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**Edit**
Got the hook up from another RL member - I'm back in action with stock wheels. Thanks for the offers/info!
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Saturday, I was heading into the office to get some work done. I was just cruising along the same route I've driven thousands of times - and I cut one corner that is always fun to cut about half an inch too short. Both of the 19" wheels on my passenger side kissed the curb; the front wheel is salvagable, but the rear wheel has a 2-3" crease on the barrel along the curve where the barrel turns out to form the rim.
I initially thought the wheels had been plated and what I was seeing was the plating flaking off, but I hit it with a wire wheel last night and learned the sad truth...it's cracked, and I'm at least one wheel down.
I was about a week out from taking the wheels over and having them refinished. I haven't had the victims over to the wheel repair shop near my office, but I'm assuming the rear is a write off, and I'll probably be posting up looking for 18's or 19's for a '99 C4 sometime soon. I believe they are one-piece forged wheels, but maybe I'm wrong and I can source a new barrel - assuming the rest of the wheel is true.
It took almost no force applied in a way the wheels aren't designed to handle to mortally wound my wheel. What a bummer. It's still holding air, but I'm guessing that's the only good thing about the wheel at this point.
I'm glad I wasn't running wheel spacers at the time - an extra half-inch of wheel nailing that curb might have been catastrophic. It seems like I got away with no suspension damage, but I won't know that for sure until I pull the wheels off next week and give everything a good look.
If the bolts don't go all the way through, they are neither 2 piece or 3 piece design and only for looks. As for forged, weigh one without the tires and see if it's in the low 20's weight wise. If it isn't, they aren't forged.
Yeah it sucks. Been there and done that with a BBS wheel.
Bummer man. I've got a cracked wheel from slightly dropping it off at the wrong place on the track. Luckily jj1 had a couple exactly like it that he cut me a deal on. Might try posting WTB on the RL classifieds and see what you can strum up.
If the bolts don't go all the way through, they are neither 2 piece or 3 piece design and only for looks. As for forged, weigh one without the tires and see if it's in the low 20's weight wise. If it isn't, they aren't forged.
Yeah it sucks. Been there and done that with a BBS wheel.
I'm almost certain they're one piece - I've had them off several times before (and cleaned them from the reverse side) and I'm 99.9% sure the "bolts" are purely decorative. I don't think there's any chance a new barrel is the solution...
I want to see if American Factory Wheel thinks it's reparable - but I'm almost certain they're only good for recycling.
I was about a week out from taking the wheels over and having them refinished.
Look at the bright side, at least it was before you got them refinished.
You might want to review your insurance policy as you might be able to claim it and at least take some of the pain out of it if you have to get a new set.
I got nothing. I haven't nailed anything with that tire since I hit a cone with it during performance driving school the month after I got the 996 - I guess I still don't know the dimensions of the car quite as well as I thought I did.
I got nothing. I haven't nailed anything with that tire since I hit a cone with it during performance driving school the month after I got the 996 - I guess I still don't know the dimensions of the car quite as well as I thought I did.
I've done the same thing in a different car, and I will no doubt do it again some day.
Well, hopefully you learned a lesson about going into work on Saturdays.
Jokes aside, that's a real bummer. Sorry to hear about the damage. The upside is that you were planning on getting them refinished so now you can just re-purpose that budget toward a new rim or a new set entirely.
...and I could vicariously enjoy your purchase from afar. I keep eyeing them and even kinda sorta got a go-ahead from my better half after picking up a 2nd unexpected bonus last month but my own self imposed budget still keeps me away. And, let me tell you, there's nothing fun about it. lol
Another option would be picking up a set of BBS Sport Classic II's. You would be getting wheels from a reputable manufacturer without spending several thousand and they look better than the rest of the OEM 996 wheels (imo).
08-17-2016, 12:55 PM
Gutted...creased one of my wheels
