Beware Kinesis Wheels! Look at this!

Jeeeez, Bruce, Glad your ok!

 

Thanks for the heads up. I don't think I'd WANT a replacement. That said, the response of the company concerns me more than the product defect. Definietely not the kind of company I would care to do business with.

 

Yeah! No sh*t! To hell with the wheels........and Kinesis for that matter!

 

I'm sure http://www.ccwheel.com/ could cook you up something similar for half that cost.

I like the (old) Kinesis styles but not at that price ($ or my life!)

 

Wow! I hope you took the wheel off ASAP, right after you took the photo, doesn't look like it will hold together or take the weight any longer.
Thanks for sharing.

 

Funny how people buy a CNC machine and think they are a wheel manufacturer. To hell with that Lexani trash company. To make defective wheels is one thing, but to treat customers like that is inexcusable.
Get some Fikse's or Jongbloed's and stay safe.

 

Sweet Jesus!


I'm glad that you're OK. Did you send them a bill for being their very first test driver?!

 

Could of been worse for sure---glad you didn't get hurt! Typical business could care less...They will never get my business..

 

Thanks for the post. I will now take Kinesis off my shopping list when looking for new wheels for my Ferraris. More importantly, glad you made it out safely.

 

This is sad, when Peter owned the company he would given you a new rim, in fact he most likely would have given you a new set. I have run Kinesis rims on my street and track cars for years with no issues.

I had heard that the new company was not a good deal, you just confirmed it...

 

I have a few sets of their wheels for my race car & road 512

when I was shopping for F40 wheels I called them and something seemed different

They used to care a lot more and have better customer service

Seems they dont care much anymore so I got my F40 wheels elsewhere

 

Wow, to break a wheel just by cornering seems insane. Someone either didnt put the engineering in, or the materials and heat treating, or a combination. But to want that much money and tell you to go &%$@ yourself over this? Screw them.

 

Bruce, I am both shocked and amazed that you have not told the whole truth about this incident, by leaving out the most important part...i.e the reason for this little outing. You would rather sing a sad song to get everyone's sympathy rather than admit to what really happened.

I would like to clarify a few things before anyone puts a second mortgage on their house so they can donate big$$$$ to the "Help Bruce Buy a Set of Real CH Wheels Fund".

This was not just an ordinary "show up at the track and have fun" day.....it was in fact a showdown, a shootout(or should that be, show-off?) between Bruce and FBB. It has been rumored that there was some "Biggie Size" food wagering going on...you know, them fancey smancey type resturants where the beer cost twice as much as it does at Sams Club.
With the stakes(steaks?) so high there was much preparation(the "H" kind) over at Bruce's favorite shadetree, while over at FBB's place it was just another old day of thinking about how many years you can go before actually having to wash your car.

Having set the stage now with the "FACTS", I can now offer only 2 logical scenerios(causes) for the broken wheel. It is extremely important for you to note it just so happened to be the left rear(kinda sounds like an idea he got from PAP348 who used a similar little ploy to get a free set of Hill spacers).....notice also how smart these guys are,they would never choose a front wheel because that could really hurt ya!!

OK OK OK,enough of that....now for the only 2 real causes:

1. Bruce messed up and parked his car under the wrong shadetree to do his race car prepping and tweaking. This tree evidently provided little protection from the sun, and with his brain overheating Bruce forgot rule #1 of the ShadeTree Mechanics Oath...i.e. never ever modify your engine to exceed 1,000hp and 700ft/lb's of torque without having the Coors SilverBullet decal placed on the bottom of the car for all the people you run over to see. BTW, with that kind of hp/torque boost it would have VOIDED your wheel warranty anyway.
Oh well, no reason to donate any money to "The Fund" for this causation. That's just the price you have to pay when you play them big numbers Mr. Enzo Bogart!

2. This is the one I'm really leaning towards.

Does anyone really want to hear #2????...as Paul Harvey would say,"The rest of the story".........

 

Much to my chagrin...we did not race. He got me all hot and bothered then signed-up in totally different run groups because he wanted to shake down the 348c on its maiden voyage. The 348c is stock HP and he was babying it around the track trying to learn the track and the car. He was nowhere near the car's limits. I am glad I was not driving it because I would probably be dead trying to finds it's limits. He should have raced me I sucked that weekend and could barely find my rear with both hands! He was lucky not to die. The infamous "Turn 9 rock and garden club" has claimed many a car and drivers too. Bruce's picture is not as bad as it really is in real life. 4 spokes are cracked through! There is not a ding or any curb rash on the wheel. It just plain and simple was under engineered for the use. So stick to Jongbloed wheels, OEM challenge, and BBS maybe Fiske

 

Holy crap! 4 spokes broken. Leaves only one to support the car! You are lucky you were not planted into the wall, or worse.

Spend the money. Get some good racing wheels.

 

One more reason I will never own a set of Kinesis rims.

You are really lucky you didn't get killed Bruce. Had that rims let loose at 120mph+ on a right hand sweeper, .....................ugliness.

 

Were those wheels ever approved for street use? I would report this to NHTSA with complete set of photos showing the condition of the wheel from as many angles as possible.

 

Like I said. War stories from an eventfull weekend.....

(and yes, the picture does not do the actual break justice. It was 3 spokes totaly severed, the 4th 3/4 gone, and only 1 spoke without a visible crack remaining.)

I just cannot believe they will not stand behind warranty on those wheels !!

I mean another 15 seconds of high G and you probably would have gone off in a VERY ugly way..... Maybe REALLY bad.

You barely dodge a bullet 'cuz their wheels just "bust off" under track conditions and they blow you off ?..... Thats CRAP !!

Not excactly a marketing model to attract new customers !!!!

 

Peter sold Kenisis? I didn't see him at SEMA, that explains why. He would have stood behind that wheel.
Bee Jay

 

Wow!! Glad you didnt get hurt mate!

 

I'm glad you made it out of that.

I would have expected a reputable company to bend over backwards to get those wheels replaced.

You are doing the right thing by sticking it to them by posting the warning.

 

Just sent them an email with a link to this thread, It will be interesting to see if they respond.

 

Glad to see you are ok! I will let everyone in Japan here know about that company. They will never do business here.

X

 

This is really horrible and a scary sight. Glad it held together and you were smart enough to stop and check.

I have knnown Peter a long time (founder and previous owner of Kinesis), and he would have made this right without blinking. Peter was always a true supporter for motorsports and for producing the highest quality parts possible

He sold the business to the Lexani wheel group, and they are a different animal. They make heavy, cast "bling" crap.They are in it for a quick buck . They wanted Kinesis mainly to get local wheel center machining equipment. I wouldnt trust the company or the products to make a functional paperweight.

The new Kineseis is NOT the old one. and this is sad.

For your end, I would seek legal action right away. When Lexani bought the company, they bought the responsibility to the existing product warranties, no way around that for them. Dont take no for an answer.

cheers
Eric