for $4500 you should receive wheels that actually last.
COR Wheel Failure, Owners Beware
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,582
Likes: 137
From: SoCal CA
COR Wheel Failure, Owners Beware
I dont know if anyone here owns COR wheels but I thought this article was interesting. The center of the wheel completely broke off from the wheel causing a lot of damage. Now the company is blaming the owner and has changed their warranty info after this.
This Guy’s Wheel Self-Destructed And The Company Who Made It Is Blaming Him
If you're buying wheels for your track car from a company that says things like "they're at home on the boulevard or on the racetrack" then it's reasonable to assume that the track is one of the expected places you'll be using those wheels. That means if the center of the wheel busts out while driving, you wouldn't expect the company to deny your warranty claim because "our products are designed for street use."
But that's exactly what one Mustang owner says happened.
Today over at the North American GT-R Owners' Forum (NAGTROC), member Tay posted a sad tale about a wheel. Specifically, a very expensive wheel made by Cor that decided to bagelize (the center of the wheel broke out) itself while the owner was receiving some track driving instruction in his Mustang.
His post caught my attention because the same thing happened to me while I was driving in the 2008 24 Hours Of LeMons race. There are some key differences, however. The biggest of which is that I was racing on the cheapest racing steelies bad checks could buy and this guy's Cor wheels cost over $4,500.
Here's how the owner describes the event:
The owner says he contacted Cor to have the wheel replaced under warranty. According to him, Cor requested the wheels be returned for analysis (I'm imagining the wheel on the couch sobbing because its mom-wheel never really held it) and then they responded with this letter:
After receiving the letter, Cor seemed to have updated their Warranty information on their website to include a statement saying the warranty was void if the wheel was used in "competitive events." This is counter to previous statements, including Cor's own blog posts where they state Cor wheels can "gain unmatched performance on and off the racetrack" and one where a specially-prepped GT-R with Cor wheels is described as "every bit at home on the track as it is on the boulevard."
It doesn't really seem like Cor wasn't promoting their wheels for track use. Hell, the first sentence on their "about" page reads "COR International was founded by a team of veteran wheel enthusiasts with a commitment to produce the very finest street and competition wheels."
As far as the claim that the painting somehow weakened the materials of the wheel, I'm slightly skeptical of that. I haven't done a comprehensive metallurgical analysis, and I don't know if the paint was based on acidic alien blood, but from past experiences I can't think of a situation where normal automotive paint degraded cast aluminum. Perhaps the wheels were heated in the painting process?
From the information available now, it seems like Cor's image of a track-friendly company doesn't match up with how they actually support owners. If they want to just be showy street wheels, that's fine. But if they're going to repeatedly suggest their wheels' prowess on the track, they need to just suck it up and replace warrantied wheels when they break. It's just a wheel, guys. You build them.
UPDATE: as pointed out below, the company's limited warranty does mention track use, although in a way that seems to contradict their image:
http://jalopnik.com/5953859/this-guy...ium=socialflow
This Guy’s Wheel Self-Destructed And The Company Who Made It Is Blaming Him
If you're buying wheels for your track car from a company that says things like "they're at home on the boulevard or on the racetrack" then it's reasonable to assume that the track is one of the expected places you'll be using those wheels. That means if the center of the wheel busts out while driving, you wouldn't expect the company to deny your warranty claim because "our products are designed for street use."
But that's exactly what one Mustang owner says happened.
Today over at the North American GT-R Owners' Forum (NAGTROC), member Tay posted a sad tale about a wheel. Specifically, a very expensive wheel made by Cor that decided to bagelize (the center of the wheel broke out) itself while the owner was receiving some track driving instruction in his Mustang.
His post caught my attention because the same thing happened to me while I was driving in the 2008 24 Hours Of LeMons race. There are some key differences, however. The biggest of which is that I was racing on the cheapest racing steelies bad checks could buy and this guy's Cor wheels cost over $4,500.
Here's how the owner describes the event:
I attended a track day on May 6th 2012 at Auto Club Speedway with my good friends at HG Motorsports. This was just a track day and by no means, a competitive event. I had run a few sessions on the course and I decided have a go with an instructor in my passenger seat. When I came in to turn 16 of the "Sports Car" layout, instead of turning, the car proceeded to skid to the ground and I went straight off of the course. I looked in my rearview mirror and saw my wheel rolling out behind me. I knew that all of my wheels had been torqued properly, as the instructor did it himself. From the way that the car had ended up, I immediately had a feeling that the front passenger side wheel had broken. Sure enough, as you can see from the pictures, that was the case. Keep in my mind that I was also riding on a brand new set of Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires. Because the wheel had come off, the car rode the 14.25" inch disc of the AP Racing 6 piston front brake kit. In addition, the wheel and tire had bounced around in the front fender, inside the wheel well, causing severe body damage.
