# Are Borbet wheels prone to bending? Please help



## Michael T Borelli (Dec 29, 2000)

I am looking into buying a used set of Borbet Type T's and I have read many posts about Borbets bending. Please give me some help before I make the decision. Thanks


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## Krautwagen (Sep 17, 2002)

*Re: Are Borbet wheels prone to bending? Please help (Michael T Borelli)*

Just sold mine 9hope they weren't the ones you were looking at...)
Borbet's are very strong, and also fairly heavy. I have not heard of any problems with them bending, especially the Type T's.


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## Michael T Borelli (Dec 29, 2000)

*Re: Are Borbet wheels prone to bending? Please help (Krautwagen)*

Did you happen to sell them to a guy in Maryland or Delaware. I think that is where he lives. It looks like one of the wheels is bent are they yours?


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## Krautwagen (Sep 17, 2002)

*Re: Are Borbet wheels prone to bending? Please help (Michael T Borelli)*

Oh no, mine were all in perfect condition. They went to PA.


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## Michael T Borelli (Dec 29, 2000)

*Re: Are Borbet wheels prone to bending? Please help (Krautwagen)*

Were yours 17's, I was wrong the guy is in PA that has them for sale. He said the bend is on the inner side of the rim.


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## Krautwagen (Sep 17, 2002)

*Re: Are Borbet wheels prone to bending? Please help (Michael T Borelli)*

Nope, these were 16" 4x100's


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## Sheep (Dec 21, 2000)

*Re: Are Borbet wheels prone to bending? Please help (Krautwagen)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Krautwagen* »_....Borbet's are very strong, and also fairly heavy.

I had 18x8" R's and never had problems. Clearcoat is very soft though.
And R's are NOT heavy....21lb, and relatively speaking no stronger than any other cast wheel. I can't speak for other series in lineup.


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## Eric @ TIRE RACK (Jan 27, 2000)

*Re: Are Borbet wheels prone to bending? Please help (Michael T Borelli)*

Borbet are German made wheels. They go through the same strength testing that your OEM VW wheels do. VW doesn't make wheels, they have them made by several different wheel manufacturers. Several of those manufacturers I sell. Wheels of this quality bending are more than likely "user error." Or you can look at it another way, in the same scenario any wheel would likely have bent.
A wheel built so strong that it won't give (bend), will crack (or be so heavy you wouldn't buy it). It is better to have a wheel bend on impact rather than crack. If a wheel cracks, it will lose air and at the very least, you'll be on the side of the road. Of course in the case of driving on the Autobahn, a cracked wheel losing air @ 120mph...... that scenario could be the last thing a driver ever does.
If Borbet wheels can pass the TUV strength
standards then that outta be good enough.

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*Please order from Eric Your VW Performance 
Specialist @ The Tire Rack Available at
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_Modified by [email protected] at 7:14 PM 1-19-2004_


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## tomo366 (Apr 17, 1999)

*Re: Are Borbet wheels prone to bending? Please help ([email protected])*

I had terrible problems with Borbet wheels Bending and Cracking.
I owned a 97 Passat TDI 4x100 wheels for 5 years I had 4 sets of wheels on the car.
The first set was 14" Orlando's no problems
Then I bought a used set of Borbet "C" 4x100 15"on Ebay when I sold them we found 1 of them to be bent 
I then bought a set of Borbet "E" I sold those because I hated the tires I don't think any of those were bent.
I then bought a set of "T" these were the worst! I bent 2 pretty quick and bought a new wheel and had them straightened 1 at a time at 75 a pop, Ended up 4 of the 5 got bent and straightened.I sold those and bought another set of "C" and when I sold the car 2 were bent and 1 was cracked. Never again!! 


