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Crappy subject for a first post, but here it is...
I bent 2 wheels on my '17 GS driving home from my 500 mile oil change. I started the day excited that I would finally be able to push the car after the oil/redline change, but instead it ended in huge dissapointment. Driving home on the interstate at around 65mph in Touring mode, I went over some rough/patched pavement that had a dip and a rise. No pothole or object, just irregular surface that really compressed the car. At the transition of the dip/rise, the car suspension bottomed and I felt a jolt. Not uncommon in New England to have this type of experience, you wince, but everything is usually OK. Well, the car instantly started vibrating and I knew something happened. I hoped it was just a wheel weight but of course, after a dealer inspection, two bent wheels.
This subject got me thinking that the general concensus of driving over normal/rough roads in Touring mode may be wrong. Think about the mechanics of what happened to me. During the dip, the car went through a portion of its suspension travel. When the transition from dip to rise occured, only a fraction of the travel was available to soak up the energy of the jolt. The suspension blew through the rest of the stroke and bottomed, transfering the force to the wheels/tires. If I were in Sport or Track, there would have been more resistance throughout the entire stroke and maybe, just maybe, saved the wheels.
I'm assuming that the suspension has to bottom out to generate enough force to bend a wheel. This may not be true. I know that suspension is trying to resist the forces put upon it and a large rapid force (like a pothole) gets resisted very quickly and harshly. Could it bend a wheel? Don't know. But if it can only happen after the suspension has used all its available travel and actually bottoms, then things seem much more simple. Using Sport or Track would give more resistance to bottoming and would better protect the car from damage... Thoughts?
From what I've read here, it's actually better to have the suspension in the "soft" setting to avoid damaged wheels.
Every time I've bent wheels, in other cars, it has been abrupt dips in the pavement. Like a pothole or sunken man hole covers. I would not think a dip would damage wheels unless you went through a pot hole at the same instance.
Last edited by Eff A Ford; 11-14-2017 at 12:19 PM.
I am fairly certain that you would have bent the wheels even with sport/track suspension. Also, driving around in sport/track mode on rough roads will definitely increase the chances of a bent wheel.
From what I've read here, it's actually better to have the suspension in the "soft" setting to avoid damaged wheels.
Every time I've bent wheels, in other cars, it has been abrupt dips in the pavement. Like a pothole or sunken man hole covers. I would not think a dip would damage wheels unless you went through a pot hole at the same instance.
It has been strongly recommended not to drive in Track Mode on the street as if hitting a big dip/pot hole the stiff shock can cause a wheel to bend.
Tadge just posted about that and for some Z06 and Grand Sport wheels that it does occur, if you hit an obstruction or hole. He defended (rightly or wrongly) that with many more wide tire cars on the road the number of Vettes hitting pot holes bending or breaking wheels naturally goes up.
He also said their statistics show the percent failures of wide body cars with that failure remained the same. You can read his post for the exact words. Makes sense to me as about half the 2017s sold were Grand Sports/Z06 versus the smaller percentage of Z06 in prior years. Many forum members responding to his post did not agree! But they did not have the data!
Problem is bent and cracked wheels are not covered under warranty unless insurance is purchased! Had hit a deep pot hole and hit the cars bump stop in my 2014 Z51 with Black OEM wheels. Thought for sure I bent or cracked a wheel. Turned out it was fine. I was lucky!
Driving the Grand Sport as Track rattles your teeth so I drive mostly in Touring!
If the OP was in Track Mode and the shock prevented it from hitting the bump stop would the wheel not have bent? Who knows?
It has been strongly recommended not to drive in Track Mode on the street as if hitting a big dip/pot hole the stiff shock can cause a wheel to bend.
Tadge just posted about that and for some Z06 and Grand Sport wheels that it does occur, if you hit an obstruction or hole. He defended (rightly or wrongly) that with many more wide tire cars on the road the number of Vettes hitting pot holes bending or breaking wheels naturally goes up.
He also said their statistics show the percent failures of wide body cars with that failure remained the same. You can read his post for the exact words. Makes sense to me as about half the 2017s sold were Grand Sports/Z06 versus the smaller percentage of Z06 in prior years. Many forum members responding to his post did not agree! But they did not have the data!
Problem is bent and cracked wheels are not covered under warranty unless insurance is purchased! Had hit a deep pot hole and hit the cars bump stop in my 2014 Z51 with Black OEM wheels. Thought for sure I bent or cracked a wheel. Turned out it was fine. I was lucky!
