Hi,
I did a lot of reading through this forum and I know some of you have lifetime experience with multiple generations of corvettes, as well as hundreds of thousands of miles driven across United States, so I am really curious about your thoughts on this issue.

I'm a first time Corvette owner, got C7 GS Z07 last year, always wanted a Corvette and I really don't like the idea of getting rid of it.
I made around 33k miles around USA last year (most of it no issue, lost 4 wheels between TN->MA->IL->CO). I moved into Nashville early this year.
I did 800 miles here and I lost all 4 wheels (warped or cracked). I felt into some craters on i-40 multiple times that I couldn't avoid without causing an accident.
Seriously condition of i40 in some places is criminal prosecution level, or state without suitable drive-able connecting roads.
Pretty much hitting some random pothole every single day. They pop out of nowhere on roads that day before didn't have them. I can't even get back home from any direction as there are daily constructions that dig out something in ground and they leave very sloppy road rebuild or elevated metal coverup plates. I pretty much drive under the speed limit anywhere I go now.
I don't think this is a corvette life I wanted.

Options I looked at to change it around
1. submit claims to State Transportation department - 99% (this is real number) claims are rejected, pothole needs to be reported and give them time to fix (the ones I hit were patched the day after). These roads are old and prone to opening up anytime. TN would need to rebuild them. 2021 they've got gov funding for interstate rebuilds (that will take decades if they start). I have yet to see one serious construction anywhere. dead end.
2. submit claims to insurance company - this is minus 500$ deductable, they put it as collision of my fault, lands on carfax and increases monthly rates - dead end.
3. c7 gs wheels are known to be weak, I could get more expensive forged wheels - I am hesitant here as some of i40 potholes are 2-3inches deep, being a regular now at Discount Tire I see many better cushioned wheels completely wrecked by road conditions - may or may not be waste of money
4. don't drive corvette in and after winter time (wait for road fixes) - last year I did 5000 miles here in april, it wasn't that bad
5. move out of TN - just moved here - tones of other states have pothole issues (IL, MA, WA), or annoyingly uneven nose-dive roads (CO), but a some states have a lot of great roads (WY, CA - woodland hills and all sorts of mountain roads, highways are not bad either), never had issues in FL, hit one giant pothole on i285 in GA over 6 years (with a normal car wheel)
6. drive through back roads - most of them in rich neighborhoods are in pretty good condition - but it would take me 2x longer to get anywhere
7. get a 2nd car and use corvette only on weekends, slowly driving out of city onto roads not used by heavy cargo trucks
8. sell corvette and buy jeep wrangler - I thought of getting rid of it once, but then I got to Wyoming and California with amazing driving roads, endless space, curves, tilts, perfect surface - corvette dream lands - so it is really not the car's fault

I am curious if anybody's been here with similar thoughts or experiences.

 

Don't get owners that keep purchasing GM puppy **** wheels and keep purchasing the same **** and wonder why they keep breaking.
Get monoblock forged wheels and pay attention.Or get monoblock forged wheels and slow down.
You have a car with low sidewall tires with a stiff sidewall.That sidewall will let you drive with no air.GM Puppy **** alloy can't take even heavy cornering without literally bending.Odds are better with a forged.Not indestructible nothing is.
Many threads on this a known problem.
This is the man on wheels.They aren't cheap,good isn't.Your car will even look better.Many colors and styles.Enjoy your car
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...n-the-usa.html

 

Well I think everyone has a special place in their heart for various road agencies.
I live in Texas and believe txdot is a large group of stupid lazy good for nothing people. There are so many examples of **** poor planing, design, and construction as well as zero maintenance
i45 which has been designated as the most dangerous highway in America and near us has been under construction for over 5 years and looks like another 5 years to go?
in a 3 week period of time my windshield was destroyed in my brand new mustang and my pu. By rocks from the construction.
txdot uses lane markers on construction areas that are ceramic discs glued in place. When you drive over them they literally shack the **** out of the car.
txdot has figured out how to end up with pavement which after about a year looks like crap is uneven and needs overlays.
I doubt you will have any success with seeing the city, county or state
get better wheels or wheel insurance or get an everyday driver?
I am blessed with a pu, mustang and corvette so have choices
I bought aftermarket wheels for my gs and mustang
but it pisses my off every time I have to drive on i45 and deal with stupidity

 

The majority of potholes around Nashville seemingly have been fixed. They repaved entire sections of I-40 instead of just filling holes. Overall, I thnk they did the best they could given the circumstances. Tennessee roiads for the most part are pretty good IMO.

