We are on our third cracked rim in our 2019 xc90 T8. I’m starting to think there is a defect in the rims and wondering if anyone else has had the same problems that we have had. This is the 2nd winter in a row we have started losing tire pressure only to find out it’s a cracked rim. The first one happened about a year prior but we attributed it to an accident where we were rear ended, even though it didn’t seem like the tire or rim could have possibly been hit in the accident, but In doing so the insurance paid it instead of us. Since then we have lost two more to the same thing. We have the 21 inch 8 spoke rims. Always crack around the out lip of the rim. No other visible damage to the rim.
cybereyes
A few years back, my neighbor leased a BMW 3 Series for his daughter's daily commute to her nearby college. I think she located every pothole in NJ with her car. The guy had to replace 5 wheels during the 3 years of the car lease. He also had to replace a few of the tires due to sidewall blowout. The large wheels and low profile tires look nice, but they produce a very hard ride and the are fragile.
A heavy vehicle on 21's with low profile tires just doesn't provide a lot of rim protection. There's always cases of certain rims not being up to the task but if you're going to keep the car maybe consider going to smaller wheels and more sidewall.
Yes it can be a manufacturing defect. Idk the details but that can happen in the manufacturing process where there will be a sort of fracture and once an impact happens it can make itself known.
If you are hitting potholes though or were subject to a rear collision as you said then that can also be the problem too. It's difficult to say.
Are the wheels being purchased directly from Volvo?
If you are hitting potholes though or were subject to a rear collision as you said then that can also be the problem too. It's difficult to say.
Are the wheels being purchased directly from Volvo?
I hate to be "that guy", but curb rash, sidewall damage, and repeated cracked rims, all point to harsher-than-average driving style and / or road conditions. If the OP is unwilling to downsize the rims (at least for winter) then they will have to live with the fragility of the bigger rims. It's definitely a shame, because the XC90 was seemingly designed for 21s.
The 21” wheels on our t6 were easy to bend, but never cracked one. Can only imagine the issue being worse on a heavier t8/recharge and that’s especially annoying with no spare. As mentioned, dropping down to even a 20” wheel will reduce (but not eliminate) the chance of bending or cracking wheels. Better ride quality should also be a benefit. But if you want to stay with the same wheels, I’d expect the same results.
Ive been a lot happier with the 20” wheels and Vredstein tires than I ever was on 21’s with stock Pirellis or even 20’s with stock Pirellis
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Ive been a lot happier with the 20” wheels and Vredstein tires than I ever was on 21’s with stock Pirellis or even 20’s with stock Pirellis
Tire overinflation is possible too. It's easy to do.
Curb rash is not something that 'just happens'. It is a result of driving your car into a curb. We've all done it -- but our cars don't do it themselves.
Tire bubbling can, and does, happen randomly. Potholes can do it of course, but yes, some tires are just crap.
Curb rash is not something that 'just happens'. It is a result of driving your car into a curb. We've all done it -- but our cars don't do it themselves.
Tire bubbling can, and does, happen randomly. Potholes can do it of course, but yes, some tires are just crap.
If anything I'd be thinking underinflation as a contributing factor here. That and sharp inputs from the road surface, ie, curb cuts, broken pavement, potholes, uneven transitions.
It's odd, for as popular as these cars are and how many swedespeeder's own them, we don't read/hear about multiple instances of broken wheels and bubbled sidewalls. Makes you wonder...
Anecdotally (by observing shoulder wear and bending some wheels myself) manufacturers have a tendency to lower the recommended pressure for NVH and ride quality. My specific numbers won't apply to your wheels, but on my cars I'm around 3 psi over the door sticker - which does indeed sometimes make the difference between a bend and not.
Do you have pics of the cracks? I have cracked 2 rims in my years of driving and bent 1. The impact that caused the cracks was unforgettable. Barring some weird manufacturing defect I cannot fathom you being the only T8 in your town with those rims so there should be other examples. If not then it is impact related.
I actually forgot to mention that I have had a cracking issue on 1 wheel before. So it happens but it is very rare unless there is a big impact or something weird. I got a good deal on 2 of them so I just did that. I didn't go to Volvo.
