My 2013 Honda civic had a vibration last spring and I was sure it was a bent wheel or bad tire on the right rear. So I jacked the car and took a paint can and a straightedge on it and spun the wheel and notice the wheel touches the straight edge in one specific location but no where else. So I said to myself it's a bent wheel,so I removed my winter steel wheels and tires and installed my summer tires and the vibration was gone. So I went out and bought a new steel rim on clearance so I would have it for next winter. Now winter comes and I went to Costco to get my winter tires installed, I needed new tires as well this year and noticed they didn't install my new rim even though I told them to. So I talked to the tire guy and he says there's no need for your new rim, the old one is fine. So can my old rim actually be fine if it touches the straightedge while spinning it? Maybe my wheel is still bent but he got it balanced? If I don't feel a vibration with my new winter tires, will a balanced bent wheel affect the tire? Or a balanced bent wheel is impossible? I drove the car and it seems fine but I would like to drive in another vehicle beside this one to see how that wheel acts going down the road.

It may balance when spun in the air, but will have a shimmy when the wheel is touching pavement. Replacement would be my call.

Agree

Yep. Had a bent steelie on a Civic. After a balance and rotation at DT noticed a vibration at highway speed. Took back, showed me bent front wheel on balance machine. Bought a used wheel from local Honda bone yard. Problem solved.

Replacement is the only option. The cost of fixing the wheel will be more than the replacement. Been there done that.

Went through that with new Costco steel rims/tires - ended up returning the whole set after 3 tries to balance the one bent rim - tires and all.

Shimmied at 60 mph.

Was so frustrated with the whole process.

Naw, a few well aimed whacks with a sledgehammer will take care of that.

Are you sure that the wheel was bent? Maybe it was a bad tire (possibly a broken belt).

You can "balance" a square wheel, but it won't roll any smoother.

Well that's what I was trying to figure out originally in the spring when I had the vibration, so I didn't know how to tell if it was a bad tire or a bent wheel. So I looked online and noticed that some were saying to take a paint can and lay a straightedge on it close to the wheel but not touching it and see if at any points while rotating the wheel, it touches the straightedge, so I did that and it did touch the straightedge at a certain spot and not others so I thought it was bent wheel. Could a bad tire cause the wheel to turn out of round while bolted to the car and spun by hand in the air?

Like in this video:
https://youtu.be/_Zt6GW0VhqQ

Since it is concerning you, I'd either replace it or take it to a tire professional and get their opinion. Personally, I never had good experiences with Costco when I had tire problems. It is, however, one of my most favorite places to shop.

Yeah, I'd have them put the new tire on the new wheel and use the old/bent wheel as a spare(if you have a decent tire available).

Straighten the wheel the best you can
Install a decent tire of proper size
Have it balanced and keep it in the trunk.

I'm assuming that you have 15" steelies?...Civic LX Sedan?
I rather have any proper size(195-65-15) tire/wheel for my spare instead of the space saver spare(SSS).