Driving the Grand Sport as Track rattles your teeth so I drive mostly in Touring!
If the OP was in Track Mode and the shock prevented it from hitting the bump stop would the wheel not have bent? Who knows?
The problem with their data is that it's probably very misleading. I'm guessing most people who bend a wheel aren't taking it into the dealer and getting a warranty claim. They're just buying new wheels.
Crappy subject for a first post, but here it is...
I bent 2 wheels on my '17 GS driving home from my 500 mile oil change. I started the day excited that I would finally be able to push the car after the oil/redline change, but instead it ended in huge dissapointment. Driving home on the interstate at around 65mph in Touring mode, I went over some rough/patched pavement that had a dip and a rise. No pothole or object, just irregular surface that really compressed the car. At the transition of the dip/rise, the car suspension bottomed and I felt a jolt. Not uncommon in New England to have this type of experience, you wince, but everything is usually OK. Well, the car instantly started vibrating and I knew something happened. I hoped it was just a wheel weight but of course, after a dealer inspection, two bent wheels.
This subject got me thinking that the general concensus of driving over normal/rough roads in Touring mode may be wrong. Think about the mechanics of what happened to me. During the dip, the car went through a portion of its suspension travel. When the transition from dip to rise occured, only a fraction of the travel was available to soak up the energy of the jolt. The suspension blew through the rest of the stroke and bottomed, transfering the force to the wheels/tires. If I were in Sport or Track, there would have been more resistance throughout the entire stroke and maybe, just maybe, saved the wheels.
I'm assuming that the suspension has to bottom out to generate enough force to bend a wheel. This may not be true. I know that suspension is trying to resist the forces put upon it and a large rapid force (like a pothole) gets resisted very quickly and harshly. Could it bend a wheel? Don't know. But if it can only happen after the suspension has used all its available travel and actually bottoms, then things seem much more simple. Using Sport or Track would give more resistance to bottoming and would better protect the car from damage... Thoughts?
Which GS wheel? If you were compressed and you felt the thump you hit something pretty good. The heavy sidewall of the runflat has no give and kicks he force right to wheel which has support only on 1 side.
Easy to see why.. But I still love the cups and have no issues but we have nice roads. Not having the harsh weather extreme's that it so hard on roads helps.
OK guys, I appreciate the comments and look forward to more. The car is completely stock and stock ride height.
The popular "internet" advice is to normally use Tour mode and that Sport/Track can increase your chances of damaging a wheel. I think my argument is pretty compelling against Tour mode unless you can bend or crack a wheel without bottoming the suspension in the stiffer drive modes (which Tadge dispels below).
JerryU, thanks for the reference to Tadge's comments. He says " I have heard from some people that there is a theory that running the car in sport or track can contribute to damaging a wheel. That is not true.". So if that's not true, you can't damage a wheel within the normal travel range of the suspension, no matter what drive mode you're in. Which means that the damage has to occur when the suspension bottoms or hits the stops. If that's the case, Sport or Track mode will allow the suspension to absorb more energy before you bottom out. Am I missing something?
^^^
Quoting myself: "If in Track Mode and the shock prevented it from hitting the bump stop would the wheel not have bent? Who knows?"
Under some circumstances that has to be better that hitting the bump stop! It no doubt also depends on the specific wheel. That answer is in a current "Ask Tadge" so worth while reading. Lots of comments saying the GM data isn't correct and they are covering up the problem. Perhaps. There are also some who apparently got new wheels, I recall one said out of "courtesy one time!"
My machined faced Grand Sport aluminum wheels look rugged but that means nothing!
Since we don't have much freezing and hardly ever any snow we have few pot holes. That is why when I made a turn I was surprised to hit a big hole. No doubt I hit a bump stop and that was with my non mag shock Z51. In fact I validated that the hole was relatively new with the place I was visiting. They said they had called the city. My plan was, if I had a bent wheel, to call the city. Takes a while but if the the city was made aware of a road problem (or even if not with a road in town) they will pay (reluctantly) for the damage. At least some have been successful after a time getting a repair bill paid.
With my last car, I went over a full-width construction ditch that was about 3" deep and abrupt. When I stopped the car two of the tires had bubbles and two wheels were cracked. I had a witness in the car who ironically is a law professor, and he was willing to back me up, but the city of San Francisco gave me a big "F*ck you* and wouldn't pay a dime. That is the difference between where I live and where you live.
