Class action lawsuit for cracked / bent wheels.

[Bruce Marshall]

For those of us who have had cracked wheels and no support from GM.

Corvette Owner Sues General Motors Over Allegedly Defective Wheels

Another class-action lawsuit over the seventh-generation Chevrolet Corvette made it to federal court, but this one isn’t about its performance on track. It’s, instead, over something that can affect owners anywhere—certain C7 rims, the lawsuit claims, are prone to cracking and bending at...

jalopnik.com

 

[Rruuff Day]

Be interesting to know if the performance driving schools have the same problem... That would be the tale of the tape so to speak as those cars get DRIVEN hard and lots.... If a school like Spring Mountain isn't having problems, maybe road conditions, speed bumps, railroad tracks, hill climbing etc. may have something to do with it. JMO

 

[Bruce Marshall]

Racetracks generally don't have potholes, railroad tracks, road debris ect.
Properly engineered wheels should be structurally designed and fabricated for 'normal' road conditions one would think.
My wheels were diagnosed as bent at 18k and then one cracked at 22k. All driven on normal highways and not in track mode.
This is not a singular problem.

 

[Keith Tedford]

When they have problems like this and tires that don't like the cold, then they are probably getting a little too Mr. Racecar for the street. Roads do have pot holes, railroad tracks and various other problems. They get very hot and very cold too. Whose mentality GM is catering to is a mystery to me. If a person is going to track their car, I would think they would have tires and rims specifically for that time. There was a time when stock cars were running the old Corvette rally wheels and were taking the centres out of them on the track, yet they were fine for the street. It is more about common sense than anything else.

 

[Rruuff Day]

Racetracks generally don't have potholes, railroad tracks, road debris ect.
Properly engineered wheels should be structurally designed and fabricated for 'normal' road conditions one would think.
My wheels were diagnosed as bent at 18k and then one cracked at 22k. All driven on normal highways and not in track mode.
This is not a singular problem.

Yes. I am aware there are few railroads, speed bumps, potholes and whatever on race tracks. My point was is this a problem with the wheels or a combination of the 'oops, that was a nasty pothole... or $hit... I hit those tracks too fast'...whatever..... Those low profile tires don't give much cushion room between the pavement and the rim... And as Keith noted, cold temperatures turn that PSS or cup2 rubber hard as concrete as well... Just sayin...

 

[ddgermann]

Didn’t we just have a thread on this a few days ago?
Lightweight performance parts come with a trade off for ruggedness. Corvettes have plenty this incorporated.
It is possible there is a physical flaw in some of the wheels produced however the engineering that goes into the structural design vs appearance is significant.
Definitely it sucks to have all 4 bent / cracked wheels which makes me think perhaps a bad casting.

 

[Movie Muscle]

Was going to post a thread regarding bent wheels. The C7 wheels bend like no tomorrow. If you go to a shop with a good tire machine you might be shocked to see what it spits back for run out numbers. I have personally witnessed 6 in the last month!!! This is not from curbing or accident cars but low mile wheels! The culprit is partially our bumpy roads and stiff/low sidewall run flats. The other being the offset and lack of support for such a wide wheel. You will not see it with the naked eye but it's there on many. You won't see the damage with your eyes either. However watch them as they spin and you will see it. Check attached videos of wheels that looked perfect.

 

[Movie Muscle]

Site keeps telling me wrong file extension, can't attach.

 

[Rruuff Day]

Site keeps telling me wrong file extension, can't attach.

Try attaching a link instead of attaching a file. Youtube/Vimeo etc.

 

[G-ForceJunkie]

As far as I know, GM didn't even change the wheels for the later model years, which might make their legal case stronger, but is inexcusable from a customer perspective. I hit a pothole in my Z51 last year, about 1000km from home, that had me thinking I was darn glad I didn't have a Grand Sport.

 

[Movie Muscle]

I was thinking that. I’ll upload later tonight or tomorrow.

 

[Bruce Marshall]

Hey guys... we need to stop supporting the idea that short hard tires, large rims, potholes etc are the problem.
The underlying issue is the poor engineering specifications the wheels were constructed to or the cheap manufacturing processes chosen to save money.
We can only thank the powers that be that GM's engineers dont build bridges.

 

[Movie Muscle]

Sorry , some clarity. GM manufactured wheels that are not up to the stresses imparted on them by the type of tire the car is designed to run, as well as the real world conditions they are required to operate in. I am even suspect of them holding up under extreme track use in the hands of above average track rats. However I have not personally seen this yet so it is speculation at this point. However with a hot tire and elite driver pushing the car to its grip limits it maybe possible.