Hey guys! So, I've got a 2006 with the z51 suspension. I got some new michelin pilot super sports put on today, 255/35/18 and 285/30/19 in the rear. I drove them for about 50 miles. After class tonight, I took the first turn that was tight a little too quick, (about as fast as I normally did in my eagle f1 emt's), and the *** end kicked out super hard, whipping me in a 180. I hit my left rear wheel going about 10-15 mph. It left a good foot long curb rash on the rim. However, the front of the wheel was now facing in, maybe .25" from center, with the rear of the wheel about .25" out. The car immediately handled like ****, obviously. The steering wheel was off by like 2 inches! I didn't even hit the front end. So, I got home, and took the wheel off, but I can't find any bends in any of the suspension components. The tie rods look straight as an arrow where I can see them, the rubber boots keep me from seeing the inner of the inner tie rod, and the outer of the outer tie rod. The upper and lower control arms look fine. I could see where the leaf spring normally sat, and it appeared like it had shifted slightly. So, here's the questions I have for you guys: Can knocking the rear out of alignment affect the position of your steering wheel? Is there a specific place I should look on the rear suspension that is susceptible to damage? Can I knock the rear out of alignment without damaging the tie rods? Should I replace the tie rods either way? Would a simple alignment fix it? Do you normally have to drive michelin pilot super sports for 50 miles like a granny? :P Thanks for all of your input in advance, guys. Much obliged!

 

Oh, and the wheel itself doesn't appear to be bent at all.

 

Sorry to hear this. I would definitely take it to a service shop. You could take it to a good alignment place that has some experience with Vetts to see if the issue is simple and can simply be adjusted to normal specs. Getting a stock replacement wheel can be pretty cheap if you watch the parts section and get a little lucky. Good luck!

 

Take it have an it put on an alignment rack.

 

I want to cry I've put almost 100,000 miles on my corvettes and have never, ever hit anything. I had a pair of NTO5's on my c5. I tried taking it quick out of the tire shop, and spun a little bit. But after a few miles, they were good to go! I really thought 50 miles would have been fine for the PSS's. Maybe I'll just get an alignment and see if that fixes everything. I'm probably going to just repair the wheel by putting filler on it and the curb rash on the other wheel (from before I purchased it) and plastidip all 4 wheels gunmetal. I don't think I hit the wheel hard enough to necessarily damage it. After painting them I'll just get it rebalanced :/ Although, more insight on the questions I posted would still be greatly appreciated!

 

Good info (sorry to hear about your accident) but I'm glad you posted this. It says to me to watch when I replace my tires on my '06 with something a little harder than the F1's on there now......EXCELLECT piece of info to have and again, sorry to hear this. I hit a curb about a week ago pulling into a parking lot so no "real" damage but took a hunk out of my wheel (sigh)

 

You have obviously knocked the alignment out and more than likely bent something. A good alignment shop should be able to tell what damage has been done so that it can be fixed properly.

 

Jack it up and spin the wheel. See if it spins true. It doesn't take much to bend the wheels.

 

Take it to a GOOD tire shop. If you don't have one, TireRack has a good review section. Click the tiny "Installation" tab at the top of their page.

 

Yah, I have a lifetime alignment warranty at Firestone, which is on the recommended list. I guess we'll see what it looks like here in a few hours, when they open.

 

 

that sucks! sorry to hear.

 

Yes.
You need to inspect it everywhere.
Yes.
Not unless they're damaged.
Maybe.
No.

If the wheel is towed in as it sounds, it's not a bent rim, it's something else bent or out of alignment. If it was a bent rim it would "wobble" but not be towed in all the time.

Get it inspected at a shop you trust and find out what's wrong before you start throwing $$$ at it for new parts.

 

New tires are glossy and have to be run in, especially on high performance motorcycles.
On race cars they go over them with a big file before even going out in practice.

 

New tires as mentioned earlier have mold release on them and need to be driven several hundred miles to wear this off. And get it to a front end alignment shop the alignment bolts may have not been tight enough and let it slip out of alignment.
z51vett
Doug

 

have the alignment checked, something is bent !

 

I bet night time temps are still rather cold there in Tacoma?

 

If your rear wheels are now pointing somewhere else, you'll have to compensate with the steering wheel even if nothing has changed in the front, so that might explain your situation.

 

Yes you need that good alignment shop. For me, for finding a good service place our local Corvette club is invaluable for this type of information. We got a little hole int he wall place and the guy is excellent. Get it checked out.

 

Okay, so the mechanic from Firestone double checked everything. He confirmed what I thought for the most part, there was no bent suspension parts. The front of the lower control arm has a "swing" to it, which actually swung with the bend of the tire, which is what was causing the tire to point inward. A simple alignment did fix it. Except that the wheel itself needs to be replaced :/ Now I've gotta try to find an aluminum 19x10 replacement. If they weren't damaged, it would have been a good project to fill all of the scratches on all 4 wheels and plasti dip them gun metal, but maybe I'll do it anyways when I get the new wheel. Anyone know of someone selling an individual wheel?