RR Track Killed my HRE rims!

[Rain]

Yes, when it rains, it pours.
This has been the week - sigh

Took relatives for test rides yesterday down a 4 lane highway near town that had a rail road crossing.
I guess part of the pavement was missing from between the rails.. as we passed over the level crossing there was a sudden jolt but I assumed everything was ok.

At the funeral today I notice a three inch long bend in the rim of my driver's side rear rim.. and another smaller one a quarter of the way around.
Similar ones on my front driver's rim too, just not as drastic.
Im shocked the tire did not go flat!

Have read very bad reviews on the Viper web board re: HRE and repair service. Maybe its gotten better??

Anyone have suggestions on a repair company that you trust?

Thanks
Rain

 

[bossvette]

The bigger the rims the smaller the tire; one of the dissadvantages of those big wheels. The tire soaks up the road bumps if there is not much tire the rim takes the hit. Sorry to hear your bad luck, I raised mine up once I had it on the lift and saw all the scrape marks underneath. Looks are one thing, but for a daily driver clearance is more important.

 

[bluecoupe]

If the road was in disrepair you should be able to file a claim agains the railroad or the state or town that owns the road. Chances are they are self insured and will pay rather than fight you. Take pictures of the car and the road defects then report the problem. Even with your light/tall rims the tracks should not have caused that much damage if the roadway was within proper specs.

 

[Rain]

will go out there tomorrow in the daylight and snap some pics and see what I can learn.

Thanks for the suggestion -
Yes, with a 30% sidewall, there isnt much tire to absorb the bumps, but this was a bit excessive in my book..
This wasnt a teeth rattling jar.. just a thud as we crossed the tracks.

Thanks again
Rain

 

[74bigblock]

If the road was in disrepair you should be able to file a claim agains the railroad or the state or town that owns the road. Chances are they are self insured and will pay rather than fight you. Take pictures of the car and the road defects then report the problem. Even with your light/tall rims the tracks should not have caused that much damage if the roadway was within proper specs.

Ditto to that... the owner of the crossing (RR Co or the City/State that owns the road) is responsible.

Sorry to hear about your misfortune... I did a similar boo boo to my TTII's on my Firebird. It was my fault though... I crossed a 1 inch median to fast. It hurts worse when you know it's your fault!

 

['04 Torch Red]

Yes, when it rains, it pours.
This has been the week - sigh

Took relatives for test rides yesterday down a 4 lane highway near town that had a rail road crossing.
I guess part of the pavement was missing from between the rails.. as we passed over the level crossing there was a sudden jolt but I assumed everything was ok.

At the funeral today I notice a three inch long bend in the rim of my driver's side rear rim.. and another smaller one a quarter of the way around.
Similar ones on my front driver's rim too, just not as drastic.
Im shocked the tire did not go flat!

Have read very bad reviews on the Viper web board re: HRE and repair service. Maybe its gotten better??

Anyone have suggestions on a repair company that you trust?

Thanks
Rain

I ran over some tracks with my '95 several months and when we got it up on the lift I noticed a cracked rear leaf spring...wasn't that bad of a bump either...just $600 worth:cry :L

 

[XLR8]

Rain - sorry to hear about your misfortune. That's terrible! Hope someone is willing to pay over it! The RR tracks just south of I-10 on Hiway 49 are notorious for tearing up. One day on my way into town there was a big chunk of asphalt about the size of a football just lying in the roadway.

If you don't mind me asking, where did this occur? Anyplace we Gulf Coast Corvette drivers may pass?

Take care and good luck.
JAG

 

[BlackNBlue95]

Man, that sucks..
-=Rick

 

[Rain]

nope, this is on the south side of Indianola, MS. (where 82 and 49 intersect) Up here for Grandfather's funeral and just cruising the 4 lane highways (figured they were safer than side streets) for test rides with family in the new C5.

 

[BruceBed]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. Your car is georgeous and I'm sure you are upset. I lost my leaf spring going over a blind bump. It's a bummer. Try the insurance route with the railroad company. Good luck.