_Modified by tomo366 at 6:50 PM 1-23-2004_


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## Eric @ TIRE RACK (Jan 27, 2000)

*Re: Are Borbet wheels prone to bending? Please help (tomo366)*

I am not here to argue with anyone but Borbet makes OEM (Original Equipment Manufacture), wheels for Audi/VW, BMW, Porsche and Opel. Those vehicle manufacturers would not allow an "inferior" product to be installed on their vehicles. The Borbet brand of wheels have to go through the same strength testing standards (TUV Approval), as any other German manufactured wheel. Also, any other Wheel Manufacturer (Based in any other Country), that wants to do business within the whole European Community must as well pass TUV strength testing.
An alloy wheel can only take so much impact force. I think that you would find that in any identical situation that any other wheel (with very few exceptions), would be inclined to also bend, given the same force of impact sustained.

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*Please order from** Eric Your VW Performance 
Specialist @ The Tire Rack  Available at
877-522-8473 Extension 391*
FAQ-Wheel Tech
FAQ-Tire Tech
Vortex Search 


_Modified by [email protected] at 3:54 PM 1-23-2004_


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## tomo366 (Apr 17, 1999)

*Re: Are Borbet wheels prone to bending? Please help ([email protected])*

I am relating my experience's with Borbet Wheel's ..........which sucked and was very expensive!
I did not seek out road obstacles to run through so I could bend them up!


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## Eric @ TIRE RACK (Jan 27, 2000)

*Re: Are Borbet wheels prone to bending? Please help (tomo366)*


_Quote, originally posted by *tomo366* »_.....I did not seek out road obstacles to run through so I could bend them up!

Just so we understand each other, I didn't even remotely question anything that you said. Folks seem to get a little "testy" at times. Please reread what I said here.


_Quote, originally posted by *[email protected]* »_*I am not here to argue with anyone* but...
I think that you would find that in any identical situation that any other wheel (with very few exceptions), would be inclined to also bend, given the same force of impact sustained.

Let me try this angle. Because Borbet makes wheels for VW, Borbet wheels are actually made "identically" to the wheels that come as standard equipment on VW's, which means that the scenario(s) that you've experienced, it is likely that *any* other wheel [with the exception of an exceptionally strong (Forged) wheel], would also have bent.

_Quote, originally posted by *tomo366* »_....I owned a 97 Passat TDI 4x100 wheels for 5 years I had 4 sets of wheels on the car. The first set was *14"* Orlando's no problems. Then I bought a *used* set of Borbet "C" 4x100 *15"* on *Ebay*...

Going "Plus 1" does take out an inch of tire sidewall
which directly relates to less protection for the wheel.
Lastly, once again, I am not here to argue with anyone, at all. The initial question was "Are Borbet wheels prone to bending?" Where I am coming from is the fact that the some of the very wheels that come on VW's are in fact manufactured by Borbet. The TUV does not have two different standards for strength. I do understand that you may have had a bad experience with the Borbet brand. But it is inaccurate to say that they are "prone to bending," that is unless you are willing to say that about every TUV approved wheel made including every OEM wheel on every German car made past, present and future.
And by the way I had a similar "not so good" experience with some ABT (made by O.Z.), wheels. But given the circumstances that they bent, any like constructed wheel also, would have bent.
Stay happy, and have a good weekend. I'm outta here.


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## dennisgli (May 17, 2003)

*Re: Are Borbet wheels prone to bending? Please help ([email protected])*


_Quote, originally posted by *[email protected]* »_
Going "Plus 1" does take out an inch of tire sidewall
which directly relates to less protection for the wheel.


Well, actually only 1/2" less protection. But anyway...
I'm not sure I buy the "if they make OEM wheels they're all going to bend under the same conditions." My MkII had OEM wheels made by BBS. They were very prone to bending and I think one eventually cracked. I replace them with ASA wheels and had no more bending problems under the same driving conditions.
But I don't think that I would conclude from this that all BBS wheels bend. Nor that ASA wheels are stronger or better than BBS wheels. But only that these specific BBS wheels used in a +2 application bent easily on fairly tough road/driving conditions.


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