parts. Higher strength 7xxx alloys exhibit reduced resistance to stress corrosion cracking and are often utilized in a slightly overaged temper to provide better combinations of strength, corrosion resistance, and fracture toughness."
"Always cracks me up when people state "it aircraft grade billet", so tell us what that means. As if it means that it won’t snap, Aluminum will snap.....but in these application I would have to imagine having it snap would be better than if they were made of steel. Always find it funny that in this industry the "aircraft grade billet" it thrown around like it’s something special. when in fact all it means is that aircraft industry uses aluminum.....um yep, that is correct. Then the word billet.....all that means is it comes from one piece......which is usually how any normal person would machine items of this nature. Anyways, good looking product at a good price!
And for those who are interested:
Aluminum Alloys can be divided into nine groups.
1xxx Unalloyed (pure) >99% Al
2xxx Copper is the principal alloying element, though other elements (Magnesium) may be specified
3xxx Manganese is the principal alloying element
4xxx Silicon is the principal alloying element
5xxx Magnesium is the principal alloying element
6xxx Magnesium and Silicon are principal alloying elements
7xxx Zinc is the principal alloying element, but other elements such as Copper, Magnesium, Chromium, and Zirconium may be specified
8xxx Other elements (including Tin and some Lithium compositions)
9xxx Reserved for future use
1xxx Series. These grades of aluminum are characterized by excellent corrosion resistance, high thermal and electrical conductivities, low mechanical properties, and excellent workability. Moderate increases in strength may be obtained by strain hardening. Iron and silicon are the major impurities.
2xxx Series. These alloys require solution heat treatment to obtain optimum properties; in the solution heat-treated condition, mechanical properties are similar to, and sometimes exceed, those of low-carbon steel. In some instances, precipitation heat treatment (aging) is employed to further increase mechanical properties. This treatment increases yield strength, with attendant loss in elongation; its effect on tensile strength is not as great.
The alloys in the 2xxx series do not have as good corrosion resistance as most other aluminum alloys, and under certain conditions they may be subject to intergranular corrosion. Alloys in the 2xxx series are good for parts requiring good strength at temperatures up to 150 °C (300 °F). Except for alloy 2219, these alloys have limited weldability, but some alloys in this series have superior machinability.
3xxx Series. These alloys generally are non-heat treatable but have about 20% more strength than 1xxx series alloys. Because only a limited percentage of manganese (up to about 1.5%) can be effectively added to aluminum, manganese is used as major element in only a few alloys.
4xxx Series. The major alloying element in 4xxx series alloys is silicon, which can be added in sufficient quantities (up to 12%) to cause substantial lowering of the melting range. For this reason, aluminum-silicon alloys are used in welding wire and as brazing alloys for joining aluminum, where a lower melting range than that of the base metal is required. The alloys containing appreciable amounts of silicon become dark gray to charcoal when anodic oxide finishes are applied and hence are in demand for architectural applications.
5xxx Series. The major alloying element is Magnesium an when it is used as a major alloying element or with manganese, the result is a moderate-to-high-strength work-hardenable alloy. Magnesium is considerably more effective than manganese as a hardener, about 0.8% Mg being equal to 1.25% Mn, and it can be added in considerably higher quantities. Alloys in this series possess good welding characteristics and relatively good resistance to corrosion in marine atmospheres. However, limitations should be placed on the amount of cold work and the operating temperatures (150 degrees F) permissible for the higher-magnesium alloys to avoid susceptibility to stress-corrosion cracking.
6xxx Series. Alloys in the 6xxx series contain silicon and magnesium approximately in the proportions required for formation of magnesium silicide (Mg2Si), thus making them heat treatable. Although not as strong as most 2xxx and 7xxx alloys, 6xxx series alloys have good formability, weldability, machinability, and relatively good corrosion resistance, with medium strength. Alloys in this heat-treatable group may be formed in the T4 temper (solution heat treated but not precipitation heat treated) and strengthened after forming to full T6 properties by precipitation heat treatment.
7xxx Series. Zinc, in amounts of 1 to 8% is the major alloying element in 7xxx series alloys, and when coupled with a smaller percentage of magnesium results in heat-treatable alloys of moderate to very high strength. Usually other elements, such as copper and chromium, are also added in small quantities. 7xxx series alloys are used in airframe structures, mobile equipment, and other highly stressed parts. Higher strength 7xxx alloys exhibit reduced resistance to stress corrosion cracking and are often utilized in a slightly overaged temper to provide better combinations of strength, corrosion resistance, and fracture toughness."
05-26-2010, 10:53 AM
#7
Super Member
You can try Fast Forward Wheels. They have a website and their customer service and workmanship is top-notch. The guy I always speak to is Eli Sesma. I always send my work over there. Check it out.
http://www.fastforwardwheels.com/
