I just bought these: http://antishift.net/image.php?id=179954&size=full
They're HRE 16" modular aluminum wheels. I paid $260, with tires & shipping.
One of them has a hairline crack and the wheel leaks flat over a 24 hour period. It's $250 for a new wheel that will bolt up to the centerpiece, if I can even order one, I'm not sure if I can. I can't see the crack from the outside of the rim, but the dude who sold them to me said that one was cracked and wouldn't hold air very long.
I only know a couple things about aluminum: people weld it, it's light, it's pricey, it cracks, it transfers heat really well, it removes odor and it corrodes to steel making it impossible to remove the flat tire from your friend's Audi.
Can I take it to a machine/welding shop and have someone weld a bead along the crack of the rim to seal it?
I'm not worried about strength as much as I just want to seal the crack, being a three-piece rim, the center will hold it together if it's cracked. My idea is, I have the tire removed and I take it to someone who can (TIG?) weld a bead along the crack, or, even a thin piece of sheet aluminum over the crack. It could be welded from the inside edge of the outside of the wheel and also along the crack on the inside of the wheel, except where the bead of the tire seats.
Currently, the car has mis-matched wheels, 16" on the front and stock GN wheels on the rear because my stock rims won't fit on the front with 12" brakes.
Is this a good idea, or am I nuts? I know these rims are pretty old, and I kind of doubt I could order a new rim piece from HRE.
They're HRE 16" modular aluminum wheels. I paid $260, with tires & shipping.
One of them has a hairline crack and the wheel leaks flat over a 24 hour period. It's $250 for a new wheel that will bolt up to the centerpiece, if I can even order one, I'm not sure if I can. I can't see the crack from the outside of the rim, but the dude who sold them to me said that one was cracked and wouldn't hold air very long.
I only know a couple things about aluminum: people weld it, it's light, it's pricey, it cracks, it transfers heat really well, it removes odor and it corrodes to steel making it impossible to remove the flat tire from your friend's Audi.
Can I take it to a machine/welding shop and have someone weld a bead along the crack of the rim to seal it?
I'm not worried about strength as much as I just want to seal the crack, being a three-piece rim, the center will hold it together if it's cracked. My idea is, I have the tire removed and I take it to someone who can (TIG?) weld a bead along the crack, or, even a thin piece of sheet aluminum over the crack. It could be welded from the inside edge of the outside of the wheel and also along the crack on the inside of the wheel, except where the bead of the tire seats.
Currently, the car has mis-matched wheels, 16" on the front and stock GN wheels on the rear because my stock rims won't fit on the front with 12" brakes.
Is this a good idea, or am I nuts? I know these rims are pretty old, and I kind of doubt I could order a new rim piece from HRE.
