Check the mounting face, not just the rim
When people inspect a wheel they look at the rim, where the tire sits, because that is where the visible damage usually is. The part that holds the wheel on gets far less attention, and it is where some of the most serious faults start.
The mounting face is the flat area around the center that clamps against the hub, with the stud or bolt holes through it. Three things are worth looking for there.
Stud holes that are no longer round. A wheel that has run with loose nuts, even briefly, can wear its holes oval. An elongated hole will not clamp properly however tightly the nuts are done up.
Cracks between the holes. Cracks often start at a stud hole and run outward, or link one hole to the next. They are thin and easy to miss under dirt and paint.
Thick paint or rust on the clamping surface. The face is meant to clamp metal to metal. A heavy layer of paint or corrosion there can compress over time, and the nuts lose their clamping force as it does.
Why it matters
A wheel that cannot stay clamped is a wheel that can come off. That is a rare event, and it is one of the most dangerous a commercial vehicle can have. The faults that lead to it are visible on the mounting face long before anything happens.
Look at it every time the wheel is off for a tire change, and have any wheel with oval holes or a suspected crack assessed.
What refurbishing restores
Cleaning back to sound metal, restoring the bead seat and the mounting face, and refinishing so the wheel is protected. The national wheel refurbishing page covers the process. The inspection decides first whether the wheel can be refurbished at all.
A crack ends the wheel and it is replaced.
Equipment rims come through here from OTR services and mining fleet services, and the same inspection applies.
Other stores nearby
Willcox and Casa Grande also refurbish wheels.
About this store
The Tucson store runs seventeen services and is managed by Mark Laster.
See the national wheel refurbishing page for all 42 locations.