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BENT CRACKED C7 Grand Sport Z06 ZR1 wheels - Bowling Green Assembly Plant rumble pads
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Tadge Juechter stated this when asked about bent C7 wheels:
A frequent sequence of events is that a wheel gets bent by a road hazard but the damage is initially almost undetectable tothe driver. Maybe the driver notices a little more vibration, but many times not if the wheel is only slightly out-of-round
( just a millimeter or two ).
A wheel that is not perfectly round puts stress in the rim that varies with every wheel rotation. Over time fatigue cracks can form after thousands or even millions of cycles. The wheel doesn’t look any different but begins to leak air at the rim.
Since it is hundreds or thousands of miles after the damaging event, the driver often can’t remember hitting anything that would justify a crack in the wheel. I have actually experienced this myself.
Does anyone else think a less forceful method could be devised at
the end of the production line besides these Rumble Pads used now?
Watch this video from the Bowling Green assembly plant.
( Skip to 4:57 in the video to see the Rumble Pad area )
Tadge Juechter said about the bent wheel questions:
Does anyone else think a better method maybe could be devised at
the end of the production line besides the Rumble Pads used now?
Watch this video from the Bowling Green assemble plant.
I am interested in your opinions.
When was Tadge quoted on this issue? I may need to use that with my Wheel/Tire warranty company to get paid for a new wheel for my 19 GS. GM has turned down my warranty claim due to "envrionmental" issues. I take those issues to be potholes.
Tadge Juechter stated this when asked about bent C7 wheels:
Does anyone else think a better method maybe could be devised at
the end of the production line besides the Rumble Pads used now?
Watch this video from the Bowling Green assembly plant.
( Skip to 4:56 in the video to see the Rumble Pad area )
I fast forwarded this 5:05 and back it up stopping as tight as i can about 10 times.
My opinion:This could be the answer for very low mileage rim trouble.Especially if a rim has a weak spot.
These friggen steps are tall for a low profile rim.Look at the photo near the rim.Now add a real stiff sidewall.Those tires ain't protecting **** on that rim bead.The speed is serious shock.
In 22k miles i know my 2 bent rims ain't been jolted that hard confined to a precise area!
Ya ya,Another armchair engineer.No seriously people think about it.
Would you take your fragile rims over something that tall and narrow? Worse than bare railroad tracks.
I'm documenting this before it some how disappears??
We have small claims court anything less than 5k.It's just you convincing a judge.
You will need a engineer buddy to do some figuring.Christ it looks like common sence to me.
The reason for the stripes is to settle in the suspension...HA.Really. A little bid shocking the rim only.How many C7'S went over these.
Got to be a ton of damage
Good Job OP You may have something here
I've wondered about this since first hearing about the cracked wheels. Those are some serious hazards that would make me cringe if I hit them on the street.
Wow, ya I'd cringe big-time if I drove over those rumble strips - knowing what we do about these c7 widebody wheels. I miss the 18/19" setup with (comparatively) tall sidewalls on my c6.
I have watched them drive across those bumps in the plant.
They aren't driving fast enough to bend the rims.
Jim, Please watch the video at the 5:05 mark a few times.
Look at very top of the front tire as it violently impacts up & down.
If you saw those pipes in the road would you bash over them
at that same speed with your beautiful new 2019 Grand Sport?
Or would you slow way down like you go over railroad crossings?
Wow, ya I'd cringe big-time if I drove over those rumble strips - knowing what we do about these c7 widebody wheels. I miss the 18/19" setup with (comparatively) tall sidewalls on my c6.
The small sidewalls on these 19 & 20” wheels are the biggest culprit of bent rims. You just can’t drive a 25 profile tire like you drive your SUV.
Maybe that is the starting point for a bend. The wheel gets slightly out of round before it leaves the factory but a new owner doesn’t notice anything for awhile.
I would like to know wheel runouts before and after that process.
I never would have thought all 4 of my wheels were out of spec. I developed a vibration in the steering wheel at less than 6,000 miles. I thought I lost a wheel weight on a front tire. The dealer spun all of mine and they were greater than the spec of 30 thousandths. I was surprised that the rears also exceeded the spec.
If it was just one wheel, I would give GM a pass, but all 4, no way. I have never hit anything remotely as bad as those cars on the OP’s post.
