Are These Rims/tyre Repairable ?

[Wacky Dee]

driving back home today I hit the curb at low speed (10-15kph) in a sharp bend (was trying to save my lunch as it fell from the seat grrr...) and managed to scrape the front LHS outer rim right next to the rubber ..about 25cm long scrape right along the edge, the tyre wasn't damaged.

I'm pretty sure this one is repairable ... but the rear one is the real worry, especially the tyre which is close to new

This is the rear ... the alloy was cut into a bit deeper and scraped off, you can still see the piece hanging on there and there's a chunk of rubber about 5cm long that has also come off the sidewall of the tyre.

At the deepest point the piece of rubber sidewall that came off is about 6-7mm thick. Is there any chance this tyre can be repaired? With sikaflex or some clarkrubber type of glues etc ?? I don't take the car to the track, mainly (spirited) around town driving ... can't really afford any of this crap right now as I'm totally broke so if I can repair the tyre that'd be great. But then I don't wanna risk the tyre blowing up at high speed and throwing the car into oncoming traffic ... it's a $280 tyre anyway.

Do you reckon this is repairable ?? I know of a couple of reputable rim repair places (magman and this joint at Thorleigh) and I'm hoping they can fix both rims for < $300, but what about the tyre itself? Is it a goner? Is it unsafe to glue back the sidewall by a tyre repair specialist (if there is such a thing) Cheers

Denis

Edited February 3, 2009 by Delta Force

[Sheng]

YEah mate, the tyre it self will be a goner, the rim should be a easy fix, magman should able to it.

[Wacky Dee]

fark no way to glue the tyre back with some industrial strength type of rubber glue ??

[Bullet32]

There is no way to tell if that tyre is still useable (safe) from looking at those photos.

The reason is that no one can tell you whether you have done internal damage to the casing or not.

Your best bet is to take it to your local tyre shop, have it taken off the wheel and inspected.

If there is damage to the internal construction of the tyre then it would probably be unsafe to use.

[Wacky Dee]

I took it to magman who reckoned I should just glue the bit back on (like my dad) and then stopped on my way back at a JAX store and the manager looked at it and said the same thing, not to worry about it as that part of the sidewall is designed to take a hit and that was its purpose and to just glue it back on ...

I woulda thought since its 6-7mm thick it'd be serious, but apparently not, yay! I have one unqualified, one semi-qualified and one prefssional opinion and all agree to glue it back on so I guess that's what I'm gonna do

magman was booked out for another 10 days or so but the rim damage should cost about $200 to repair all up .. no way to get it back to the way it was he said because of the way the lip is designed (rounded) right next to the rubber so he'll have to polish it down and it will have a flat instead of rounded surface all around hmm.. ah well. Coulda been worse I guess.

[toddlls]

For the sake of a couple of hundred dollars-choose life-buy a new tyre, hits like that can do alot more unseen damage & if you have an accident then insurance may have a gripe & we all know how they are when it comes to wriggling out of paying for repairs if they dont have too due to something being not quite right

[Wacky Dee]

well I'm broke as a church mouse right now and it's a brand new tyre other than for the bit of damage done to it ... if I had some cash laying around, sure, but everyone (qualified and non qualified) seems to be of the opinion that she'll be fine so I'm gonna have to go with that.

Besides its the rear wheel so even if it does pop it wouldn't be nearly as bad as it would be with a front with all the engine weight on it right ?

Edited February 4, 2009 by Delta Force

[Kinks]

well I'm broke as a church mouse right now

terrible excuse

and it's a brand new tyre

terrible excuse

everyone (qualified and non qualified) seems to be of the opinion that she'll be fine

the only good reason you've mentioned

Besides its the rear wheel so even if it does pop it wouldn't be nearly as bad as it would be with a front with all the engine weight on it right ?

uhhh how about NO. Any tyre that might blow out shouldn't be driven on at all, unless you're going straight to the tyre shop at a moderate speed.

if a tyre shop has looked at it and said don't worry about it then it should be fine, it doesn't look pretty but i'm no expert.

[Wacky Dee]

Thanks for your non-expert opionions then

[IanB]

hmm just a word to the wise, you seem to have come here asking for opinions, gotten some you don't agree with and due to financial reasons rejected them. If you were only interested in the opinions of the people who said keep it, then why bother asking at all? The damage looks serious enough to me to warrant replacement, tires (and brakes) are the single most important item on your car as they are at the end of the day the only thing that actually stops it, why risk it?

+1 to replacing it. This from a uni student who has to run a 32 GTR on more then likely far less money then you have.

[Wacky Dee]

nigga please, I came here before I spoke to 3 different people who'd be in a better position (who coould SEE the bloody thing in real life) and probably more qualified to make a call. If either magman or the JAX guy said "nah that looks bad, replace it" I wouldn't hesitate for a second. I was the one who thought the tyre is a goner too but they changed my mind. If you're gonna comment, try to atleast read all the posts first and comprehend them before lecturing others.