I will say that if there is an impact they usually won't crack normally, they will normally just bend. So the crack to me wouldn't line up with an impact so much. However depending on the type of hit it can crack the wheel too especially if there is a defect already there. So that's why this can be a hard case to show to Volvo.
I will say that if there is an impact they usually won't crack normally, they will normally just bend. So the crack to me wouldn't line up with an impact so much. However depending on the type of hit it can crack the wheel too especially if there is a defect already there. So that's why this can be a hard case to show to Volvo.
We also have a MY19 XC90 T8 but with 22" summers and winters (both Pirellis), driven 60k miles in New England. No rim cracking issues EXCEPT losing 2 rims in a nasty, nasty, nasty (did i say nasty?) man-eating pothell.
Tire pressures are checked every ~2 weeks to help prevent under-inflation which may aid in damaging rims. Tire pressures are definitely kept above the door sticker value but at a value not too high (determined after some trial and error) to generate a bumpy ride.
Enjoy your rims and good luck!
Tire pressures are checked every ~2 weeks to help prevent under-inflation which may aid in damaging rims. Tire pressures are definitely kept above the door sticker value but at a value not too high (determined after some trial and error) to generate a bumpy ride.
Enjoy your rims and good luck!
A car that has extra large wheels these days that are super pricey along with super pricey tires to replace (as long as they are in excellent condition, especially if new) certainly deserves a look at the Volvo wheel and tire extended warranty. I think it was around $1200 or so and that can easily pay for itself if you mash one wheel up and its tire. Also gives you peace of mind to drive it like you stole it and never really worry.
You are not "that guy" I 100% agree with you. I'm a wheel whore, also have owned several BMWs, and I can tell you the exact 2 times I have ever come close to a curb or hit a pothole. The curb action was 2 times, a total and complete accident and it sent flippin chills down my spine when I heard it and I was embarassed and disappointed for myself. I hit a massive pothole last year on an off ramp that opened up and was GAPING. Bent one of my front wheels on the BMW so badly on both sides, it would no longer hold air. These wheels had a custom finish, which was difficult to match, so this meant all 4 had to be refinshed AGAIN. You can see where this is going... Stay far the F away from curbs as much as possible, do not tailgate other cars and give yourself enough room to dart around the potholes and you should be good to go.
I lived in and around the city of boston for many years, never scratched a single curb, so if you learn how to parallel park properly and are adamant about protecting your wheels, you can avoid them, it's not that hard. Maybe if you have upgraded wheels it makes you all the more paranoid so you are extra careful, could be that too.
#1 we still have no pics of this damage, to show the approximate location of where these cracks are occurring so we can provide feedback.
#2 Tires do not just "create bubbles on the sidewall" on their own, unless the tire is absolute **** to begin with. This is distinctly from hitting a pothole which compromises the sidewall and can cause an expansion which leads to the bubble, or a compromised sidewall from rubbing a curb, which then leads that area to bubble over time due to the compromised rubber.
#3 I've been in and seen cars destroy a track, putting so much stress on the tires you wouldn't believe they could handle it, and zero sidewall bubbles or cracked wheels. There were even some ruts on the track and the tires hit them HARD, and at speed, still no sidewall issues.
#4 I may have missed this, but what was the brand of tires you are using? what brand did you change to? If these are LingLong tires or some other no-name brand I will just stop responding now, not that they can't be good, but may not have nearly as good QC as leading brand tire manufacturers.
^^^ all of this.
@trizzuth In 2014 my dad had a really nice, special-ordered 535xi MSport. Heading to Logan airport one day, he hit a pothole at probably 80mph and shattered the rim. I think it was $1200 to replace the wheel and tire. That was when I think he realized the BMW lifestyle was a little too pricey for him. The car was gone by the end of the year!
In 3 years of driving, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've hit a curb. I don't think this makes me special or anything. I will always maintain that a.) parallel parking is much harder when somebody is in the car with you, for some reason, but that b.) it's something that people shouldn't be afraid of. I'm a half-decent parker, but nobody's perfect. I remember lightly munching a curb with my S60 as recently as a few weeks ago -- I had forgotten about the turn-circle limitations of the FWD 5cyl cars. It helps that my rims were already destroyed by the previous owners!
