Hey all--
Okay, so I was on my way home, turning onto a major road. I give it a little gas, but not too much (or so I thought). The @$$-end slides out, and I am about 90* to the road. I begin to correct it when I hit the curb at about 15-20 mph. I get the car home with ease, nothing leaking. I jump out (obsenity-laided speach here), and it doesn't look so bad. No fiberglass damage at all (surprising for how low the car sits), but both driver's side wheels are bent. The tires are holding air, but both are gouged. On closer inspection, the bumper is slightly shifted, and the parking light is caved in (not broken). I also noticed some paint chips that I don't recall being there before. It appears that the damage will be significantly over my $500 deductible. The wheels alone are about $400-500 each. How should I pursure this from here? How will this adversely affect the value of my car? I was planning on having it repainted (factory color), but the insurance company probably will not be able to match the paint without doing the entire bumper. What do you guys think?
PS-- Needless to say, this car is now off the market at least until I can get this sorted out. I will hopefully end up keeping it now anyway. Thanks again.
__________________ Bryan Corbitt
1978 LT1 SA--- SOLD 1991 Quasar Blue ZR1 ---Also sold
DRM 368 4.09 Gears
DRM Coilovers Hurst Shift Knob
Wilwood Stoppers GM 5 Stars
Rollbar Hurst Short Throw
Was the road wet? and did you have the anti-spin on? --Randy
No, the road was not wet, and it appeared fine to me. Like I said, I must have done something wrong, but I have never had the car slide out on me like that. Just a quick note: earlier this weekI had a valve stem replaced because of a slow leak. When I picked it up, they told me that they found the leak, fixed it for free. They also aired up my tires to 34 (or was it 36 psi). I thought nothing of it at the time. Is this too much tire pressure? Could that have made the tires less "grippy"? I am not placing blame on anyone but myself, but I would like to understand a little better. I will take some pics tomorrow for a better evaluation.
Xlr8--
I thought about the wheel repair, but the tires are gashed pretty bad on the sidewall. I can replace the tires, but I would need to replace all 4 as they no longer make the Pirelli in the sizes I would need. What worries me more is the bumper. I suppose that will be the true "make or break" in deciding whether or not to have my rates go up. If insurance will pay for new wheels, I might just go with a CCW package or something. I guess it's time to go to school to learn how to drive (or maybe respect) the car a little more.
I just got off the phone with a couple of different body shops. They seem to think repaired wheels are not a great idea on cars that can easily surpass the 100 mph mark. It was odd hearing this from two different shops, but I guess it does make some sense. The second guy went into greater detail about why he did not think too much of the process and even stated he attended a seminar on the process within the past year. Any thoughts? If the wheels can be reliably repaired, then I am all for it. If not, I definitely do not want to risk it!
Well its your life and if you drive over 100MPH regularly then I suggest you do 1 of 2 things.
1. Drive Slower
2. Get New Rims & Tires and maintain your current driving lifestyle.
I don't think repaired rims are a problem, usually you are just fixing cosmetic things such as the edge. Now if you have a wheel that has major structural damage then I could definately see not piece mealing it back together.
Well its your life and if you drive over 100MPH regularly then I suggest you do 1 of 2 things.
1. Drive Slower
2. Get New Rims & Tires and maintain your current driving lifestyle.
I don't think repaired rims are a problem, usually you are just fixing cosmetic things such as the edge. Now if you have a wheel that has major structural damage then I could definately see not piece mealing it back together.
I would seek the expert advice of several top wheel refinishing companies. They will most likely need to assess your rim damage though.
Bryan.... You never mentioned if you had the ASR on or off when this happened. --Randy
Sorry, and yes, the ASR was on. I don't normally drive over 100! But those trips to the strip will occasionally see my car up there. The majority of the problem with the tires are the lips (a bend in each at the point of impact) with some relatively minor curb rash. The most major damage is on the front wheel that appears to be cracked (not sure if it is just the powdercoat or the actual wheel). I am just hoping the rest of the car (underneath) is damage-free! I will know more in a few hours. Thanks again.