He says the wheels were purchased new in mid-2011 and that he had their centers painted gold about a week before the incident by a reputable shop that he says has experience working with race cars.The owner says he contacted Cor to have the wheel replaced under warranty. According to him, Cor requested the wheels be returned for analysis (I'm imagining the wheel on the couch sobbing because its mom-wheel never really held it) and then they responded with this letter:
Dearr. M****s,
We have received the wheels returned for warranty consideration. I have personally inspected the wheels and they conform to their design specification. The wheels were in fact repainted as your letter states and I am concerned about possible effects of the 3rd party paint process may have had on the wheels. Some processes have been known to adversely affect the aluminum material, which could lead to a failure of this kind. As mentioned, I will be having a sample of the failed wheel tested. In the meantime, I have had a chance to familiarize myself with the details surrounding this incident and I would like to point out that our products are designed for street use. The loads and the duration of the loads presented in a track environment are far greater than those experienced in day to day driving. I am sympathetic to your client's unfortunate experience but I feel it is unreasonable to expect our company to be held solely responsible for the damages when the product was clearly not being used in the manner for which it was intended. As your letter states and the photographs provided clearly indicate, the vehicle was at a race track and the client was at an "instructional driving event", not simply a car show. On this basis, we would have to deny the claim for warranty consideration.
If you would like to further discuss this matter, I would be more than happy to make myself available for a telephone conversation next week.
Kind regards,
Robert Herrera
We have received the wheels returned for warranty consideration. I have personally inspected the wheels and they conform to their design specification. The wheels were in fact repainted as your letter states and I am concerned about possible effects of the 3rd party paint process may have had on the wheels. Some processes have been known to adversely affect the aluminum material, which could lead to a failure of this kind. As mentioned, I will be having a sample of the failed wheel tested. In the meantime, I have had a chance to familiarize myself with the details surrounding this incident and I would like to point out that our products are designed for street use. The loads and the duration of the loads presented in a track environment are far greater than those experienced in day to day driving. I am sympathetic to your client's unfortunate experience but I feel it is unreasonable to expect our company to be held solely responsible for the damages when the product was clearly not being used in the manner for which it was intended. As your letter states and the photographs provided clearly indicate, the vehicle was at a race track and the client was at an "instructional driving event", not simply a car show. On this basis, we would have to deny the claim for warranty consideration.
If you would like to further discuss this matter, I would be more than happy to make myself available for a telephone conversation next week.
Kind regards,
Robert Herrera
After receiving the letter, Cor seemed to have updated their Warranty information on their website to include a statement saying the warranty was void if the wheel was used in "competitive events." This is counter to previous statements, including Cor's own blog posts where they state Cor wheels can "gain unmatched performance on and off the racetrack" and one where a specially-prepped GT-R with Cor wheels is described as "every bit at home on the track as it is on the boulevard."
It doesn't really seem like Cor wasn't promoting their wheels for track use. Hell, the first sentence on their "about" page reads "COR International was founded by a team of veteran wheel enthusiasts with a commitment to produce the very finest street and competition wheels."
As far as the claim that the painting somehow weakened the materials of the wheel, I'm slightly skeptical of that. I haven't done a comprehensive metallurgical analysis, and I don't know if the paint was based on acidic alien blood, but from past experiences I can't think of a situation where normal automotive paint degraded cast aluminum. Perhaps the wheels were heated in the painting process?
From the information available now, it seems like Cor's image of a track-friendly company doesn't match up with how they actually support owners. If they want to just be showy street wheels, that's fine. But if they're going to repeatedly suggest their wheels' prowess on the track, they need to just suck it up and replace warrantied wheels when they break. It's just a wheel, guys. You build them.
UPDATE: as pointed out below, the company's limited warranty does mention track use, although in a way that seems to contradict their image:
Important: This limited warranty is void when COR Wheels have been subjected to misuse, abuse, Track use, competitive events, 3rd party repair/assembly or disassembly, re-straightening, non-COR applied chrome plating, re-drilling, or have not been mounted with COR International, LLC supplied or recommended hardware.
It should be noted that the owner says this was added after his claim, and has screenshots to back this up on his post.http://jalopnik.com/5953859/this-guy...ium=socialflow
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 46,295
Likes: 2,596
From: Northern, VA
St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
"...As far as the claim that the painting somehow weakened the materials of the wheel, I'm slightly skeptical of that. I haven't done a comprehensive metallurgical analysis, and I don't know if the paint was based on acidic alien blood, but from past experiences I can't think of a situation where normal automotive paint degraded cast aluminum. Perhaps the wheels were heated in the painting process?..."
I don't have any opinions, but do wonder if cast wheels are sufficiently reliable for continuous racing situations? I don't know the answer and thus ask the question, regardless of marketing words on/in an advertisement promoting the wheels.
I don't have any opinions, but do wonder if cast wheels are sufficiently reliable for continuous racing situations? I don't know the answer and thus ask the question, regardless of marketing words on/in an advertisement promoting the wheels.