 

[bo02c5]

I would tell you to get a good lawyer,but they are hard to find. good luck

 

['04 Torch Red]

I would tell you to get a good lawyer,but they are hard to find. good luck

===========================================================
....and the upside is that even a "bad" lawyer can get you a settlement:L

 

[Dave]

Rain,
Sorry to hear about your Grandfather and the misfortunes with your Corvette. Remember to keep things in perspective...the 'vette can be fixed. I think the advice to issue a claim is a wise one.

BTW, how did you make out with your electrical problems? Was it you battery?? I was following this thread earlier, but lost track.

Dave

 

[kingman]

Hate those performance tires up north!

Rain

I have learned the hard way that the low profile tires look real neat but they are subject to blow out where normal tires just take the brunt of the impact. You would have to replace the front two or back two tires, so keep this in mind.

If you were in the market for new tires l would suggest something with more cushioning. Again if you have any construction sites around you will probably get flats.

The low profiles are fantastic in someways but dreadful in other ways.

In New Jersey we are not allowed to sue the RR, but can bring the town to small claims court. You would win for sure if somebody else damaged their vehicle in the same place. This would fall under a different law.

The rims can be fixed or just do a core change.

Did you say that you were driving in triple digits?

Alan

 

[Rain]

snapped pics of the tracks today. alas, i was not in the tripple digits.. if I HAD been, i probably would have floated across the tracks instead and come out better hahaha!

These tracks are seriously bad off! Residents have to leave the entire highway to smoothly cross this set of tracks. The rubberized mats that are embeded on either side of the tracks is holding up fairly well, except for a couple of feet on the south bound lane. and it seems to be compressed several inches.. Hope the pics depict this when I am back in my home office tomorrow and post them.

Friend of my uncle(who was riding with me when it happened) is on the board for the RR, so I should have some direction soon. Alas, the car will be sitting a while I think.

Of course I will get opinions from you guys on the wheel damage tomorrow afternoon -
Thanks again
Rain

 

[bluecoupe]

...Friend of my uncle(who was riding with me when it happened) is on the board for the RR, so I should have some direction soon. Alas, the car will be sitting a while I think.

Of course I will get opinions from you guys on the wheel damage tomorrow afternoon -
Thanks again
Rain

Have someone call to see if the railroad knows about road and RR crossing problem at that location and if it is scheduled to be repaired.



If it has already been reported and they have not made any attempt to fix it in a timely manor and allowed the condition to exist it will look very bad for them in court and they may have to also pay punitive damages. They should have at least taken safety measures like posting extra signs and traffic cones, etc. The railroad claims department can give you an out of court settlement for the damages and for any doctor and chiropractor's bills for the neck and back injuries you had sustained in the accident caused by their neglecting to repair and maintenance their property.

The quicker they settle with you the better off for them. They should be motivated to settle rather than go to court. Juries do not like big companies.

 

[Rain]

my neck is sore, but I blame it on the week's stress

 

[bluecoupe]

my neck is sore, but I blame it on the week's stress

Stress from the accident? That counts too. To be safe have your neck checked out. You'd be surpised by the amount of damage a jolt like that can cause especially when it catches you by suprise.

 

[Rain]

no- i was in route to Indiana for a workshop with our new company when I learned my Grandfather had passed away.
So, I sent Susan to Indiana, the baby to Kosciusko, MS, and I drove on up to the MS Delta to help put the funeral together. (in the mean time, we damage my rims and the battery dies on the Vette)

stress

 

[bluecoupe]

no- i was in route to Indiana for a workshop with our new company when I learned my Grandfather had passed away.
So, I sent Susan to Indiana, the baby to Kosciusko, MS, and I drove on up to the MS Delta to help put the funeral together. (in the mean time, we damage my rims and the battery dies on the Vette)

stress

My condolences on the passing of your grandfather.

The weekend is coming so try to kick back and relax. Break out the Mid America catalog and buy some toys for your Vette. (That always cheers me up.)

Frank (bluecoupe)