Sorry, and yes, the ASR was on. I don't normally drive over 100! But those trips to the strip will occasionally see my car up there. The majority of the problem with the tires are the lips (a bend in each at the point of impact) with some relatively minor curb rash. The most major damage is on the front wheel that appears to be cracked (not sure if it is just the powdercoat or the actual wheel). I am just hoping the rest of the car (underneath) is damage-free! I will know more in a few hours. Thanks again.
Bryan
Bryan,
It doesn't take much to tweak the suspention on these C4's.. I would have that checked out before just slaping new wheels and tires then driving...
I know you can get the beast to spin even with the ASR on but I was under the impression that the whole reason it was there was to prevent those "surprises" like the one you had.... R
Depending on the gear you were in when you accelerated into the turn, our Beasts can easily make some slippage. And if your tires are old, maybe they were a little on the hard side which also can cause a slide.
As far as insurance, I'd let them pay for ALL the damage and make sure to paint whatever it takes to make the repair not noticeable. New wheels too. For all the $$ we pay into insurance, that's what it's for. But the slimey suckers give you an accident-free "discount" just so they can raise your rate for any little incident.
Sorry about your car, but glad you're OK
__________________
1991 ZR-1 Blk/Blk #2027
ZR-1 and SR-71: World Speed Record holders
You mean I am not crazy? I just figured there was no way to turn it OFF! Please forgive my ignorance of my own car! The paint is appearing to be a non-issue. There are some minor scratches on the underside of the bumper, but I am afraid if I have it repainted, it would not match the hood. There are some small rock chips in the hood. I have two estimates for $3000+ with four new tires, but the car has not been to an alignment shop yet. With any kind of suspension damage, the price will skyrocket. The car drive pretty true, no rattles or pulling either way. It will defintiely need an alignment as the steering wheel is not on-center, though. Thanks again for all the help. I do appreciate the suggestions.
By the way, the 4.09 gears behind the 368 definitely make the throttle more touchy! Man, am I glad this is an online forum so I don't have the face-to-face embarrassment of not being able to drive my own car!
I just got off the phone with a couple of different body shops. They seem to think repaired wheels are not a great idea on cars that can easily surpass the 100 mph mark. It was odd hearing this from two different shops, but I guess it does make some sense. The second guy went into greater detail about why he did not think too much of the process and even stated he attended a seminar on the process within the past year. Any thoughts? If the wheels can be reliably repaired, then I am all for it. If not, I definitely do not want to risk it!
Bryan
You may want call the Ye Ole Wheel shop in Maryland (they do UPS shipments all day, every day)
They charged me 95 bucks per wheel for a set of 4 that were up and over a curb once - There is no damage visible and that is absolute to say the wheel would not be safe
Hope this helps
You may want call the Ye Ole Wheel shop in Maryland (they do UPS shipments all day, every day)
They charged me 95 bucks per wheel for a set of 4 that were up and over a curb once - There is no damage visible and that is absolute to say the wheel would not be safe
Hope this helps
It's not matter of visible damage, but there have been instances when a "repaired" wheel comes back heavier than a factory wheel. The problem with even repairing these wheels is that the front has physically been cracked at the seam. Both shops have said that they did not know if that was even repairable even if I did go that route! I am just really glad there is no true body damage, and I keep praying the suspension is okay as well.
It's not matter of visible damage, but there have been instances when a "repaired" wheel comes back heavier than a factory wheel. The problem with even repairing these wheels is that the front has physically been cracked at the seam. Both shops have said that they did not know if that was even repairable even if I did go that route! I am just really glad there is no true body damage, and I keep praying the suspension is okay as well.
Bryan
Again, you have either been given mis-information, or saw a bad repair job on a rim before - Ye' Ole Wheel shop is THE place to go in the ENTIRE United States, no kidding
Corvette Store
You've got to be kidding me....
.
Or maybe I just havn't found how to turn it on. 
to say the wheel would not be safe 
