Rim fractures

[utahxl500]

Has anyone experienced cracked rims on their 4wd's? I noticed one on each of my front wheels after around 2 months of driving it around.

They look like very fine hair line fractures across the spokes..perhaps from years of outback corregations....who knows?

I didn't find any other thread in the search function.

[timsrv]

Yes, I've heard of this before. The original Toyota rims are pretty tough but they are now almost 30 years old and time/use/abuse takes it's tole. Some of the other steel rims people use (like Samurai or Tracker) are lighter duty and will usually crack after just a few years of hard use. Tim

PS: I think Coronan is selling a set or original Toyota 4wd rims in the "for sale" section of this forum.

[utahxl500]

Thanks for the heads up on the other rims for sale. I have already changed mine out for some rims on a rough 89 4wd 3Y EFI jap import i purchased for spares. The original rims had a chrome finish and the news ones simply plain / matt - Not sure if there is a difference, i am guessing it is just aesthetic.

The key thing is that i actually had to look very close at the rim to notice the fractures. At a normal glance i would never had noticed.

[djshimon]

Was there any air loss from the fractures?

[utahxl500]

Hi djshimon. Not sure i follow your question? I have shown where the fractures were on the attached image below. There was no damage
to the tyres themselves.



2056

[djshimon]

I didn't know where it cracked/fractured on the rim. I was just wondering if the tire lost air from the cracks going through the rim into the tire area. It looks like they cracked in a different spot than I had pictured in my mind:dizzy:.
Still, any cracking is worrisome on the rim-I'll have to have a looksy at mine tomorrow.

[utahxl500]

From speaking with a friend (panel beater of 40 yrs) who has done a fair bit of outback driving he said that he has heard of the same problem with other
Tarago's in his workshop - Pub talk says they are fatigue cracks from the corrugations.....it would be interesting to know if the wheels with the chrome look do simply just have a chrome plate or are perhaps are a harder alloy than the plain rims?

[timsrv]

Chrome rims are same with a chrome plating. All steel rims are made with mild steel. The harder the steel, the more prone it is to cracking. For safety reasons, it's better for a rim to bend than it is to break. Even mild steel will crack though given enough time and flex. The part that breaks is usually where a flexing part meets a rigid one (and typically on or adjacent to a weld joint. Tim