TDOT will NOT reimburse you for pothole damage "that they have not had ample opportunity to fix" or some such language. I did file a claim several years back on my 17 GS for two bent wheels and was reimbursed the $200 it cost to fix them at Hubcap Heaven on Murfreesboro Road. The section I hit had been in disrepair for a long time, and was repaved shortly after my claim was paid. One of those wheels cracked two years later and i replaced all 4 with aftermarket CRAY wheels, of which I have two sets for A/S tires and Pilot SS tires for spring and summer.

I did not drive my Corvette on the interstates until they were repaired. I stayed on surface streets, or drove one of our other cars.

 

Oklahoma roads are no prize either, potholes seem to appear quite often. I try and avoid as much as possible but occasionally hit them. That said, i have yet to bend or crack a wheel *knock on wood*

I think i would go with Option # 6 and # 7, let the vette be your toy and not a daily driver, as long as you enjoy that. If that does not work out, then maybe Option # 5 or # 8

 

CW4L.....Absolutely the first place you should call. Gerry will take care of you. Forgelines are top notch wheels. I have referred many people in their direction.

 

I don't know if you have room behind the wheels around the calipers or not. But, you have large wheels with short side wall tires. You might consider buying some stronger wheels in one size smaller. The taller side wall (18 front, 19 rear) will give you more room for the tire to absorb the impact. You may have slightly diminished handling, but you will get a more compliant ride quality. And the bonus is that they will all cost less than 19/20 inch wheels and tires.

 

I concur. Some of the best customer service out there. Very happy with my monoblock Forgelines on my Z06.

 

^^^ this
and honestly you don't need to pay big monies for forged if $$ is an issue. A quality rotary forged from any of the vendors on here is plenty strong. The OE wheels are unfortunately just weak.

 

The C7 wide body wheels have a history of problems as reported on the forum. Maybe best to find a quality aftermarket wheel (forged) that won't break your budget and switch to them. Trying to sue the state DOT over the potholes is usually a losing proposition.

 

It’s an absolute shame how bad our roads are in this country. I’m in Ohio and pay a lot of taxes. Roads are worse than ever been.when they are fixed or replaced they are done halfass with nobody to inspect the quality of the work the tax payers are paying for. One big scam and we’re getting screwed.

 

If I ever run for office I'll run as Independent on the platform "Fix the dam roads!"
that is all

 

You have my vote as long as you pass a law requiring all non-consecutive sections of roads to have unique names

 

In order to avoid any wheel problems I purchased tire and wheel insurance with the car. 20k miles and no problems so far. I assume that if I let the insurance lapse all 4 wheels will be bent within a week. I gave up going anywhere near Memphis, particularly I-40 on the NE side.

 

I also agree to call Gerry from CW4L. I purchase VX1 Forgelines wheels from him and was an awesome experience. He knows his stuff and is very helpful. Good luck with your decision.

 

Forged monoblock wheels and Option #6, just wake up earlier and enjoy the view

 

Stop tickling your pickle and move to forged rims once and for all. Why keep replacing garbage with garbage and expect different results? As for potholes, I'm not minimizing your situation, but I'm from the pothole capital of the world. Haven't seen a pothole in the rest of the country that compares to the potholes in the shithole state I call home. The moron the rest of my state's morons elected 4 years ago literally ran on "fix the damn roads". Here we are, almost 4 years later, and it's going swimmingly.

 

I've had tires ruined by potholes on much higher profile tires on other vehicles. I'd suggest you get something else to drive (like a truck) when you knowingly need to take known problematic routes. Yes, even the best of anything (e.g. fully-forged wheels) can be destroyed if abused badly enough. Sad but true.

 

But where afraid to ask
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...el-lesson.html

 

I think that GM can put good wheels on a Corvette...the C6 ZO6/ZR1 had the same 285/30/19 & 335/25/20 tire/wheel size as the C7 wide body cars with little to no problems