When I was 16 and first driving in my dad's hand-me-down Volt, I remember parallel parking somewhere near my work (in a town with lots of tall granite curbs) and actually scuffing the trailing edge of my front bumper, not my wheel. Not sure how I managed to do that, but I was appalled at myself. The point was moot 10 months later when I totalled the poor thing on black ice.
Now, in an attempt to be helpful to the thread author: a lot of us seem to agree that the 21" wheels aren't cracking themselves. No shame in you / spouse / kids / etc hitting the odd pothole or kissing some cement. That's life!! We just can't make many helpful suggestions until, as others have requested, we get more info.
In 3 years of driving, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've hit a curb. I don't think this makes me special or anything. I will always maintain that a.) parallel parking is much harder when somebody is in the car with you, for some reason, but that b.) it's something that people shouldn't be afraid of. I'm a half-decent parker, but nobody's perfect. I remember lightly munching a curb with my S60 as recently as a few weeks ago -- I had forgotten about the turn-circle limitations of the FWD 5cyl cars. It helps that my rims were already destroyed by the previous owners!
When I was 16 and first driving in my dad's hand-me-down Volt, I remember parallel parking somewhere near my work (in a town with lots of tall granite curbs) and actually scuffing the trailing edge of my front bumper, not my wheel. Not sure how I managed to do that, but I was appalled at myself. The point was moot 10 months later when I totalled the poor thing on black ice.
Now, in an attempt to be helpful to the thread author: a lot of us seem to agree that the 21" wheels aren't cracking themselves. No shame in you / spouse / kids / etc hitting the odd pothole or kissing some cement. That's life!! We just can't make many helpful suggestions until, as others have requested, we get more info.
Thanks for those stories @BenjaminD ! I think if the OP posted up some pictures of these cracks as originally asked for, we could have a better look any may be able to offer some feedback, but without seeing these cracks, it's a crap shoot!
One of those 2 times I curbed one of my wheels it was a replica style 5 BMW wheel with pretty nice lips, the flippin tire and edge of the wheel actually rode up and onto this 4 inch curb, then dropped down and proceeded to leave a nice 1.5" chunk of the aluminum lip sitting on the curb that I got to bring into my work as a desk ornament immediately after. God that sucked!!
Best method I use is to find your spot, make sure it's not too tight, pull forward ahead of the spot, lower the passenger side view mirror (the Volvo can do this automatically when in reverse) just enough so you can see the curb and rear tire and use that as a guide to back into the spot. NEVER pull into a parallel parking spot driving forward, even if there is a lot of space, you WILL destroy a wheel doing this as you attempt to get closer to the curb. Going in reverse provides far better control for this action.
One of those 2 times I curbed one of my wheels it was a replica style 5 BMW wheel with pretty nice lips, the flippin tire and edge of the wheel actually rode up and onto this 4 inch curb, then dropped down and proceeded to leave a nice 1.5" chunk of the aluminum lip sitting on the curb that I got to bring into my work as a desk ornament immediately after. God that sucked!!
Best method I use is to find your spot, make sure it's not too tight, pull forward ahead of the spot, lower the passenger side view mirror (the Volvo can do this automatically when in reverse) just enough so you can see the curb and rear tire and use that as a guide to back into the spot. NEVER pull into a parallel parking spot driving forward, even if there is a lot of space, you WILL destroy a wheel doing this as you attempt to get closer to the curb. Going in reverse provides far better control for this action.
I wonder if this occurs as often with the non hybrid variants. The extra weight must be a factor too.
The risk of damage comes from big 4,300+ pound cars on large heavy wheels that roll on wide tires with narrow sidewalls. Those skinny sidewall tires are fine for smooth roads but don't have enough shock absorbing margin to take on potholes.
Non-hybrid T6 and T5 XC90's do reasonably well on 20" and smaller wheels. Add more weight and/or go with skinnier tires and the chance of wheel damage will increase.
Non-hybrid T6 and T5 XC90's do reasonably well on 20" and smaller wheels. Add more weight and/or go with skinnier tires and the chance of wheel damage will increase.
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