Quote:
Originally Posted by kmac1980
...have you seen (first hand) wheel centers fail catastrophically? That seems like a gross error of design/engineering that should be caught by a regulating body.. (DOT? who regulates manufacturers of wheels?)
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Yes, numerous times. In the 90's on a c4 Vette, same guy years later in a TT Supra, another time with a 1994 RX-7, and those were just track days. That doesn't count the times I've seen it happen at professional races. It seems to happen most in heavier cars, which our E9x M3s are! Unfortunately, I've never heard of a regulation for wheel construction in particular. It's just the competition and reputation that keeps them good enough. However, there are regulations for manufacturing processes, which might help (kind of like how the FDA regulates the food and drug industries... every now and then, some deseased or tainted consumables get through the cracks - mad cow disease, hepatitus, salmonella, etc.)