Experienced the exact same weird cracked wheel that many other c7 owners have experienced on 7/11/19. no specific pothole. just cracked wheel which looks like all the others on the corvette forum.
When i took the car into a discount tire store to have new tires put on the back at about 15,600 miles on the car cracks were found on the inside rim where tire bead seals of both back wheels. problem was immediately reported to dealer who verified cracks, but dealer and gm refused to replace unless i purchase new wheels for discounted price of $1,100.00 for rear wheels only. spoke with representatives of gm engineering and found problem is a known issue with rear wheel cracking going back several years with cast china made wheels on corvette z06 and zr1 models. i was told gm corvette chief engineer has posted information on the wheel cracking problem on corvette forum and only way to not have wheel cracking problem on replacement wheels would be to not drive on roads with bumps or pot holes. they agreed this was not realistic but gm stands firm on payment for new wheels with no assurance this will solve the problem. my complaint was closed at gm as customer declined reduced price offer and is dissatisfied. cracking wheels should be a major safety concern and especially with cars that have this much power to the wheels and are capable of the speeds these model cars can obtain. this is totally irresponsible of gm to allow this to happen and not recall the wheels and replace them with ones that do not crack, especially on cars with such low mileage.
Cracked rear wheels on both sides. noticed because of air leak after long trip.
Both of my oem rear wheels (spectra gray - 10 spoke), have developed cracks requiring replacement at my expense. despite my corvette being on warranty and a high performance, sports car which is regularly serviced, the chevrolet dealership refuses to replace these wheels, except at my expense, citing that poor road conditions in california are blame for the fractures, running horizontally on the rim lip. the fractures create a very dangerous situation given high torque levels, low profile tires with a wide stance. the tires and the suspension are designed for high performance, and high g force, but wheels are apparently flawed for the designed tolerances imposed by driving a high performance corvette. my car rapidly loss air pressure at freeway speeds and the air pressure warning light activated in both occasions, warning of the hazardous condition.
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 chevrolet corvette. while the contact was having tires installed at bill stasek chevrolet (700 w dundee rd, wheeling, il), he was informed that all the rims were cracked and the rear passenger wheel was leaking. the manufacturer was notified of the failures. the failure mileage was approximately 13,466.
Chevy is selling 2015 z-51 corvettes with summer only run-flat tires. michelin indicates that these tires severely lose traction whenever temperatures fall below 40 degrees f. they are also not appropriate for use in wet or snowy conditions. michelin or any other tire manufacturer does not make an all-season tire that is a run-flat. owners who are not aware of this constraint or those who ignore the problem are at risk for a serious accident and injury. chevy ignores the problem and offers no solution. other manufacturers such as bmw also use similar size tires which do not have suitable all-season run flat replacements. thousands of these cars on the road present serious risks for every driving along side these vehicles. people who buy used cars with these summer only tires may not have any idea that they summer only tires nor the risk they may be taking. i am sure there are no records of how many accident have been caused by these tires since no one has probably taken notice of the tire types envolved in accidents.