[greenberet123]

Hi guys,

Please help me out with these 2 n00b questions about the rear wheels of my 2008 E93.

1. My wheel says 8.5J18 EH2 IS 37.
This means that I have 18 x 8.5 rear wheels with an offset of 37? What does EH2 and IS mean? Is that something I need to watch out for while getting new wheels?

2. My rear wheel leaks air and all the air is gone in 2 days, after which I have to reinflate. I have RFTs. I took it to a shop. They took that wheel off, did a visual inspection and concluded that the tire was ok but the wheel is leaking air because of a crack in the rim.

Here is a picture of the crack. (

View post on imgur.com

) .

So my question here is, can that tiny crack cause air to leak? If yes, if I just get it mended, will it be fine?

Thanks a lot!

[tcphoto]

They didn’t offer or recommend someone to repair it? I’d search for a shop that would weld it or at least give a qualified opinion.

[AtlantaDan]

Any cracks in a wheel - anywhere - automatically make the wheel scrap metal. Yes, a crack in the wheel will cause an air leak. That is also a crack made from impact so inspect the rest of the suspension attached to that wheel.

Get a new wheel. Do NOT repair it.

[delmarco]

yeah crack is wack. I would replace it as soon as possible.

[max_330i]

yes the crack can cause an air leak. it is possible to repair it so that it holds air, but it is a temporary fix or gamble at best, and you better trust whoever does the work. I recommend buying a new wheel instead

[nsjames]

not many places will weld a wheel up because of the liability.

see here for how to measure your existing wheels
https://www.4wheelparts.com/tire-whe...ckspacing.aspx

[blackturbo]

Originally Posted by max_330i

yes the crack can cause an air leak. it is possible to repair it so that it holds air, but it is a temporary fix or gamble at best, and you better trust whoever does the work. I recommend buying a new wheel instead

Agreed. It happend to me once. Just buy another wheel.

[tcphoto]

I stand corrected, I thought seeking out a specialist would be best as the shop offered no solutions.

[nsjames]

Originally Posted by tcphoto

I stand corrected, I thought seeking out a specialist would be best as the shop offered no solutions.

there are specialty places that will refurbish yor wheel.

the cost isn't generally worth it unless it's a super rare/expensive bit.

Expect like $400 a wheel for someone to weld it, grind it true it and refinish it.
for an OEM wheel or something that's not on a supercar it's probably cheaper to just go buy a new wheel.

[The_E92_Fan]

The crack is just the damage you can see. It reached failure. What you DONT see is the rest of the material that has been compromised and has been plasticly deformed, losing a large portion of its original strength. Welding will add a small, insignificant amount of strength - it is only a bandaid on a broken leg.

[fazman]

Originally Posted by greenberet123

Hi guys,

Please help me out with these 2 n00b questions about the rear wheels of my 2008 E93.

1. My wheel says 8.5J18 EH2 IS 37.
This means that I have 18 x 8.5 rear wheels with an offset of 37? What does EH2 and IS mean? Is that something I need to watch out for while getting new wheels?

2. My rear wheel leaks air and all the air is gone in 2 days, after which I have to reinflate. I have RFTs. I took it to a shop. They took that wheel off, did a visual inspection and concluded that the tire was ok but the wheel is leaking air because of a crack in the rim.

Here is a picture of the crack. (

View post on imgur.com

) .

So my question here is, can that tiny crack cause air to leak? If yes, if I just get it mended, will it be fine?

Thanks a lot!

Mail your rim here --> (https://needpowdercoating.wordpress.com/) and have them straighten/fix your wheel and powder coat it any color you like for $100. Then have them box it and mail it back to you.

In NJ/NY winters from Dec-May... every year I would get bent/cracked rims and these shops fix them like new all the time! I've had all kinds of alloy wheels repaired over the past couple decades and each one has been perfect after the repair (at least until the next encounter with an east coast winter crater )

I had all four of my style 162's stripped of the paint, straightened/fixed/patched, and then powder coated white.

I also had my style 158's fixed but not repainted for $50 each

You can also try your luck trying to find a local person with curbed up rim willing to part with it for $100. But honestly... I would rather just send it out for repair and come back a mint condition wheel.

[maddmatth]

There are places that can repair that, just make sure they have a good reputation. It's not a job you want done by an amateur in their backyard. I've had similar cracks repaired.

[racermp]

yea fix it, probably cost around $50. aluminum weld, it's minor but needs to be fixed

[doru]

Judging by the picture of the cracked wheel, the damage is on the inside lip (rim) - this is not a structural damage. Structural damage of wheel is when the exterior lip (rim) is cracked. Can be fixed, but needs to be done at a reputable shop that can give some sort of warranty - might be costly (usually done on high end wheels). However, if one chooses this route, the repaired wheel should be placed on the rear. Hope you don't have a staggered setup.

[david in germany]

Since no one else answered what eh2 is.. Eh2 is a special bump around the wheel to hold runflat tires in place on the wheel when driving with low or no pressure.
Not sure what the IS me and though.

[ewicky]

Originally Posted by doru

Judging by the picture of the cracked wheel, the damage is on the inside lip (rim) - this is not a structural damage. Structural damage of wheel is when the exterior lip (rim) is cracked. Can be fixed, but needs to be done at a reputable shop that can give some sort of warranty - might be costly (usually done on high end wheels). However, if one chooses this route, the repaired wheel should be placed on the rear. Hope you don't have a staggered setup.

Agreed-ish. That crack isn't, strictly speaking, structural. I had a similar crack. I put glue in it to keep from leaking air. Works great for the last 3-4 months. I try not to go HAM on it (winter tire set) but I did hit 130mph without issue. I've also hit several hard bumps. I mean it's not like the whole rim is going to disintegrate due to a non-structural crack. You'll likely never get any self-respecting shop to replace or even balance a tire on that rim thou. So ultimately it's a throw-away.
I get a little vibration/oscillation around 50-80mph due to lack of balancing, but nothing a passenger has ever noticed. Just barely noticeable as I'm used to BMW smoothness.
Also, re-up your insurance policies