Kevin A Jones

Joe, I'm curious, during your round trip to Vegas when and how did you realize both wheels had been cracked? Were both cracked during the same incident (pothole/bump etc). Or was there no particular incident at all and at some point did you just start to notice a vibration or shimmy then realizing wheels had cracked?

Curious, because I have a 2017 Grandsport and have never cracked a wheel so wondering what to look for or perhaps expect at some point?

Thunder22

just a few

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...n-lawsuit.html

(search is your friend, it's a well known issue)

Thunder22

btw- I've owned a '15 Z51, '17 GS and now a '19 Z06, and not 1 wheel problem. And all 3 were/are driven in the NY/NJ area where the pot holes are measured with yard sticks.

(I'm not saying the problem doesn't exist, as clearly people are having problems, just saying it's not on every car)

Kevin A Jones

I agree and is the source of my confusion. AGAIN, AS I STATED IN ANOTHER THREAD, I'M NOT SAYING THERE ISN'T A PROBLEM AS YOU DON'T NEED TO BE AN ENGINEER TO CONCLUDE AT A GLANCE THAT THE DESIGN OF THESE WHEELS ALONG WITH THE RUN-FLAT TIRES MAKE THEM VERY PRONE TO DAMAGE. HP WHEELS OF THIS DESIGN NEED TO BE AND SHOULD BE FORGED.

What I am saying is there's thousands upon thousands of GS/Z06 owners out there who haven't had a bent/cracked wheel. And seems from post on this forum that those who have and are experiencing bent/cracked wheels have had multiple issues, some having cracked/bent 7 or 8 wheels. I've run over minor potholes and and hit an area where I-295 transitions from highway to bridge at around 85mph and thought "what the hell have I done" yet to my surprise didn't damage any wheels.

The good news is that seems this issue is finally going to be properly investigated as a result of the lawsuit and safety concerns and outcome is going to be very interesting and welcomed. Kind of reminds me of the Toyota Tacoma frame rust out recall/settlement of years ago.

Thunder22

My last reply wasn't directed at you, it was to the OP, sorry for the confusion.

That being said, I agree with you, it's very odd that it's a relatively small sample size compared to the owner base. I said this earlier as well - I drive in NY/NJ where the potholes are measured with a yard-stick and I've accidentally hit a couple where I thought "ugh, that's going to break something" as the BANG was bone rattling, and yet, nothing, no damage.

One thing to note - I had machine faced wheels on the '15 Z51 and the '17 GS, not sure if that's a factor.

I've also asked repeatedly on here if the issues are with a specific model wheel, maybe we should start a poll to see?

50th year

4 bent wheels for me.

bsterling9

I would be curious to know if the majority of bent/cracked wheel complaints come from the midwest and northeast due to the potholes. I am not hearing any of these issues here in SC, albeit our roads here are far from perfect. Regardless, GM better step up and take care of this. They have already alienated a bunch of folks on the issues of the A8 transmission.

B-Vette

Knock on wood but no issues on my 2016 Z51, (yet). I'm curious how many owners have given up on the GM rims altogether and switched to aftermarket?

Vette Ski

Both fronts or 1 bent?
Rich

Fredtoo

Porsche puts 20inch wheels on the 911s, and they do not have the same issues.
They do not use run flats, but give you a repair kit
It does not seem that they have the same issues.

I don't think that forged is the answer as much as Stronger is the answer.


And the migration to low profile tires for the aesthetics is a decision that should be re-evaluated.

Zjoe6

The best solution is to beat them down to fund a set of new forged rims. Putting new OEM ones on that might bend as well is not fixing the root cause. Just to note I had 4000 miles on my 2019 GS and drove all the way from MacMulkin to Milwaukee with no bent or cracked wheel issues (1100 miles). I even hit one of those pavement heaves that went all the way across the lane in Chicago. That was a hard hit. But it did not bend or crack my rims. So as real as it is I'm perplexed why some don't have problems even after hitting a major rise and sharp edge in pavement at 80 mph?

joemessman

Good question. I started to feel a slight rhythmic bumping. It was very little. At first I just thought that it was just the pavement on the road. I then entered an area of new surfaced pavement and still felt it. The next morning when I turned the car on I checked the tire pressure within the driver information center (I'm OCD about tire pressure and this a normal procedure for me every day) I noticed two tires were down to 26 and 27 PSI. They were 30 all around when we left on the trip the day before. When I got back to Havasu I went down to discount tires and they dismounted the tires. Sure enough there were cracks in the two wheels with the pressure on the downside. I had been driving the car regularly for about week before we left without issue. It must have occurred on the way up to Vegas. They are just normal roads without any irregularities that should have cracked a rim. Normal bumps in the road here and there. Like I stated in my original post I have made that trip a number of times with my Stingray. And with the Stingray I maintain the tire pressure at 35 psi.

Kevin A Jones

Thank you as that helps. I hadn't even thought of 'air pressure lost' being a good indicator, however it certainly can be.

DALE#3

Good idea.What would be even better is nationwide.We read it here,But what is the overall odds of failing a rim.
Sucks not being able to trust your rims on a trip.It's real Bull ****!
Would like to attend a GTLM Race.Park in the Corral.Maybe take a couple laps...
What about the 3 plus hour ride home in the dark.Hit one hole,The party's over.
Never been to Carsile Pa..All Corvettes.Will i break a rim?
Souldn't have to think like this after spending 75k

Kevin A Jones

Experience Carsile, even if you don't drive your C7. It's Corvette Paradise. I enjoy your posts, would love to buy you a beer.

DALE#3

Thanks Pal Maybe my son can bring the extra wheels and follow me down in the truck
I'll be Praying that my Rims make it back to:

Vette Ski

You know, its a damn shame we have to worry about these kind of things happening when you spend that much money for a car. I AM almost afraid to go on a road trip now !! You would think G.M would have tested these rims and tires prior to putting them on a production car. It all probably came down to production cost savings buying them from Mexico !!
Rich

Bill Dearborn

12K miles on my 15Z with several track days on the stock wheels (hitting the rumble strips) and no bent wheels. The Charlotte area doesn't have a lot of pot holes but there are some and some of those can't be avoided. However, the wheels are fine and going strong.

Bill

JK 23112

Am I correct to assume that the "bent rim" problems seem to be happening only with the larger wheels on the Z06 and Grand Sport Corvettes? I don't see to many people with the non-Z51 Stingray cars (such as mine) mentioning anything about the issue. Oddly, I did purchase the "wheel/tire warranty" when I bought the car new - since I have read comments about other Corvettes having that problem. Of course, not knowing that much about the different trim levels & packages at the time, it seemed like a no-brainer to spend the extra money.

The farthest I have gone from home is about three hours - last fall - and now I am really hesitant to take a long trip somewhere. Yikes! Even with a Stingray, I suppose there is still a chance that it could happen with my car.

Thunder22

I think people are over reacting to this now. Do you worry about the transmission falling out? Engine exploding? Steering wheel falling off?

Just drive the car.