[BennnChen]

So my steering wheel has been vibrating while I drive and I just went in for maintenance. I asked my advisor to check my wheels to see if they're bent and apparently all of them are bent. Fronts are worse than my rears, if I keep driving with the bent wheels what could happen to my car?

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by BennnChen

So my steering wheel has been vibrating while I drive and I just went in for maintenance. I asked my advisor to check my wheels to see if they're bent and apparently all of them are bent. Fronts are worse than my rears, if I keep driving with the bent wheels what could happen to my car?

Are you using 17", 18", 19", or 20" wheels?

Eventually your bent wheels will become square wheels with enough time.

[BennnChen]

Originally Posted by Polo08816

Are you using 17", 18", 19", or 20" wheels?

Eventually your bent wheels will become square wheels with enough time.

They are 17 inch, in terms of other components for my car what would it do?

[crono06]

My guess is increased wear due to excess vibrations and pressures.

I am no engineer though, and this is just my guess based on logic. Additionally, I don't even know if it would be a material impact on longevity. I'm guessing the biggest problem would be vibrations and harshness. Why would you want to buy a semi lux vehicle to experience undue vibrations?

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by BennnChen

They are 17 inch, in terms of other components for my car what would it do?

In all seriousness, your tires/wheels are probably just unbalanced.

I find it very unlikely that ALL four of your 17" OE wheels are bent unless:

1. You've been rock climbing with your sedan.
2. You've been in a major wreck on the highway and proceeded to hit a few curbs in succssion.

[BennnChen]

Originally Posted by Polo08816

In all seriousness, your tires/wheels are probably just unbalanced.

I find it very unlikely that ALL four of your 17" OE wheels are bent unless:

1. You've been rock climbing with your sedan.
2. You've been in a major wreck on the highway and proceeded to hit a few curbs in succssion.

Could it be a mixture of both? Bent wheels and unbalanced tires/wheels? I didn't have any problems before but also Delaware had a major snow storm which created a lot of potholes. I know my fronts are probably bent

[Dippydo]

If they are bent you can get them rounded back out in most cases for around 50-100 per wheel. I would definitely check the tire balancing first. I would request them to remove all the old weights and start over. Many minor bends can be weighted out so they are not noticeable.

[vanbmw]

Bent rim will cause faster tire wear and possibly uneven tire wear if really bent. Find a good wheel repair shop. I have had some wheels repaired and the finished product is really good! Make sure it is a good shop...see what local BMW dealer recommends or what a good local repair shop uses. I have a buddy with a high end auto shop...works on most German and Italian sports cars...and he had a place he uses. If they take off tire, check /repair wheel and remount and balance the tire you will be in good shape again.

[metallicpea]

BMWs are very sensitive to wheels that are even slightly bent.

The risks really depend on the severity.

You can have wheels straightened, and it might improve or resolve your vibration, but I haven't had good luck with it on my BMWs.

I would say your biggest problems will be tire life and a slight safety concern. Vibration near traction limits will cause an overall reduction of the traction limit. If the vibration is severe, the bearings, steering and suspension parts take an increased beating.

I would recommend you start by having the wheels rebalanced. See if you can find a shop that will let you watch the wheel spin during the balance. Watch both the inner and outer edge of the rim and mark or note which ones spin straight and which ones don't and keep track of the severity of each. If buying new wheels is out of the budget, try finding some used "take off" wheels on ebay or craigslist. Even try replacing one at a time and replace the worst wheel first. Also, put the best 2 wheels in the front. Best closest to driver and worst furthest away. Sometimes if the bend isn't too bad, the tire will wear to accommodate and by the time you rotate to the front, the vibration will be better. Good luck.

[23GSJ]

I've hit the curb with my front driver side tyre (rhd) while on full lock at around 10mph. The curb hit my tyre and not alloy, now steering wheel slightly sits to the left and driver side front wheel is Bent inwards at the top. Does anyone know what could be the problem? I've been told to try change the carrier, shock absorber and even wheel bearing. But no has given me a definite reason as to what the problem is. Just wondering if anyone has has the same issue in the past? See pics of what the wheel looks like compared to the passenger side. I initially thought it messed my wheel alignment but when I went to the wheel alignment company they said its more than just the alignment and hub might need replacing. see pics attached of passenger side vs driver side.