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[lowrydr310]

When I bought my car, it had a set of generic branded tires on them which had been driven about 20K miles. I put another 15K miles on them, and they still ride/handle/grip much better than I expected, and treadwear has been excellent.

Last spring, there was a month of heavy rain which opened up some craters on the local roads, and despite efforts to avoid them I still hit some of these nasty potholes. I noticed that three of my four wheels have bends on the lip of the rim, and there are obvious marks from where the sidewall of these tires was compressed and made contact. Are these cheap tires to blame for bent rims?

[weehe126]

How low of a profile the tires are would be the cause.

[tcphoto]

A combination of potholes, low profile and questionable quality tires is not a good idea.

[6ixSpd]

Originally Posted by tcphoto

A combination of potholes, low profile and questionable quality tires is not a good idea.

This.
/thread.

[lowrydr310]

These are the standard base E90 style 156 16" wheels, 205 55 16. Not exactly a low profile tire.

I was just curious if it's common for generic tires to allow the sidewall to collapse so much and bend the rim. Or are these wheels prone to getting bent? This is the first time I've ever had cheap tires (they were on the car when I bought it). Of all the cars I've ever had even with low profile tires I never had a bent rim before, let alone 3 on the same car.

[weehe126]

I highly doubt the tires are the issue. They would have to be low on air to bottom out and bend the rim. Must be some massive pot holes.

[NinetyEight740]

I don’t even know how you would manage to end those wheels with that much tire sidewall. You have talent ��

[lowrydr310]

Last weekend I replaced my shocks and struts (springs too). My struts were original from 2006, with 230K miles on them. The bumpstops were disintegrated.

Hmm.. could that be the reason why these rims bent from hitting pot holes?

[weehe126]

Still no... These must be must be some massive pot holes.

[CTinline-six]

Originally Posted by weehe126

Still no... These must be must be some massive pot holes.

I've cracked a factory 16" wheel on a pot hole in NYC, so anything is possible. I've seen other cars break control arm mounts clean off from potholes.

I would try different tires for sure, some have thinner sidewalls than others and will have more flex. What PSI are you running the tires at?

[lowrydr310]

Originally Posted by weehe126

Still no... These must be must be some massive pot holes.

They were. Craters. I know for sure the one I hit on my left front was at least 2' in diameter and about 3-4" deep. I couldn't avoid it.

Originally Posted by CTinline-six

I've cracked a factory 16" wheel on a pot hole in NYC, so anything is possible. I've seen other cars break control arm mounts clean off from potholes.

I would try different tires for sure, some have thinner sidewalls than others and will have more flex. What PSI are you running the tires at?

I have a spare set of identical wheels with Bridgestone Turanza EL42 runflats mounted that I'm going to install after I get an alignment. Tires are in good shape, but I've read a lot of lousy reviews on them.

I've been running 30psi front and 35 rear. Recommended pressure according the door sticker is 29 front and 35 rear. I'm pretty meticulous about maintaining it too, checking once a week. That and regular rotations have gotten me a lot of miles out of my tires on all my vehicles.

[CTinline-six]

Those pressures sound fine to me. The runflats will ride like garbage but they might hold up better to the potholes. I feel your pain living here in New England where all the roads are shit. I can't justify running an 18" or 19" wheel because I know they will get ruined. The local tire shop says they find several cracked and broken wheels per week.

[rusty_g80]

Originally Posted by CTinline-six

Those pressures sound fine to me. The runflats will ride like garbage but they might hold up better to the potholes. I feel your pain living here in New England where all the roads are shit. I can't justify running an 18" or 19" wheel because I know they will get ruined. The local tire shop says they find several cracked and broken wheels per week.

I had a 17” Bridgestone RFT on my old e90. My wife hit a pothole and the sidewall just cracked. Chicago potholes...

[streetpro]

I´ve been always annoyed by the road conditions in my country but once I see your posts and live abroad I am silent and thankful for what we have :-)

[dcorn]

I think BMW wheels are just soft. I had a bent rim on both of my E90s with 162 wheels using stock runflats. One with Bridgestones and one with Michelins.

[PS2N54]

Originally Posted by dcorn

I think BMW wheels are just soft. I had a bent rim on both of my E90s with 162 wheels using stock runflats. One with Bridgestones and one with Michelins.

i agree they are soft. my front right got wrecked so hard on stock tire size from 2 potholes all within 1 week of each other and in 2 different cities.... ignore all the curb rash, 90% of it is not from me and neither are both potholes

the last one was so bad that it bent the strut mount, so i replaced strut+mount+knuckle just to be safe.

[Volasko]

Originally Posted by nzero

i agree they are soft. my front right got wrecked so hard on stock tire size from 2 potholes all within 1 week of each other and in 2 different cities.... ignore all the curb rash, 90% of it is not from me and neither are both potholes

the last one was so bad that it bent the strut mount, so i replaced strut+mount+knuckle just to be safe.

I mean you don't even have BMW wheels, those wheels are cheap reps. I bet OEM wheels would have held up better.

[dcorn]

Originally Posted by Volasko

I mean you don't even have BMW wheels, those wheels are cheap reps. I bet OEM wheels would have held up better.

Yup, those look like 18" reps of M6 wheels.

My first E90 also hit a pothole so hard it bubbled the tire and bent the wheel, knuckle, strut, and control arm on that corner.

[Soravia]

Check your control arms. They might be bent now.

[bimmerfan1972]

Guys, I can't even remember how many rims I have cracked and had to replace due to potholes in the Nashville area. At least 2 this year. The problem is the run flats. They are so rigid that they don't give at all. Hit a big pothole hard and you are going to bust the sidewall or crack a rim. In fact, last year, we had a lot of rain at one point and all of the potholes near my house opened up. I hit a pothole really hard and busted the sidewall on both of my right side tires. I have also busted both front shocks.

[tcphoto]

The roads in Nashville are treacherous, it was raining and I was going from I40 to I65 and hit a pothole that blew a non-runflat and bubbled another. Funny, I filed a claim with DOT and they denied it because "this is the first we've heard of the pothole". How can they say that with a straight face?

[bimmerfan1972]

There is so much construction here, the roads are just terrible. I have memorized the location of all the potholes on my commute to work, but still doesn't help when I go somewhere different.