2002 Vert thin spokes cracked!
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 116
Likes: 0
From: Prince Frederick maryland
2002 Vert thin spokes cracked!
Just found out my left rear wheel has a crack at the spoke leaking air. 
Also found out this seems to be a common problem with the thin spoke polished wheels.
Should I replace the wheel with a used wheel and hope the others don't crack? Fleabay has a set of C6 rims they say fit C5's that I like for around $700. They are the same size rims but I don't know about the bolt pattern or offset? Anybody have experience with them? The car is out of warranty of course. Any comments? Thanks in advance. Car has 50k miles. BTW, this place rocks!
Also found out this seems to be a common problem with the thin spoke polished wheels. Should I replace the wheel with a used wheel and hope the others don't crack? Fleabay has a set of C6 rims they say fit C5's that I like for around $700. They are the same size rims but I don't know about the bolt pattern or offset? Anybody have experience with them? The car is out of warranty of course. Any comments? Thanks in advance. Car has 50k miles. BTW, this place rocks!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 9,984
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From: Assault is a behavior, not a device! Cypress TX
St. Jude Donor '11
Being a new member I guess you wouldn't know that polished thin spoke cracking is not an unheard of event around here. Several threads have been dedicated to the discussion recently so you are not alone in this unfortunate cicumstance. I guess it is really your call whether you want to replace the OEM wheel or go aftermarket.
If you want aftermarket might I suggest anyone of the several supporting vendors we have on the site. Scroll down the column of adds on the left side until you get to the WHEELS section. You'll find several vendors that support us are extremely knowledgable about fitment and very competitive in pricing on just about whatever style and make you are looking for.
I would personally beware of SOME (not all) of the deals that are available on eBay. If you research thoroughly I believe you will find some of the more popular vendors on this forum have thier own ebay stores.
Good luck in your decision and welcome to the forum.
P.S. - Fill out your profile and these guys will help you a lot!
If you want aftermarket might I suggest anyone of the several supporting vendors we have on the site. Scroll down the column of adds on the left side until you get to the WHEELS section. You'll find several vendors that support us are extremely knowledgable about fitment and very competitive in pricing on just about whatever style and make you are looking for.
I would personally beware of SOME (not all) of the deals that are available on eBay. If you research thoroughly I believe you will find some of the more popular vendors on this forum have thier own ebay stores.
Good luck in your decision and welcome to the forum.
P.S. - Fill out your profile and these guys will help you a lot!
Last edited by jughead1; Sep 17, 2007 at 05:34 PM.
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 16,795
Likes: 62
From: Lake Havasu City, AZ
You can get aftermarket reproductions that look just like your stock wheels, in a number of finishes or you can go with a different look.
You can also buy replacment OEM wheels. It's up to you , your tastes and your budget.
The supporting vendors like...
Corvette Garage
House of Wheels
TomzWheels
All seem to get kudos from CF members for quality and fair prices...
You can also buy replacment OEM wheels. It's up to you , your tastes and your budget.
The supporting vendors like...
Corvette Garage
House of Wheels
TomzWheels
All seem to get kudos from CF members for quality and fair prices...
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 1,232
Likes: 2
From: Palm Desert CA
I bought my set from Tomzwheels and LOVE them!
I'd go with the aftermarket wheels as I've heard a lot of the thin spokes are now starting to crack! Also you can probably buy a decent set of aftermaket wheels for the price of 1 GM replacement wheel
I'd go with the aftermarket wheels as I've heard a lot of the thin spokes are now starting to crack! Also you can probably buy a decent set of aftermaket wheels for the price of 1 GM replacement wheel
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 116
Likes: 0
From: Prince Frederick maryland
House of wheels
Called House of wheels and Bob said that they have a set of C6 reproductions for $700 plus $80 shipping. I think I might go this way due to the cracking issue with the other three in the future.
Racer
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 262
Likes: 1
From: St. Petersburg FL
Be sure and compare the weight of the repro's to the originals. Sometimes repro's weight A LOT more and this can affect performance.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2001
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From: Sheboygan Wisconsin
St. Jude Donor '04-'05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 6,420
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From: "This is not a psychotic episode, but a cleansing moment of clarity."
Is it just me or does it seem like nearly all of the thin spoke stress fractures seem to be coming off of '02's? Mine is an '02, manufactured in Sep. 01. I'm wondering if all the problems wheels came from the same manufacturing lot... So far, my OEM replacements are holding up nicely after about 10k mi of driving.
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Not sure how much you really want to spend, but if you want some top quality wheels that look fantastic, check out the offerings of CCW. 
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 1999
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From: At the beach in little Rhody
I pulled mine off at about 20K miles, never really checked them for cracks. Now they are in the shed loft and a major pain to retrieve and inspect. Now running the 04 Z16 wheels, guess that was an unexpected good move when I did it.