Wheel Straightening Saves Lucky New Customer 100’s of Pounds

Article written by Bush Tyres

Not the First Nor The Last

Our Louth depot had a call recently from a customer who had unfortunately hit one of the many potholes that plague the roads of Lincolnshire. They thought they would need to replace the wheel as the damage was that bad. Our team used our wheel straightening machine to save the customer from an even bigger expense.

Wheel Straightening

When you hit an obstacle or pothole in the road, quite often this can lead to damage to the tyre and sometimes even the wheel or suspension components. If you hit something hard and are concerned about the safety of your vehicle, all our locations can carry out FREE wheel, tyre and suspension checks, including alignment. If you check for damage as soon as possible, this can help avoid causing any further damage and save you money on an avoidable costly repair.

Lucky for this customer, they called the right place. Our mobile fitting team were able to safely remove the wheel and take it to branch for it to be straightened on one of our specialist machines.

 

Alloy wheel straightening involves the removal of the tyre from the wheel, then heating the bent area of the alloy wheel using a heat gun, making the metal pliable. Finally, the wheel is straightened to its original shape using a hydraulic press to carefully apply pressure. It’s important this is done by a specialist with the correct equipment to ensure the wheel’s integrity is maintained and any further damage is avoided.

Steps in Alloy Wheel Straightening:

1. Inspection, inspect for cracks, severe damage, or other issues that might prevent the wheel being safely repaired.
2. Tyre removal, carefully remove the tyre from the wheel.
3. Heating, the bent area of the wheel is heated using a heat gun to specific temperatures, softening the alloy and making it easier to manipulate.
4. Locating the bend, our fully trained technician identifies the exact location and angle of the bend on the wheel.
5. Straightening with a press, the hydraulic press applies controlled pressure to the bent area, gradually pushing it back into shape.
6. Cooling, its important at this stage to allow the wheel to cool down and fully harden.
7. Final inspection, checks are performed to ensure the wheel is straight and within manufacturers specifications.
8. Tyre fitting and balancing, the new tyre is mounted on the newly straightened wheel fitted with a new valve and then fully balanced.

When looking to have your wheels checked for straightness its important to consider using a professional service. Alloy wheel straightening should always be performed by a trained technician with the proper equipment to avoid further damage. If improper heating or excessive pressure is used during the straightening process this could crack the wheel.

Unfortunately, not all bent wheels can be straightened, severe damage may require a wheel replacement. Our tyre and wheel experts will be able to offer you a direct replacement original wheel from the manufacturer. You could also choose to upgrade your wheels from one of our many specialist wheel suppliers.

Here When It Matters

At Bush Tyres we can allay any concerns that you have about the safety of your tyres, wheels or suspension components following an impact with an obstacle, kerb, or pothole. Call into one of our many local branches for a FREE Tyre Safety Check. Wheel straightening is available at all of our locations by appointment, but please call ahead or book online wherever possible.

You can get booked in by clicking on this link to our Wheel Straightening page on our website

Remember, when you have a flat tyre and it’s not safe to drive, our team of mobile fitters can come to you and remove the wheel for you to make sure you are safe to continue your journey.

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