Posted by Brian in Oregon on August 24, 1999 at 20:04:41:
In Reply to: combat rims vs standard split rims posted by m clark on August 24, 1999 at 19:42:05:
1. They have a military look to them and they, well, look 'cool'.
2. You can safely change tires on your own. I recommend split rims be serviced by a qualified tire shop.
3. Supposedly a properly assembled split rim won't fall apart if it goes flat. However, if you hit a rock with low air, it can happen. Combat rims were designed to run flat w/o falling apart. In fact, some original documents call them 'runflat' rims instead of 'combat' rims.
4. Combat rims don't balance very well. Mainly due to the excessive amount of metal (bolts, nuts, etc.)
5. Combat rims can cost a lot more to restore if you have to start replacing bolts and nuts. You should not trust corroded combat rim bolts. I got NOS replacements from VPW a few years ago, but they weren't cheap. Hopefully they still have them.