Second Opinion on 96 GTS Cast Wheel

JMcGuinness

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Hey all,

Since joining, I have found the forums to be a treasure trove of information. I had meant to post some more pictures of my B/W, but have instead found myself getting caught up on maintenance the prior owner kind of "neglected". I'll get some up after the upcoming Disney Dream Cars event in Orlando.

I noticed my wheels were the of the cast variety and decided it would be prudent to check them out after reading about several close calls. That and with a public display around a corner, wanted all parts to shine. So here is what I found.

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From what I have read and can tell, apparently some of the 96 cast wheels were sanded to remove residual forces. Hence why the prototypical black dots don't appear. However, what has me on edge :omg: is the dark lines on the spoke in the first picture and something maybe on the second? :dunno:. The third picture looks clean and you can clearly see the weld. Thoughts or further info for my education?


Fortunately, this is the only wheel that has this particular appearance. Unfortunately, I'm now looking for replacement rims much sooner than I expected as the PS2 tires only have about 7k miles on them. The silver lining in all of this is I'll be looking for new rims sooner. :headbang:.
 

Jack B

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It looks like someone ground out a crack and welded it, that tells you the wheel had issues. You cannot visually inspect a wheel for stress cracks, you have to magnaflux the wheels. Basically the cast wheels had problems when they were tracked or driven hard. I would guess if they were magnafluxed you would be shocked.
 

DrumrBoy

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While they're likely fine for ordinary street driving, you never know when you're going to have the urge to attack an entrance ramp or something and cause the kind of lateral loads that have had them come apart on the track. Probably wouldn't be an issue, but if it were me I'd change 'em out for an aftermarket wheel or an OEM forged set.
 
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