Is there a way I can tell if a wheel is bent OR if my tires have a flat spot or are cupped?

I have a set of old-skool TSW EVOs that I've had since July 2003. I drove to Oregon and back from WI on them without any problems. After rotating my tires side to side (e.g. RF to LF, RR to LR) I've noticed a vibration that I haven't felt before. The steering wheel shakes from about 60-80 mph.

I rotated the fronts back, but the vibration is still there. I haven't rotated the rears back yet because I feel the shaking from the front end.

Now, somone recently pointed out to me that my driver's-side front wheel had a bit of a bulge or bend in it. However, it's very slight.

Is there a definate way for me to tell if it's the wheel or if it's the tire that messed up?

 

FWIW, the normal rotation pattern for non-directional tires is front l/r to rear l/r, and criss cross the rear tires to the front. Anyway, why would you suspect a bent wheel if there was no impact or problem before, besides the 'bulge'?

You could jack up that side and spin the wheel while holding a steel rule near it, fixed against some solid reference point.
Probably best to just have them balanced, as you may have knocked a wheight off. The balancing tech could also spot run-out, or bent wheels.

Double check your wheels to make sure they fit against the hubs properly.

 

i had this same problem with some TSWs on my crx, i slammed a pothole in the freeway one night, everything looked fine when i stopped somewhere and about a week later i get the same shaking at about 60-80mph after i notice where i hit the wheel is slightly bent.... well it got worse througout the week and started shaking at even 30-40 mph, so i figured it cant be the wheel cuz its getting worse turned out my lug nuts would wear themselves loose so i just over-torqued them... they would wear loose every month or so up until i sold it i just kept tightening them.... well anyway doesn't sound like your wheel is bent that bad cuz mine was bent pretty damn bad and it still drove fine... id start checking suspension and such...