Is it normal to bend 17" wheels with 215/45R17 tires mounted on them? I don't think it is. Unfortunately with the Viggen it's so common that there is a class action law suit brewing.

When I go to the Saab BBS, all I see is people bitching about bending wheels left and right. One guy has bought 9 replacements already! Who the hell would keep buying them? I am looking for an opinion on how normal wheel bending is with non-Viggen wheels.

As you may have guessed, I bent two of my wheels. At about $400 a piece, I am not in the mood to replace them with the same. I know that the OEM for the Viggen wheels is Fondmetal. Perhaps that is a crappy brand?

I love the look of that style wheel on my car. There are a few look-alikes that are much cheaper. Would these brands be any better?
AT Italia - 5 Razzle
Moda - R1

There are also some other Saab rims that look pretty cool. Unlike the Viggen rims, I believe these to be made by Ronal.

Anyone have an opinion? I would like to see what people that don't own a Saab have to say about the wheel bending and brand preference. Here are what the OEM Viggen wheels look like:

I know that when you get into the larger size rims with the lower profile tires, rim-bending is a very distinct and real possibility.
Here in Boston, I know the local VW guys all hate the Boston roads because of their bent rims. (although I say you live in major New England city, and youve got 17"+ rims, theyre gonna get bent). A friend of mine with a Jetta bent 2 of his stock 14" VW rims (the roads here are real crap). He's getting them straightened somewhere in NH.
Dont know what city your in, but if I had a Viggen, and I drove it the way I do usually, here in Boston, I would not be surprised at all if I had a bent rim. If you do a lot of highway driving, and you live in the south or something where theres no frost heaves, then maybe you could get away with it.
Do you remember any specific "event" at which time you might have bent 'em? i.e. up a curb, into a pothole, on the railroad tracks .
As far as replacements, the more open space in a design the more susceptible the rim will be to bending. Unfortunately thats the slickest look though, IMO.

Z~

Yeah, my at-the-time-brand new GTI 16v got a bent rim from a TINY little rock within the first year of its existence. The rock also ruined the tire. The company had no interest in taking responsibility for it.

At the time, I replaced the rim and also replaced the tire with the same kind of tire (pretty expensive low-profile Pirelli's). But later, when the time came to replace all four tires, I got cheaper higher-profile tires so it wouldn't happen again. Performance was not as good, though.

It was a pothole a couple days ago. I live in Rockland County, NY but I remember it happening in Bergen County, NJ.

For the time being, I am having the service dept. put the bent rims on the back. Maybe I will ask the guy his opinion on different wheel makes. The service manager was well aware of the Viggen wheel bending situation. Maybe he has knowledge of what others have done? This blows.

sad to say the saab rims seem to bend rather easy. I see it all the time.
if you replace your rims with others, be sure they clear the (large) brakes your car has.
ps nice ride !

Yeah, the brakes are f'ing huge. They are definitely going to limit my choices. Not only are the brakes huge, but they look killer. Definitely need a wheel that is strong and at the same time shows off the discs.

PS- thanks for the compliment.

At about $400 a piece, I am not in the mood to replace them with the same.

In your part of the country, there are quite a few places that specialize in repairing bent alloy rims -- usually at a cost of about $80 a wheel. I would investigate this before buying new wheels.

Just do a google search on "allow wheel repair" and you'll find literally hundreds of repair centers.

tanstaafl.

Mitsubishi is having a similar problem with their 10 spoke "Spyder" wheels, an older style that was still used on the newer GT's. The factory six spoke is fine, but the 10 spoke's cause a lot of issues.

I don't think it's the manufacturer as much as the design that's hurting. I know little of Fondmetal though, but I'd believe Saab scrutinized them before giving them a wheel contract.

I also lik the SSR Integral's, they look very much like what you have now. Any SSR wheel, or the new Center Line RPM's for example, are one-piece forged, and both light weight and high strength. I just bought some RPM's for my Eclipse, but - it's a whole different look altogether. The RPM's suited my car, the SSR's would suit yours better.

I guess if it was me, I'd scrap the bent wheels, ebay off the other two, and get a set that appeals to you from a whole different company. You tend to get what you pay for though, and heavy doesn't always mean strong.

Weird man. I have 205/40's and s SUPER stiff suspension, and believe me, driving in SF i hit way more potholes than i'd like... at times with enough force to make me worry about broken engine mounts . But still haven't bent my rims.

I have been lucky and haven't bent these rims yet (even after driving in DETROIT!) but I did scrape my passenger side front rim against a curb parking in Winnipeg last summer Cost me 2 bills to get it repainted..... and Rob, it seem that we have the same taste in rims kinda eh?



I did some major damage a few years ago on an interstate, I came up onto an overpass at five in the morning just as the sun was coming up...I hit a cinder block that was lying on the road and it really did a number on the front and back factory magnesiums I had...I had to limp to the next town and wait until the dealership opened at seven to get the repairs done before I could get underway again - a five hundred dollar bill to the insurance company followed.

it seem that we have the same taste in rims kinda eh?

Yes! Those are some dope looking rims!
What brand are they?

Hey!

They're Mille Miglia MII2s 17"X7", see them here... and thanks, I really like them too, I have the hottest looking Laser in town now ha ha....

Yes, those look good. And they are the cheapest yet! Thanks for the heads-up!

Here's one more view for you.....



The rest of my car can be seen here if you're interested

They are a bit differnet, but definitely an acceptable alternative. Cool car by the way.

It also has to do with the material the wheels are made of. The lighter the rim the more prone it is to bending.....usually. Unless you go with exspensive wheels. Thats one thing I would look at when buying wheels is the weight factor.

Perhaps we have similar (but not exactly the same) tastes.

I have a set of these wheels to install on my ShoWagon as soon as I get around to getting tires for them... (see attached .jpg)

tanstaafl.