Kerbing alloys. Why can't the problem be solved??

[Nick644]

Years ago with high profile tyres scratching/kerbing alloys was never a big issue. Touching a wheel on the kerb at very low speed parking manoeuvres normally involved nothing more than the tyre gently touching the kerb. Now, with any half decent car, there are large gashes in the soft alloy rims no matter how careful you are, no matter how gently a kerb is touched!. Its just a matter of time. Part and parcel of living in a busy city, parking on the street. Expensive to repair, only to do it again in the near future! Can it be so difficult for manufactures to design good looking sporty rims that aren't so susceptible to damage??? Or is it in the interests of manufacturers and dealers to keep it this way and earn extra on repairs and replacement rims?? Any ideas on solutions? or is it impossible??

[CommanderJameson]

Learn to park.

ETA: That's a bit harsh. Learn to park without touching the kerb. Or get a car with smaller wheels and taller sidewalls.

Edited by CommanderJameson on Tuesday 10th November 21:05

[nsmith1180]

Learn to park better?

[Nick644]

Right, thanks for that. Guess I am the only one with this problem. Best get a Land Rover then. Just one thing guys, whats it like to be perfect??

[CommanderJameson]

Nick644 said:

Right, thanks for that. Guess I am the only one with this problem. Best get a Land Rover then. Just one thing guys, whats it like to be perfect??

Quite agreeable, thanks.

[ferobert]

tyres with the alloy protector sidewall lip. or as above dont scrape kerbs.

[Superhoop]

I tend to agree with the opinions of the previous posts TBH, however; I keep seeing these advertised in various car magazines recently.

http://wheelsprotector.rtrk.co.uk/?scid=16447&...

Not sure myself, and you'd have to go for grey rather than the coloured ones, but hey, each to their own, and it would stop your problem

Actually, I guess you'd still end up with a wheel that looked like it had kerb damage, but at least you wouldn't need a new rim

[useyourdellusion]

Alloys have always been form over function IMO. They've also got overly large and overly fussy in the last ten years or so. The price of fashion.

Supply and demand.

[adycav]

Nick644 said:

whats it like to be perfect??

I have absolutely no idea.

I'll ask my missus.

[Hell27]

I just typed alloy wheel repair into google and this popped up.

Is it what you are after?

http://www.wickedwheels.co.uk/

Try watching the video.

[marshalla]

useyourdellusion said:

Alloys have always been form over function IMO. They've also got overly large and overly fussy in the last ten years or so. The price of fashion.

Unsprung weight.

That said - most of the cars they are fitted to wouldn't show much difference in normal driving - particularly around towns.

[kambites]

marshalla said:

useyourdellusion said:

Alloys have always been form over function IMO. They've also got overly large and overly fussy in the last ten years or so. The price of fashion.

Unsprung weight.

That said - most of the cars they are fitted to wouldn't show much difference in normal driving - particularly around towns.

Unsprung weight is a good reason for alloys, it's not really a good reason for huge alloys with rubber band tyres. In my experience, for modern road cars, the smallest wheels tend to end up giving the lightest wheel/tyre combination, as well as giving the most progressive handling and best ride quality.

[useyourdellusion]

marshalla said:

useyourdellusion said:

Alloys have always been form over function IMO. They've also got overly large and overly fussy in the last ten years or so. The price of fashion.

Unsprung weight.

That said - most of the cars they are fitted to wouldn't show much difference in normal driving - particularly around towns.

Understood.

The majority of people ordering a brand new car would tick alloys on the options list or expect to see them featured on a used car purely for visual impact.

You'd have to go a long way to get that answer anywhere other than here.

[Daston]

There was a wheel company a few years back who did a set of wheels there were totally chip/kerb proof, I seem to remember a vid of them smashing them with hammers driving into kerbs at horrid angles and no damage.

[slipstream 1985]

Nick644 said:

Years ago with high profile tyres scratching/kerbing alloys was never a big issue. Touching a wheel on the kerb at very low speed parking manoeuvres normally involved nothing more than the tyre gently touching the kerb. Now, with any half decent car, there are large gashes in the soft alloy rims no matter how careful you are, no matter how gently a kerb is touched!.

the tyre not the rim touched the kerb.

soft alloy vs solid stone one has to give with 1000kg or more weight behind it the alloy has to "kerb", theres alot of force behnd that even at low speed.

Nick644 said:

Right, thanks for that. Guess I am the only one with this problem. Best get a Land Rover then. Just one thing guys, whats it like to be perfect??

the idea of parking is not to touch the kerb ever certainly not with the face of the alloy anyway. your comment is like complaing how your bumper got scratched when you only touched the car behind or infront very lightly

[disco!!!!]

Daston said:

There was a wheel company a few years back who did a set of wheels there were totally chip/kerb proof, I seem to remember a vid of them smashing them with hammers driving into kerbs at horrid angles and no damage.

a company called schmidt made an outer rim for their 3 piece wheels that stood up to some fair amount of abuse but i cant remember the metal they used

[plenty]

Just get em refurbed every time you change tyres. It's not that much more expensive compared with fitting 4x tyres.

On a similar note, I always wondered why they haven't come up with a better solution than door mirrors. Imagine the benefits of a car with 10" less width.

[Beyond Rational]

Solution seems very simple to me, you pay your money and take your chances. If you can't park, even with the convenience of electric mirrors then don't buy a car with low profile tyres.

[JB!]

disco!!!! said:

Daston said:

There was a wheel company a few years back who did a set of wheels there were totally chip/kerb proof, I seem to remember a vid of them smashing them with hammers driving into kerbs at horrid angles and no damage.

a company called schmidt made an outer rim for their 3 piece wheels that stood up to some fair amount of abuse but i cant remember the metal they used

radinox.

But it's nowhere near as good as the vid...

[Jalopnik]

Several reasons as far as I can see:

Rubber band low profile tyres having no kerbing strip on them which have sidewalls that are much lower than your average kerbstone.

Most cars being front wheel drive thus having no dish to the wheel itself, more likely the face of the wheel curves outward towards the centre compounding the problem - even RWD wheels on modern cars seem to be designed the same.

Drivers who can't parallel park without touching / hitting / driving over the kerb.