OEM wheels pitting
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 432
Likes: 26
From: Trapped near the inter circle of fault OHIO
St. Jude Donor '13-'14-'15-'16
OEM wheels pitting
Is anyone experiencing problems with their OEM wheels? If so, please share your solutions.
Thanks,
Jim
Thanks,
Jim
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 2,244
Likes: 122
From: st paul minnesota
Mine have some of that as well with 3,600 miles and none of them on dirt/gravel roads. What you're seeing is paint chipping along with some deterioration in the paint from the brake dust. My C6 polished wheels did the same. The C7 are worse as it seems to allow more rocks, etc. to get kicked up and through the wheels. Some of the cars with black wheels look like they have been sandblasted and the chromes take a beating as well.
Administrator
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 368,385
Likes: 24,790
From: In a parallel universe. Currently own 2014 Stingray Coupe.
C7 of the Year - Modified Finalist 2021
MO Events Coordinator
St. Jude Co-Organizer
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
NCM Sinkhole Donor
CI 5, 8 & 11 Veteran
Not good that the wheels chip or get damaged from brake dust that easily.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,021
Likes: 260
From: Sturgeon County Alberta
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 7,146
Likes: 1,940
From: Hagerstown MD
St. Jude Donor '15-'16,'18
The overall quality of OEM wheels is questionable at best. That said, some of the aftermarket wheels are not a lot better. I would be interested to hear from folks who have aftermarket wheels and especially those that drive their cars in all types of weather.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,847
Likes: 795
From: Longview Texas
That is not a warranty item. It is normal wear if you drive on roads where small rocks can kick up and get collected by the spokes of the wheels.
I don't think brake dust has much to do with it...
Notice that the dings are on the leading edge of the spoke, and not so bad on the spokes that have a smaller gap for rocks to get in?
I don't think brake dust has much to do with it...
Notice that the dings are on the leading edge of the spoke, and not so bad on the spokes that have a smaller gap for rocks to get in?
Last edited by TEXHAWK0; May 24, 2015 at 10:48 AM.
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 3,543
Likes: 854
I have the OEM GM Chrome Z51 5 Multi-spoke wheels on my C7 without any issues.
I have aftermarket wheels on my 2014 Porsche Cayman 981.
I have aftermarket wheels on my 2009 Jaguar XKR.
I have not had any issues with any of these wheels with pitting problems.
Once I got the C7 and once I received the aftermarket wheels, I coated all wheels with a nano ceramic wheel coating, coating each wheel twice.
Brake dust is minimal at best and there is no evidence of any pitting on the wheel surface.
Coating the wheels with a wheel coating will help if not eliminate these problems. The cost to coat the wheel is extremely minimal in cost, and I would highly suggest doing so.
There are several nano ceramic wheel coating products available in the marketplace.
Feel free to "google" nano ceramic coatings for automobiles to inform yourself on the positive aspects of using these types of products not only on automotive wheels but also on automotive paint surfaces.
I have aftermarket wheels on my 2014 Porsche Cayman 981.
I have aftermarket wheels on my 2009 Jaguar XKR.
I have not had any issues with any of these wheels with pitting problems.
Once I got the C7 and once I received the aftermarket wheels, I coated all wheels with a nano ceramic wheel coating, coating each wheel twice.
Brake dust is minimal at best and there is no evidence of any pitting on the wheel surface.
Coating the wheels with a wheel coating will help if not eliminate these problems. The cost to coat the wheel is extremely minimal in cost, and I would highly suggest doing so.
There are several nano ceramic wheel coating products available in the marketplace.
Feel free to "google" nano ceramic coatings for automobiles to inform yourself on the positive aspects of using these types of products not only on automotive wheels but also on automotive paint surfaces.
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 4,788
Likes: 683
From: Austin Texas
St. Jude Donor '15
5800 miles on my black stock wheels and there is no evidence of chipping or any other sign of wear. I am guessing that this is more of a problem on the Z51 equipped cars, I have seen several and they all are showing this on the wheels.
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,711
Likes: 90
From: Hillsdale NJ
That is not a warranty item. It is normal wear if you drive on roads where small rocks can kick up and get collected by the spokes of the wheels.
I don't think brake dust has much to do with it...
Notice that the dings are on the leading edge of the spoke, and not so bad on the spokes that have a smaller gap for rocks to get in?
I don't think brake dust has much to do with it...
Notice that the dings are on the leading edge of the spoke, and not so bad on the spokes that have a smaller gap for rocks to get in?
Race Director
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 10,742
Likes: 629
From: Manheim Pennsylvania
Not normal stone chipping. At 3,000 miles I have one stone chip and it doesn't look anything like that. (Base car, standard silver wheels).
Last edited by Larry/car; May 24, 2015 at 04:05 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,847
Likes: 795
From: Longview Texas
So, why is the pitting only on the spokes?.. Most of the brake dust goes directly to the inside barrel of the wheel and is more evenly distributed, not in specs.
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,711
Likes: 90
From: Hillsdale NJ
If this becomes a big enough issue, GM will have to do the analysis to see what's really causing the problem.