COR Wheels - Horror Story on Track

[b33g33]

This is just a PSA based on a post on Jalopnik.

Apparently a Mustang driver on $4500 COR wheels had one of them come apart during a track event, damaging his car.

When the wheel was sent to COR for 'analysis' the company declined to replace it under warranty because 'the damage didn't happen during street use'. They blamed the shop that painted the wheels for messing up the structural integrity of the alloy.

I'm no metallurgist and have no idea what the etching material used to prep wheels does to it, so I'm not speculating.

Full story here.



If you own or plan to buy COR wheels might be a good idea to give them a call and get some clarity on the warranty policy.

[fourtailpipes]

never buy forged wheels from companies you havent heard of.

especially if they're from florida!

[ESC OFF]

Originally Posted by fourtailpipes

never buy forged wheels from companies you havent heard of.

especially if they're from florida!

lol!!

Mustang just has too much torque!

[flzrider]

Originally Posted by ESC OFF

lol!!

Mustang just has too much torque!

lol, to the front wheels?

[Artemis]

A Mustang ain't no General Lee or KITT. So quit performing those spectacular high jumps ...on a race-track, or an all-show-no-go rim manufacturer might not remember you anymore in case of trouble.

[DooBs]

wow... that must have been interesting haha
little surprised there was no help from cor though

[nachob]

While we had a lot of discussion in our other thread on Powdercoating wheels and whether it was a good idea or not. We talked about metallurgy and heating wheels, etc. and I contacted BBS and they said not to powdercoat their wheels. We left it finally at just find a someone with experience with wheels and be careful but we didn't hit upon the warranty issue. Here is another point on re-painting wheels that we did not hit upon. It can give the manufacturer and excuse/reason to void the warranty. I don't believe wet paint can give anyone a reason to void it but any other process that requires heat, like powdercoating, can complicate matters. Have no interested in re-hashing the TECHNICAL side of powdercoating just bringing up the WARRANTY aspect of it that I had not thought about earlier.

I feel bad for the Mustang guy too. My guess is his insurance will deny the claim and he is out a ton of money.

[P1et]

Are you sure these aren't ADV.1 wheels?

[T1T2GRE]

I worked in machine shops before and during college, and we'd get stuff chrome plated and prepped at outside places. They used some nasty stuff - hardcore acids, etc. But I really wonder what this shop used to prep the wheel for painting that really weakened the internal structure to that degree.

[b33g33]

My takeaway is to get some OEM wheels and Hoosiers for track use.

That way, I don't spend $6000 for a trackday that isn't even a real track day.

[P1et]

Originally Posted by b33g33

My takeaway is to get some OEM wheels and Hoosiers for track use.

That way, I don't spend $6000 for a trackday that isn't even a real track day.

This man speaks the truth. Track wheels? Ha. Nice marketing.

[amgthis]

Bummer! Their own website says the brand makes wheels suited for the racetrack or boulevard. Not buying it. They might be fragile enough that they break from just staring at them lol. Cor needs to own up to this

[ilikebmxbikes]

there was a thread on something similar to this on the porsche forums dealing with some HRE's with an after market paint job. The HRE's like these, were 3 piece and painted by a third party company. The guys at HRE explained it pretty well in the thread on how just slightly over heating a forged wheel can compromise the structural integrity much much more than a regular wheel. I wish I still had the link.

Anyways, HRE inspected his wheels and sold him a brand new set of wheels of his choice for an amazing discount.

The HRE's had small stress cracks and not a catastrophic failure like these which could be due to many reasons.

[EINSER M]

ouch. can see their side that the wheels were painted and hence that alone can void the warranty but i wouldnt have bought from these people in the first place

[nolfM6]

When I saw this I was like WTF happened!? I also have a set of Cor wheels. It's actually my 3rd set from them. I can't say anything bad because nothing has ever gone wrong with any of mine. I did call them and was upfront that I was kind of worried if this could happen to mine. Apparently the owner of the Mustang turned down Cor giving him a full refund or replacing the wheel instead to sue them for 25K.

[b33g33]

Originally Posted by nolfM6

When I saw this I was like WTF happened!? I also have a set of Cor wheels. It's actually my 3rd set from them. I can't say anything bad because nothing has ever gone wrong with any of mine. I did call them and was upfront that I was kind of worried if this could happen to mine. Apparently the owner of the Mustang turned down Cor giving him a full refund or replacing the wheel instead to sue them for 25K.

Interesting. Did they say anything about what could have caused the wheels to disintegrate like this?

This is why I was very careful about the way I phrased the OP. We don't know the whole story and people will lie out of their back-end to make a buck.

[nolfM6]

I completely agree with you. We need all the facts. Cor said they checked the wheel just like any other wheel they produce and it was built to spec. Its tough for both parties. Cor gets a bad rap and then the OP's car has damagae not just to the wheels.

Cor has a lot of customers though with their wheels out there and no issues. I am one of them and I know a few people who have had near 10 sets of wheels from them without any issues ever. Personally, I would never bring a set of 20"+ 3 piece forged wheels to the track. Just my .02 , but then people see something like this and it might turn them away. Like I said I have never had anything but a great customer/business relationship everytime I've bought wheels through them. I've even gotten a military discount without even asking when they saw my email address. Whether it is a design issue or material issue, Cor said they would back my wheels along with anyone else running Cor wheels with a waranty or full refund. At that point you can't ask for anything more. I hope both parties eventually come to a resolution.

[Artemis]

Detailed info re this incident: http://www.nagtroc.org/forums/index....heels-warning/
See also: http://www.nagtroc.org/forums/index....0#entry1023263

A wheel came off the wagon:

[Artemis]

Other car, other wheel, same mishap (check from 01:07 onwards):

[ilikebmxbikes]

Originally Posted by EINSER M

ouch. can see their side that the wheels were painted and hence that alone can void the warranty but i wouldnt have bought from these people in the first place

thats what i originally thought, but after reading the other info that the owner posted on the other forums (Artemis's links), Cor is very much in the wrong and will probably get sued.

The owner did have the wheels painted, but he did not have them powder coated or disassembled. There should have been no compromised of structural integrity to the wheels. He was also the original owner of the wheels.

Core also edited their warranty page outlining that track or competitive use of the wheels violates warranty. They did this after the wheel failed but the owner took screen shots of the original warranty which has no mention of track use. He also took screen shots of where Cor was marketing for track use etc. on their page. Cor even used the owners car in a post and boasted about track performance.

Cor will probably get hit for this. That being said, I will never buy anything Cor.

[Artemis]

Comparison with another rims manufacturer, for what it's worth: BBS:
(source: http://www.m3post.com/forums/showpos...98&postcount=4)

"BBS makes all wheels that conform to some of the highest levels of testing in the industry.
Cyclic bend check
This test simulates the side pressure that is applied to the wheel when cornering. A tension ring is rigidly mounted to the inner rim shoulder and is subjected to a cyclic bending moment.
Two axial wheel test
With this test BBS is able to simulate both the side and normal pressure applied from the vehicle to the wheel. For example, using the Nürburgring or Hockenheim test, BBS can bring Formula One circuits 1:1 into its test facility so that it can put its wheel types through its paces under the hardest of conditions.
Impact test
This test simulates the impact of hitting the curb from the side. A falling weight is dropped several times onto the outer rim shoulder of a tyre-covered wheel. It is important that there is no sudden loss of air from the tyre.
BBS wheels can withstand pressures of between four and ten times more than that defined in the European ECE regulations."