GM has let their customers down with their low quality wheels and doing nothing but blaming their customers. I can go on and on but will just say that I’m over the money loss, but will never get over how there customer service treated me and the lack of dealer support.
I just talked to a person in a very high position at my dealer last week and she seemed understanding of my position and said their hands are tied because GM tells them what they can and can’t warranty. Of course she was trying to help the salesman (a friend of ours) make amends because my GF’s lease is up. I asked why would I buy another GM product when I know they won’t stand behind it. I told her that I didn’t even want to step foot in her dealership but did so only out of respect for our friend. She had no answer, just an apology. We’ll will be turning that car in this month and and leaving together in my F150.
I have said this before.The percentage of owners haven't replaced any tires yet.I believe when that starts to happen.The owners are gonna Snap!
I haven't replaced my fronts yet.I have vibration cause my rears where lucky to even balance.
Sprited driving has been limited to slower speeds more corners.
Would like to see this video in super slow motion.
Guarantee the tire bottoms out HUGELY (Trump) on these Ridiculously Engineered Test Cleats
The small sidewalls on these 19 & 20” wheels are the biggest culprit of bent rims. You just can’t drive a 25 profile tire like you drive your SUV.
Exactly, I realize that all too well.
My previous c6 18/19" setup was much better suited for aggressive driving on uneven roads. I leave my z06 in touring mode all the time too.
if I ever replace the OEM wheels, I'll likely go with a 18/19" set to provide better all around performance, and to guard against possible bent or cracked wheels.
GM is a **** company. There is no question with these garbage wheels that those rumble strips in the factory could bend the wheel, which later leads to all the cracked wheels we are seeing here. Just look at that pic where you can see the edge of the wheel is almost touching the damn strip because the thin *** tires are compressed so much from impacting the strips. How ironic that the 'environmental hazards' they claim are the culprit might be right in their own damn factory in many cases. What a damn clownshow.
Last edited by kennyjames21; 11-05-2019 at 10:08 AM.
When was Tadge quoted on this issue?
I may need to use that with my Wheel/Tire warranty company
to get paid for a new wheel for my 19 GS.
GM has turned down my warranty claim due to "envrionmental" issues.
I take those issues to be potholes.
Hi folks... Yup, it looks like I'm one of the "Lucky" ones with cracked rims. BOTH of my back rims are now cracked with absolutely no dents, bends, chips, or tire damage. So before the forum goes all into the "Well, you may have driven over something..." Save it. When you engineer a product, you need to do user testing. I'll be looking for the contact information for the class action lawsuit against GM. I saved for a very long time to get the best and what do I get, complete crap.
Thanks, GM... I had better luck driving a 370Z for YEARS and this is the 5th time my car has been in the shop in three months. Faulty tire alignment from receiving the car from the factory (pay for new alignment and new tires, all wheels off by 0.17) Faulty HID device (replaced) Faulty brake rotors (replaced) faulty armrest (replaced) and now, cracked rims.
Hi folks... Yup, it looks like I'm one of the "Lucky" ones with cracked rims. BOTH of my back rims are now cracked with absolutely no dents, bends, chips, or tire damage. So before the forum goes all into the "Well, you may have driven over something..." Save it. When you engineer a product, you need to do user testing. I'll be looking for the contact information for the class action lawsuit against GM. I saved for a very long time to get the best and what do I get, complete crap.
Thanks, GM... I had better luck driving a 370Z for YEARS and this is the 5th time my car has been in the shop in three months. Faulty tire alignment from receiving the car from the factory (pay for new alignment and new tires, all wheels off by 0.17) Faulty HID device (replaced) Faulty brake rotors (replaced) faulty armrest (replaced) and now, cracked rims.
Any GM engineers reading this stuff?
Copy your post into this thread. It has info in the first several posts on how to contact class action etc. I will add you to the list of folks who have wheel issues.
Hit a pot hole on the interstate and you will get bent rims. Happened to me twice in two different states. Hard to avoid pot holes on the interstate. 17GS
11-04-2019, 12:14 AM
BENT CRACKED C7 Grand Sport Z06 ZR1 wheels - Bowling Green Assembly Plant rumble pads
