Why did both of the front wheels crack?

Chrome weakens the wheels due to the heating involved. Also they tend to corrode after 5+ years. Porsche does not chrome ANY wheels from the factory for that very reason. I would bet good money that is why they cracked. I have been following this forum for quite some time and have never seen any posts about cracking factory wheels.

Good luck,
James

 

If the rims where glass or media blasted prior to any chroming process (such as to remove factory paint or clear coat, etc.) this can alter the surface tension of the metal. I know when we used to build motors, we would sometimes glass bead the rods in order to increase their surface strength a little bit.

I'm not sure what method was used to chrome your rims, but if heat or chemicals was involved it could weaken the rim. At the same time, I'm not sure any rim would withstand a 100 MPH impact all that well. I hit a 3 inch deep ledge once going about 50 or 60 and it bent my rim pretty badly. The local Granite Rock Construction was working on the roads and had left the road un-even while working during the middle of the night on an off ramp. They put up no warning or anything, so I came flying along and hit the edge that was sticking up on the freeway. I stopped and raised hell and the guy said to call the office.

You know I called those SOB's in the morning and they claimed I was making up the story and wanted to see a picture of what I was talking about. I drove back to take a snap shot but they had finished the road. They refused to cover the damage and gave me such a run around that I finally gave up trying to get any compensation out of the dishonest people.

I don't recall if the rim cracked, but the lip was bent in about 1 inch. It didn't break the bead, but I ended up having to replace the rim.

It's really hard to say if the outcome would have been any different if the rim was not chromed. Was this a factory 360 rim? I will say this: If I were you, I wouldn't attempt to salvage those rims. Even if you welded them and magnafluxed them and/or had them x-rayed, I still would suggest going with new rims.

Ray

 

i read the title of your thread and assumed before I clicked that your wheels were chromed or powder coated. If the wheels are overheated, they get fragile.