With the government cutting £400 million off the uk road maintenance budget for 2021 compared to 2020, wheels are getting larger and potholes are getting bigger, cracks unfortunately become inevitable.

At alloy wheel refurbishment hull we weld lots of wheels due to pot hole damage. Cracks are often more common with larger wheels that are fitted with run flat tyres as the side walls are lot harder so they can be driven on for a short period if punctured. If you have a TPMS (Tyre pressure monitoring system) light on your dashboard and have topped up the pressure and its come back on it can often be a hairline crack in the rear bead of the wheel.

The welding process,

1. Before removing the tyre we check that the tyre isn’t loosing air, or compromised on the side wall with soapy water.
2. The wheel is then checked for flat spots and buckles, it is common to find a buckle near to to the crack. (The customer is always informed of the buckle and offered the option to repair if they require).
3. Tyre is removed from rim.
4. We shot blast the damaged area inside & out to clean up before welding and to show the crack in detail.
5. The end of the crack is drilled to prevent it further cracking.
6. The complete crack is then cut out with a die grinder into a V shape.
7. Both inside and outside the wheel are welded to ensure maximum strength.
8. The internal weld is then cleaned back with a grinder and blended in to the shape of the wheel to ensure the tyre seats and holds pressure.
9. We lightly spray some paint over the weld to tidy it up.
10. The tyre is fitted with a new valve and re balanced one final check with soapy water and the wheel is ready to go back on the vehicle.