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[bahasad]

So I bought a set of used Alufelgen SF-71 rims + tires off a friend for a very good price. One of the rear wheels had cracks in 3 locations which were welded at a reputable wheel repair shop:







My question is do you guys think these are safe to mount and drive on - at least for a little while until I buy a replacement.

[FriedPiston]

It all depends on how much you have to lose and how you value life. One wheel isn't worth it if you have a family of your own.

[jadnashuanh]

I asked a company that fixes these things and he said don't do it! THey primarily straighten bent rims. Without an x-ray and metal analysis, there's no way to tell if it was fixed well.

[Meeni]

Hu, no.

[evoix]

I drive on a welded wheel for a month but only commuted 3 miles a day and roads were smooth. Would not do it if I had to get on the expressway or had a long commute. Not worth it.

[bahasad]

Originally Posted by evoix

I drive on a welded wheel for a month but only commuted 3 miles a day and roads were smooth. Would not do it if I had to get on the expressway or had a long commute. Not worth it.

My commute is 30 miles round trip on highway and 5 miles in Philly streets (which are just as bad as NYC streets). The roads are not perfectly smooth here either.

Appreciate the feedback guys. The other rear wheel had 1 smaller crack which was welded too - would you guys replace this one too?

[#Tee]

if it holds air, i would.

[bahasad]

Originally Posted by #Tee

if it holds air, i would.

it does (according to the one who had them before).

I took these to my local tire shop today - they wouldn't mount them citing safety and liability reasons. They said that they cannot trust the welds on our roads (since they were filed and smoothed out which apparently compromises the integrity of the weld). They are just a regular store so they don't deal with aggressive wheel setups/suspensions but I have gone to them before and they generally do decent work.

I am currently attempting to source Alufelgen SF-71 19*9.5 wheels in offset 35. Unfortunately, Alufelgen does not make wheels anymore and mod bargains only sells them in ET20. So another 2 questions I had for you guys is:

(1) Will 19*9.5 ET20 fit on my E90 328I (non sport on eibach sportline springs) with 12MM spacers on the rear?

(2) If they don't, will 265/30 tires be too wide for 19*8.5" ET35 wheels?

[RaceTruk]

If
You got these
Wheels from rashed, he drove on these for a while
He had
No problems.
I've driven pm repaired wheels with just as many cracks. Repaired by Intrack amdmnegernhad any problems.
Intrack leaves the bead on the repaires. While
It looks ugly it is stronger than repairs that are sanded
Down to look less noticeable.
Those are small cracks. A barrel split. That's a different story.

[NH335i]

As long as you trust the person thats welding it to do a good job I dont see any problem.
If they prepped it right and know how to weld there shouldnt be any issue.

Im a welder and anything welded correctly should be stronger where its welded than anywhere else on the material.

[shadow191]

Welding is fine if done properly, plus it's on the barrel so if it fails you just lose air. It's not going to cause the wheel to explode. It's not on a spoke so the chances of catastrophic failure are pretty slim.

Wheels get welded all the time. There are companies that widen wheels by cutting the barrel apart and grafting another one on there, then welding the whole thing back togethet. A small weld like this isn't a big deal.

[ken1137]

+1...welding is fine if done properly, even if it is filed and polished down. I like to use HTS 2000. That said, it depends on the prep of the parent material, weld material, skill of the welder, and environment. You shouldn't have any issues specially if you plan on using in the short term.

[bahasad]

Originally Posted by RaceTruk

If
You got these
Wheels from rashed, he drove on these for a while
He had
No problems.
I've driven pm repaired wheels with just as many cracks. Repaired by Intrack amdmnegernhad any problems.
Intrack leaves the bead on the repaires. While
It looks ugly it is stronger than repairs that are sanded
Down to look less noticeable.
Those are small cracks. A barrel split. That's a different story.

I did buy them off rashed . I don't know why my shop was being like that - thanks for the advice. I'm going to go to another shop tomorrow and see if they will install them.

[bahasad]

Originally Posted by shadow191

Welding is fine if done properly, plus it's on the barrel so if it fails you just lose air. It's not going to cause the wheel to explode. It's not on a spoke so the chances of catastrophic failure are pretty slim.

Wheels get welded all the time. There are companies that widen wheels by cutting the barrel apart and grafting another one on there, then welding the whole thing back togethet. A small weld like this isn't a big deal.

Originally Posted by ken1137

+1...welding is fine if done properly, even if it is filed and polished down. I like to use HTS 2000. That said, it depends on the prep of the parent material, weld material, skill of the welder, and environment. You shouldn't have any issues specially if you plan on using in the short term.

Thanks for your advice guys I appreciate it. I thought these cracks were small and the welds were good. The concern (that my tire shop had) were that the welds were filed which would crack immediately if I drove even a block down the road. They probably were over exaggerating. I'm going to take them to another shop tomorrow to see if I can get them mounted and what they say.

[NH335i]

Originally Posted by bahasad

Thanks for your advice guys I appreciate it. I thought these cracks were small and the welds were good. The concern (that my tire shop had) were that the welds were filed which would crack immediately if I drove even a block down the road. They probably were over exaggerating. I'm going to take them to another shop tomorrow to see if I can get them mounted and what they say.

Ya. Like i was saying. As long as its prepped correctly you can grind it flush. We grind some things flush that have 10 times the stress a wheel would have. It all depends what the customer is looking for.

[TeinBMW]

Nope

[hongsc]

Never experienced it. Had friend go through 2 sets of cracked rims and the same rims developed cracks elsewhere. So I would say no just for safety reasons.

[Babydragon]

Nope. If you drive a BMW and would reuse a rim like that then you shouldn't be driving a BMW. Buy a new wheel dude!

[bender rodriguez]

If the worst that can happen is it loses air I would use the rim.

[nitehawk]

So what's the scoop with Alufelgen...why don't they produce wheels anymore??

[VMRWheels]

Many people drive on wheels that have had cracks welded, however from my experience, cracks will always come back. I would not expect them to hold up forever.

[bahasad]

Originally Posted by nitehawk

So what's the scoop with Alufelgen...why don't they produce wheels anymore??

Ran out of business. So I did buy 2 brand new rims in 19x9.5 ET20 ... now I'm hoping I can fit them to my car.