How long do you keep your rims/wheels?

[alberto_mg]

I don't know of any wheel manufacturer that will define the working life of a racing wheel. Too many variables.

Some wheels last forever. Don't reject a wheel just because of its age.
Others fail - sometimes for no obvious reason.
It's just not predictable - particularly with Mag/Al alloys which have dreadful fatigue characteristics.

So -
Inspect - Inspect!! Particularly after any wheel impact.
With wheels on the car, jack up, and spin the wheels to reveal anything out of true.
If a wheel is bent, then send it to the junk man. Very hard to straighten an alloy wheel and be sure that no parts of it have been stressed beyond the yield point. (Others may disagree - they can have my bent wheels).

Every time you have a wheel off the car -look for radial cracks around the stud holes. Look for any imperfections in the metal surface.
If you see something new that might be a crack, then do a dye penetration test.
Look in places where spokes get thin.
Look at tight corners where stresses will concentrate.

And if after all the vigilance, you get a wheel vibration while driving, get into the pit and check it out.

Best regards Bill Miskoe

Thank you all.

Very insightful.

What is a "dye penetration test"?

Edit - Info on the test here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dye_penetrant_inspection

Where does one get the materials and how does one do this in the garage?