Hey Alan, if you got a wheel back like the one in the original post, would you x-ray it?

I know when you speak of things like 'hidden damage' or things you may not be able to see without further investigation, and I've seen your product (great stuff). Just wondering about process when a wheel gets dinged like that one, under those circumstances, what do you do to start the process?

Thanks!

 

Alan,

Thanks for contributing to this forum. I have a question. I bought a set of new 545R's about three years ago and after about two years, the clear coat was peeling. I posted this up on other forums and there were some people that said they had the same problem. I called HRE and they said that since it was out of a warranty issue, I would have to pay for the repair.

What's your take on this? If more than one customer had clear coat peeling, is it a manufacturing issue and if so, shouldn't this issue supercede the issue of my wheels being out of the warranty period?

This was one reason why I did not purchase any more HRE wheels (new that is). I felt "slighted" that I paid over $5k for my wheels and still had to pay a couple hundred after that to fix what seemed like a manufacturing issue (if not that, at least a recurring issue) of clear coat peeling.

Edwin

 

Edwin,

I think in a case like this even if you are out of warranty our normal policy is to take care of it, especially if it is just out of warranty. It does depend on the circumstances and we have to evaluate each situation individually. I'd contact us again though. Ask for Vince.

 

Alan,

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, I have sold those wheels (and the car) but I appreciate the answer. I do have to say that your wheel designs are incredible

edwin

 

X-Ray and other typical inspection methods used in aerospace are generally used for fatigue crack inspection. This is more in-line with what you're looking for after running a wheel on a race-track. In a case of impact, this is not a fatigue issue so there should be no visible cracking unless the wheel has been severely bent at which point there is no need to look for a crack because the metal has yielded and this can be seen through simple measurements.

Basically metal will develop fatigue cracks over time (on airplanes they'd be too heavy to get off the ground if we didn't design them around cracking and this is why they retire airplanes when the cracks get too big). For wheels we design them not to crack unless you go racing. Then we expect to get 1-3 seasons of life depending on the severity of usage. For the street our wheels should last the lifetime of the vehicle. Once again, I can design a race wheel to last forever but you won't win any races because it'll be too heavy. I can make a wheel as light as you want basically. You just have to understand it isn't going to last forever.

In a case like this where there is visible damage and material removed, we'd look at where the material has been removed and see if it is the highest stress regions and compare it to our margins of safety. Most likely in this case we would have required a replacement. It doesn't take very much to reduce the strength significantly and it isn't a linear relationship in some load conditions.

 

Alan,

can you clarify what you mean by racing (tracking/auto-x,etc)?


Edwin

 

I have seen us warranty wheels for people when they've purchased them used as well. Not that it helps you any.

This is the kind of thing that HRE has tirelessly tried to improve and I think we've done a fantastic job even over the last year. Our level of customer service from just a year ago is simply not comparable to our level today. Kudos to all of you guys that stuck with us when we weren't as good as we are today. Edwin, I'm sorry we lost your business. I hope we can win it back someday.

 

Alan,

You have not lost my business In fact, I have purchased three more sets of HRE's over the past 1.5 years (just not new). I appreciate your feedback and your contributions. I'm starting to feel more comfortable that HRE will take care of me if there are any issues (within reason of course)

Edwin

 

In the end, a little bit of autocrossing isn't going to be a problem. I'm talking about professional racing. We have many customers that are out on the weekends racing in unproffessional events. This usually isn't occurring every weekend and usually isn't at the level I'm mainly referring to. Basically if you're racing to where pieces of your car are breaking or need to be replaced regularly, you can expect that your wheels are going to eventually require the same thing.

If you're autocrossing and you drive that car home and to work as well, wheels like our C-Series are a perfect match for you. If you want to go racing professionally, call me and we can provide something designed solely for the track, although we have several customers racing on C-Series now. These guys do regular inspections though as well.

 

Alan, are the HRE Comp C21 ever be offered in 20inch form?

 

fkim011 - I do not believe the Competition will be in a 20", but why not go with the Monoblock on your 997C2S? Very light, very strong. Here is a 997C2s cab we did with P43 in 20" - http://www.vividracing.com/blog/rand...20inch-wheels/

 

We don't have any plans to offer the C20s in 20". The newer (and better) C90s are offered in 20". The C93 is very similar to a C21.

 

I like the presence of "lip"....I am really interested into changing wheels because I do feel that HRE's are of higher quality.

 

I'm on my second set of HRE's on my car and have NEVER had any problems. Alan, Guy and the rest of the HRE gang have been nothing more then absolutely helpful in every way possible.

I remember when I went to HRE to pick up my first set of wheels with a friend, he asked me if I ever had ever been to the place and then he proceeded to give me a tour of the place. This was even before he knew the wheels were for me too! (The wheels were ordered under my friend's name) IMHO HRE is one of the best wheels out there in the industry and has the customer service to back it up.

Kudos to you Alan, Guy and EVERYONE at HRE

(NO I DO NOT WORK FOR HRE OR AM IN ANYWAY AFFILIATED )

 

fkim011 - As Alan said you can go with the C90's. Shoot me a call or PM and I will help get you fitted.