OK guys, I appreciate the comments and look forward to more. The car is completely stock and stock ride height.
The popular "internet" advice is to normally use Tour mode and that Sport/Track can increase your chances of damaging a wheel. I think my argument is pretty compelling against Tour mode unless you can bend or crack a wheel without bottoming the suspension in the stiffer drive modes (which Tadge dispels below).
JerryU, thanks for the reference to Tadge's comments. He says " I have heard from some people that there is a theory that running the car in sport or track can contribute to damaging a wheel. That is not true.". So if that's not true, you can't damage a wheel within the normal travel range of the suspension, no matter what drive mode you're in. Which means that the damage has to occur when the suspension bottoms or hits the stops. If that's the case, Sport or Track mode will allow the suspension to absorb more energy before you bottom out. Am I missing something?
i've had my 2016 Z-51 Stingray for 18 months and 10k miles. Always drive in sport mode, have hit many bumps and small holes and no problems (yeah I bet I just jinxed myself). I think the Stingray wheels are forged. Are GS wheels cast?
Crappy subject for a first post, but here it is...
"I bent 2 wheels on my '17 GS driving home from my 500 mile"
Just a question to increase available information; Have you lowered the car from stock ride height?
He's got 500 miles on the car. Just broken in and you ask if he lowered it already.
Getting tire and wheel insurance on these cars should be a no-brainer.
i've had my 2016 Z-51 Stingray for 18 months and 10k miles. Always drive in sport mode, have hit many bumps and small holes and no problems (yeah I bet I just jinxed myself). I think the Stingray wheels are forged. Are GS wheels cast?
Pretty sure Stingray wheels are cast. Bent/cracked wheels seem to be reported on a recurring basis on C7s but I see similar reports on other auto forums I frequent.
Z51 Rims are Forged, a lot stronger, than base wheels.
The thing to keep in mind is AIR PRESSURE, keep it up as that helps.
Seriously, these 30 series tires, even runflats are too low a profile for driving on rough roads.
The problem with their data is that it's probably very misleading. I'm guessing most people who bend a wheel aren't taking it into the dealer and getting a warranty claim. They're just buying new wheels.
The data IS very misleading. When taking the car into the dealer for diagnosis, the dealer says it happens and is not a warranty issue and won't log it into the system.
I know 2 people this has happened to, so there are 2 data points that haven't been logged into the results Tadge sees.
FYI - As an aside, if the "hit" was severe enough to bend the rims, I would have an alignment done to make sure it's still within specs AND none of the suspension pieces are bend/damaged.
Z51 Rims are Forged, a lot stronger, than base wheels.
The thing to keep in mind is AIR PRESSURE, keep it up as that helps.
Seriously, these 30 series tires, even runflats are too low a profile for driving on rough roads.
That's what I thought. Base Stingray wheels are cast i think
Last edited by Italianfox; 11-14-2017 at 07:43 PM.
Z51 Rims are Forged, a lot stronger, than base wheels.
The thing to keep in mind is AIR PRESSURE, keep it up as that helps.
Seriously, these 30 series tires, even runflats are too low a profile for driving on rough roads.
Bingo. People tend to run lower PSI to get a better ride and traction. But yet more and more car these days come with low profile tires.
something not right here, Tadge should certainly be aware of the SAE Standard for curb impact resistance...in plain language, wheels MUST be designed to withstand the SAE requirement, if for no other reason than to avoid government interference in the design process.
The toughness of the wheel will be determined by a few things;
...1) the shape of the wheel lip (which is pretty much standard for most wheels to accommodate tire installation and leak prevention, but is stronger for runflat tires)
...2) the material which is either steel or aluminum
...3)the section thickness of the wheel...with aluminum, the alloy and the type of processing (cast, forged, etc) greatly affect the strength, not to mention any defects such as porosity in a casting.
My whole point is, OEM wheels seem to be increasingly 'weaker' now for some reason,and may not meet the SAE requirements or the safety margin established years ago in the industry.Probably this is all related to a) squeezing out that last ounce of prevention (weight reduction) and b) 'skinny spoke' designs that risk structural failure due to lack of robustness.
At the same time, this has now created a wonderful cash cow for dealers...the wheel protection policy at typically exorbitant cost to car owners.....
11-14-2017, 10:50 AM
Bent wheels and driver modes...
It has been strongly recommended not to drive in Track Mode on the street as if hitting a big dip/pot hole the stiff shock can cause a wheel to bend.