There's a fine line between safety and throwing money away. I'm sure if either magman or esp. JAX manager WHO SELLS TYRES for a living, didn't think the tyre needed replacing, why would I care what you have to say anyway ? I didn't ask for YOUR specific opinion, just a general opinion BEFORE I went and asked the pros. I explained what I was told by pros and as far as I was concered the matter was settled.

So dont get so bloody serious just because I made a tongue-in-cheek remark to someone after he/she makes a valid but completely pointless remark.

Edited February 4, 2009 by Delta Force

[toddlls]

nigga please, I came here before I spoke to 3 different people who'd be in a better position (who coould SEE the bloody thing in real life) and probably more qualified to make a call. If either magman or the JAX guy said "nah that looks bad, replace it" I wouldn't hesitate for a second. I was the one who thought the tyre is a goner too but they changed my mind. If you're gonna comment, try to atleast read all the posts first and comprehend them before lecturing others.

There's a fine line between safety and throwing money away. I'm sure if either magman or esp. JAX manager WHO SELLS TYRES for a living, didn't think the tyre needed replacing, why would I care what you have to say anyway ? I didn't ask for YOUR specific opinion, just a general opinion BEFORE I went and asked the pros. I explained what I was told by pros and as far as I was concered the matter was settled.

So dont get so bloody serious just because I made a tongue-in-cheek remark to someone after he/she makes a valid but completely pointless remark.

Denis,

we all try to help each other on here, sometimes advice maybe contrary to professionals or may compliment it, but, when it comes to safety-any recommendations by anyone should be considered because no-one knows what experiences may have given rise to why people say what they do.

it is obvious that you have been given the go-ahead by tyre professionals to use the tyre.

My view is-you drive a what $15-20,000 vehicle which is high powered, likely to be driven spiritedly at some point which your only contact is a roughly 200mm oval section of rubber connecting you to the surface-so for the sake of $280 to replace a possibly damaged piece of rubber is a wise choice

I'm not trying to tell you what to do but would I drive on it-NO

I would even replace the rim with new too-but I track my car as well as use it for daily driver

Oh-yeh forgot a mate of mine rolled his honda after a rear tyre blew out, funny cause it was one that he hit a curb with too & didn't replace-similar cut type in sidewall-rim wasn't damaged either the way yours is- alot of energy has been absorbed there

[J'z-R33]

what size is it? if I have one spare you can have it for nothing. just come pick it up.

[OzCarImports]

Get it checked rim be ok not sure about the tyre mate - Good Luck

[RBLUV]

nigga please

[nisskid]

bahaha, rim is fine, ull probably spend between $100-200 getting it repaired, depending on the place.

as far as the tyre, its fine, as long as u cant see the layer below it, its fine. that layer of rubber there is a rim protector, it is designed to take the brunt of force and to be damaged.

[Wacky Dee]

nisskid that's precisely what the jax bloke said (and he wasn't some young apprentice either ..the manager of the place in his 40's) BUT even with all that .. at the very least, as soon as I get some money I WILL take the car to a tyre shop, get that rear tyre taken off and inspected more closely and both wheels rebalanced.

[zZzDanzZz]

yea get the tyre inspected/changed as soon as you have money. just because you can't see the inner layer, doesn't mean that it hasn't been compromised in some way from the impact.

[nisskid]

lol, i still get amazed at how willing SAU guys are to just throw away cash

for the record you cannot repair any sidewall damage when its a safety issue, its either f**ked and u scrap it, or its fine and u leave it.

that does not look like a safety issue from the pics, but its fairly easy when its in front of u, just make sure it doesnt break the next layer down. sidewalls have quite a bit of reinforcement, so a bit of rubber out of it isnt such an issue.

i dont know why ud replace $280 tyres if they arent a safety issue.

[Bullet32]

as far as the tyre, its fine, as long as u cant see the layer below it, its fine. that layer of rubber there is a rim protector, it is designed to take the brunt of force and to be damaged.

You cannot possibly say whether the tyre in question is fine or not without taking it off the rim and having someone experienced in tyres inspect it.

I personally have seen multiple cases where a low profile tyre has taken a hard hit from a gutter or pothole and shown no signs of damage on the outside, but have fractured the internal casing - resulting in loss of pressure, blow out or worse.

as soon as I get some money I WILL take the car to a tyre shop, get that rear tyre taken off and inspected more closely

My advice is to do this before you fit the wheel back onto the car and drive on it... Better safe than sorry.

(BTW, I have worked for a national tyre importer/distributor for a few years now and have inspected plenty of damaged tyres).