Has anyone come across problems with slow tire pressure leakage from a bent or cracked rim on their Z06 or GS? I’ve recently come across a number of online article from different corvette forums indicating that there may be a systemic problem with the design of the rim used by the Z06 & GS models. There is also a 2018 Car & Driver 40K long term test review of the GS which reported three of its tires suffered bent rims just under 6,500 miles while at some point later on during the test trial all four wheels were found to be damaged. Obviously, this is some what alarming.

I also read that a class action lawsuit was filed over the summer claiming that GM is violating it’s three year bumper to bumper warranty by not replacing the damaged rims under its warranty. The article that I read indicated that GM position is that the rims are not defective as they were damaged by road hazards which are excluded from the warranty.

Why do I ask? Well I noticed yesterday that my rear wheel was four pounds under inflated compared to the other three. Probably nothing.. only that I checked the tire pressure a week before and they were all OK. Why would I loose four pounds on just one tire in a matter of days?

I’ll keep an eye on this tire, most probably a nail or screw puncture that is causing a very slow leak. There’s been plenty of road construction in my general area over the course of the past six months. One of my friends had a streak of bad luck with three flats in one month on the same car.

Needless to day, being somewhat OCD, I’m going to pull the tire off and have a look for myself for a nail, screw or something worse.

 

At only 1,500 miles on my 2019 Z06 I started having the same slow leak problems on my right rear tire that you're having. My dealership finally identified the leak was coming from the wheel last week. Getting a replacement fully paid for by the wheel/tire protection plan I purchased. I have only driven in tour mode and have never hit a serious pot hole since I bought the car brand new. The cast wheels on these cars are total crap.

 

Yes.... it is a very well known issue on this forum with the wider wheels on the GS and Z06... here are a few of the recent threads:
One thread
Another thread
And another
Big thread with a long list of affected cars


GM is denying that there is an issue with the wheels and will not cover the damage under the B2B warranty. It seems to be hit or miss with people who bought a specific wheel/tire warranty... even if they agree to replace the wheel, they are on back order and when eventually replaced will just be replaced with another weak OEM wheel. The only real solution seems to be buying aftermarket forged wheels.

 

A not uncommon issue with these wheels, as noted. A quick look at the first page of posts here (no "search" needed) usually has at least two or three threads devoted to wheel problems.

 

As mentioned, the GS and Z06 wheels have had problems with cracks/bending. There are plenty of threads here about that issue.

 

Any one who has a cracked or OEM wheel on their C7 and purchases another OEM wheel..is only fooling themselves and wasting their time and money...spend the $$ and purchase a quality set mono forged wheels...and be done with the worry and inconvenience you will experience while owning one the best Vettes GM has ever mfg'd...minus the screwing GM gave it's customers with its' refusal to warranty / stand behind faulty wheels!

 

Well, the culprit turned out to be a tiny piece of metal road debris that sliced into the tread leaving a very small hole for air to escape. Fortunately, I did not find any structural damage to the rim. The source of the pressure loss was solely the puncture itself.

Now, I did run into some complications in attempting to get the tire patched. I took the tire/rim to three different national tire chain store brands here in South Florida. One told me that the tire was too large for their equipment to handle and the other two refused to patch the tire claiming that it was against their corporate policies since the puncture was not directly in the middle of the tread area. Something about insurance liability. One of them, off the record, simply recommend that I plug-it my self with a do-it-yourself kit. So right or wrong, that's what I did. For now the plug is holding up.. I guess I'll know in a few days whether this will actually work long term. Not sure why I'm skeptical. Thinking of ordering a replacement tire from TireRack just to have on standby.

I did notice a lot of scaring in the tread area from small pebbles and pieces of glass. A bit excessive in my opinion for a car that only has 3,800 miles on it. These Michelin Sports appear to have very soft rubber compound. Somehow I don’t think I’m going to drive 20K on these tires. Has anyone upgraded their tires to something better?

 

High performance, summer only tires such as those that are standard on the GS have very soft tread by design... such is the nature of super grippy tires. Another characteristic is that every little pebble on the road is picked up by the soft tread compound and may leave indentations (usually temporary) in the tread. These indentations (or scarring as you referred to it) are not harming anything. Obviously this type of tire will wear faster than all season tires. The Michelin Pilot Sport AS3+ is a popular choice for those who don’t mind sacrificing ultimate grip for a longer wearing tire that handles cold temperatures better. This may be a good opportunity to go ahead and purchase a set of forged wheels with the all season tires already mounted and put the OEM wheels and tires to the side as backups or to sell them to recoup some cost of the aftermarket wheels.

 

Thank you for the advice.
cmf

 

You should spend more time here and simply Read.Not being sarcastic.Just to simply learn your car would be very helpful in many ways.

 

I meant no sarcasm, simply thanking someone for their
advice. My thanks was sincere.

 

No sarcasm taken.