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 3,755
Likes: 190
From: Baton Rouge LA
St. Jude Donor '14, '16
"...As far as the claim that the painting somehow weakened the materials of the wheel, I'm slightly skeptical of that. I haven't done a comprehensive metallurgical analysis, and I don't know if the paint was based on acidic alien blood, but from past experiences I can't think of a situation where normal automotive paint degraded cast aluminum. Perhaps the wheels were heated in the painting process?..."
I don't have any opinions, but do wonder if cast wheels are sufficiently reliable for continuous racing situations? I don't know the answer and thus ask the question, regardless of marketing words on/in an advertisement promoting the wheels.
I don't have any opinions, but do wonder if cast wheels are sufficiently reliable for continuous racing situations? I don't know the answer and thus ask the question, regardless of marketing words on/in an advertisement promoting the wheels.
While it is terrible that this happened, it appears that there was some verbage about track use in their original warranty information.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 46,295
Likes: 2,596
From: Northern, VA
St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
I'm very confident this is a situation where the jalopnik writer is unaware that the wheels are forged. I'm not sure if you're talking about this particular set of wheels when you ask your question, and I couldn't answer it anyway. I just wanted to make sure that everyone knows that the cor wheels are forged.
While it is terrible that this happened, it appears that there was some verbage about track use in their original warranty information.
While it is terrible that this happened, it appears that there was some verbage about track use in their original warranty information.
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 3,755
Likes: 190
From: Baton Rouge LA
St. Jude Donor '14, '16
I hadn't read much/anything about COR wheels and thus thought the set was cast aluminum. Going to the website, it appears they claim all their wheels are forged. I guess from what you've quoted above, they are no longer suitable for racing, track, competition conditions. In which case, revising marketing "talk" while selling them leaves an owner to wonder, and potential owners to shy away from the product.
I agree, shady practices don't make for good business. They've responded to the case saying that their lawyers won't allow them to say anymore about it. It seems like it would really be cheaper just to replace the wheel than to go through a legal process.
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 772
Likes: 4
From: Ottawa ON
Aluminum is susceptible to heat, it's possible the wheels were painted in the powder coating process, which is heated to about 200C. Also, at the track, you can get your brakes to glow red. http://www.blksmth.com/heat_colors.htm is a chart. let's say your disc brakes reach 650C, which is entirely possible and also when red starts to show on iron in day light, the heat that reaches the wheel could be well over 300-400C.
Maybe those wheels are not made to endure such temps, which would cause them to fail.
Most likely, manufacturing imperfections were the cause. Add heat to it and this is why they failed.
Maybe those wheels are not made to endure such temps, which would cause them to fail.
Most likely, manufacturing imperfections were the cause. Add heat to it and this is why they failed.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 2,690
Likes: 116
From: Richmond area Va
thats 2012 for you.. have to get a lawyer and take a guy to court to do the right thing vs. when people just did it.
obviously cor's warranty denial is full of b.s. they should take all 4 wheels on exchange for any other set or refund. i would agree that *resulting damages* to the vehicle could be argued... as this is the case with any normal aftermarket parts its probably just tough *******.
Very few aftermarket wheel companies actually DO stress analysis. if you are pushing it you'r best bet is to go with data such as DOT or SFI cert vs. hype.
I hope the dude gets something out of it besides the raw end. At the bare minimum he should be on the payroll for COR Research and Development that day!
obviously cor's warranty denial is full of b.s. they should take all 4 wheels on exchange for any other set or refund. i would agree that *resulting damages* to the vehicle could be argued... as this is the case with any normal aftermarket parts its probably just tough *******.
Very few aftermarket wheel companies actually DO stress analysis. if you are pushing it you'r best bet is to go with data such as DOT or SFI cert vs. hype.
I hope the dude gets something out of it besides the raw end. At the bare minimum he should be on the payroll for COR Research and Development that day!
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,582
Likes: 137
From: SoCal CA
Aluminum is susceptible to heat, it's possible the wheels were painted in the powder coating process, which is heated to about 200C. Also, at the track, you can get your brakes to glow red. http://www.blksmth.com/heat_colors.htm is a chart. let's say your disc brakes reach 650C, which is entirely possible and also when red starts to show on iron in day light, the heat that reaches the wheel could be well over 300-400C.
Maybe those wheels are not made to endure such temps, which would cause them to fail.
Most likely, manufacturing imperfections were the cause. Add heat to it and this is why they failed.
Maybe those wheels are not made to endure such temps, which would cause them to fail.
Most likely, manufacturing imperfections were the cause. Add heat to it and this is why they failed.
Racer
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 452
Likes: 2
From: Middleton Ma.
Have the other 3 wheels been inspected for stress cracks? You can have them F P I ed ( Fluorescent penetrant inspection ) any non visable cracks will show up under a black light. If they do show any signs of stress cracks, you got them by the nads. If not you got a bad cast on that wheel. COR should do all they can to keep there customer happy and avoid all this bad PR.