Only 5 months of ownership and this already happens TWICE.

Last time it was just bent. This time it's cracked too.

 

Damn, did you hit a curb?

 

If it was a curb, apparently the city intends for cars to drive right through them.

 

Huge bummer. That wheel is finished. I'm over the big wheel look, especially in Pothole Philadelphia. My new thing is small wheels with huge rubber.

 

damn ... i lived in socal for 10 years, basically the 1990s and thought the roads were in great condition

i guess cali is letting the roads go to hell to save money?

in the chicago area now where we have summer followed by pothole season

i went from 225/45-18 summer tires to 205/70-16 winter tires hoping to servive pothole season with the tall sidewalls

scott

 

I've bent my 18's 4 times now, though not quite that bad Every time I take them in for balancing another dent is discovered. $100 a shot to fix.

I like my wheels though so I have to memorize all 800 or so potholes on the way to work. Luckily I only have to go in once a week at best or I would be forced to change my wheels for more rubber too. Any hole over 2" deep is a risk to the rims. Pretty sad there is no money to fix all the streets in this town.

 

Ouch man! That sucks :( How does that happen? Is it just potholes?

 

If this was a curbing, I suggest knowing the limits of the law about distance from the curb and using it. I know it's no more than 16 inches here in San Diego and I usually use a lot of that. Otherwise, you might be able to file a pothole claim against your state.

 

ummmmmm

you need to be driving an SUV with really really big tires . . . . REALLY BIG TIRES

I've been driving for 40 years and that's the biggest wheel bend I've ever seen. But you say this is 2 in 5 months . . . . OUCH.

 

If it was a pothole you can contact the city and try to get it covered under their insurance. I have had luck in NJ doing this when they were working on RTE 17. It took several weeks but it did get covered.

 

I take this stretch of road to work daily and have memorized most of the potholes. Just yesterday i hit a small one in the left lane so this morning decided to try the right lane. Obvious big mistake. I've already complained to the city about this road, but not much has been done. They have patched a few of the big ones, but this one is new i guess. I went back today and took pictures of some of the worst potholes. Going to see if the city will honor my claim. I already called my insurance (AAA) and they said it's considered a collision with a stationary object, so i'm at fault and my premium will go up if i go ahead and file a claim.

MINI dealership is charging me $836 for the rim and to mount, balance, and realign. :(

Anyone in Socal want to trade for 17's? I'd do a straight trade for 17" JCW R112's in silver. I think these are the most common JCW wheels. This is a serious offer, BTW.... obviously done after i get my wheels/car back.

 

Yah, 205/40/18 will do that i guess. That's why i wanted to check out your S.Drives and see how much more sidewall you have compared to mine. I think i'm gonna just bite the bullet and swap out the tires as soon as i get my car back.

What size did you get again? 255/45?

 

I feel sick for you. There is nothing worse than dinging or damaging your Mini, it is painful.

 

Yeah, +1 on feeling sad for you. Can't imagine how bad that must feel. I owe you thanks for showing me that I made the right decision sticking to a 17" when I came very close to blowing a ton of cash on the 18" R118 wheels when I bought my new MINI. I had heard no stories like this before making my decision but if I had, it would have made the decision easier. You've done people a great service by posting this and I'm sorry you have to deal with it.

 

Ahh glad someone else besides me notices the potholes in Philly! I'm surprised I haven't bent a wheel yet *knocks on wood*

 

Thanks. And you're welcome? I really believe having 18" wheels isn't the issue. It's the fact that MINI chose to pair them with super thin tires and with the added fact that they've chosen runflats as their standard tire, it just makes the 18" wheels a very risky situation on less than ideal roads. I really hope switching to non runflats with a taller sidewall will make all the difference in my experience with these beautiful wheels

 

I'm pretty sure this is the hole i hit. The edge of the wheel probably caught the hole right at the lower corner where it cuts back in.



This is what most of the road looks like for about a 3 mile stretch. Here's one i took on the other side of the street:

 

The damage would have been even worse with softer sidewalls. Runflats actually give more protection to the rims.

 

I have 215-35R18 S-Drives which have 1 7/8" of rubber at the road and of course no sidewall protection. I try to keep them a bit overinflated but I still get wheel dents and cracks too easily if I don't avoid every hole in town. I had run-flats originally but the ride was terrible especially with my lower stiff springs. Maybe another 1/2" of rubber will help on my next set. I'd hate to give up my wheels.

 

I was thinking of getting S.Drives, but in a 215/40/18. Anyone know what's the largest I could go? What about 225/40/18 on a 18x7 rim? I don't plan to lower the car. Wonder if it would rub?

 

i would go with 215/45 18s s drives. taller side walls

 

Hmmm, that would work too. Better than 225/40. Is that what you're running?

 

pot holes bent my crown spokes, had 205/45/17s iknew that 215 s would ad side walls.and that would be a goodthing. went to tire rack they have tire size calculator and how it effects your speedo. also bought wheels from them

 

If you're in San Diego, the city has a web page and an android app that automatically notifies the road repair crews of pot holes for repair. After hitting one, fairly hard, I found the web page and made an entry. It was filled/fixed the next day.

 

Been there, done that. In the last two years, I've bent rims on two other cars - $700-$900 to replace.

That's why I got the Tire/Wheel Protection Plan when I got my new MCSc. With the Mini's rough ride, I figure a bent rim is only a matter of time. I've already hit paydirt . . . about 1500 miles onto it, I got a nail in my tire. The dealer replaced it, no fuss, no muss.

And wow, that's a SERIOUS bend you got there. Yikes!