Beware - Eagle Rims !?

[doublevan2]

So there's another thread I had replied to on this - couldn't find it - brain dead - so update on my Eagle Rims (2002 vintage). Found another crack on my front rim (I had ditched a diff rim) just now while washing van from Mich trip.

I would recommend that anyone with "eagles" inspect their rims as a precaution before any long highway or off road trips. If your van tops 10,000 pounds I don't believe these brand rims are safe to mount/drive at this weight level. Gonna have to dump some $$ sooner than I thought !

[boywonder]

The other thread is here:


https://www.sportsmobileforum.com/fo...ine-31990.html

[TheLetterJ]

What is the weight rating of your particular wheel? What are the corner weights of your van? In 21 years of use, is it possible that the wheels could have ever been subjected to severe impact, or overloaded? I have 8 lug wheels with as low as a 2500lb rating, and others with over 4000lb rating, just because they bolt on doesn't mean the're correct for the application, no fault of the manufacturer.

Eagle has been out of business for several years anyway so it's not like some bad press is going to cost them any business, just trying to better understand the facts. I've personally killed MANY wheels over the years, not once from being over their weight rating, pretty much always from some sort of severe impact. The wheels on my van are the ONLY ones that have survived long enough to see 3 new sets of tires, but I don't drive this particular vehicle like BJ Baldwin... oh yeah, and they're Eagles.

[doublevan2]

Regarding Eagle wheels - mine are original to the 2002 van from SMB Fresno. It sat in an environmentally controlled garage for 17 years and had only 3,740 miles on it. Now its got just over 26,000. Not sure who BJ Baldwin is - I'm just informing members of issues with my van wheels which obviously were not "rode hard and put up wet." My van weighs roughly 11,000 to 12,000 when loaded for bear. This cracked rim is now my second to fail. The thread that "boywonder" was kind enough to include/reply to above had other members who also seemed to have issues.

Yes I know Eagle is out of business - but I guess theres possibly a few hundred (?) SMB's on the road with Eagle rims ? Might want to closely check your wheels ??

[TheLetterJ]

So what is your wheel's load rating? It will be cast into the backside, can't miss it.

What is the weight on each corner of your van? What is the max GVW listed at? At 12k lbs, it sure sounds like a case of overloading to me, which again, is no fault of the manufacturer.

Any pictures of the failure?

I was going to say mine doesn't get driven like Ivan Stewart, but opted to name a more contemporary trophy truck driver (BJ Baldwin) instead.

[wahoo]

Where were your wheels cracking? I had that problem with "American" Baja wheels. All 4 of my wheels were cracked starting from the bolt holes outward. Was present with most of the bolt holes on all 4 wheels. When I got a front and rear suspension upgrade from a company we are all familiar with, I noticed them slathering up my wheel studs with lots of anti seize and questioned them about de-rating the 140psi OEM torque rating because of the anti seize. I was told that it didn't make any difference. It wasn't until a few months later that I removed the wheels and noticed the scary situation (no radical use at all). The OEM specs are for clean dry threads. It cost me replacing all 4 wheels due to that BS answer. My van weight is 9600#.

Watch when a vendor re installs your wheels. None that I have found are aware of that. As for how much to de-rate I do not know

[doublevan2]

wahoo - my rim spokes cracked maybe 4-6 inches off of the center/hub area - or maybe about the same from the outer edge of rims. Hair line crack all the way thru the spoke.

[wahoo]

Originally Posted by doublevan2

wahoo - my rim spokes cracked maybe 4-6 inches off of the center/hub area - or maybe about the same from the outer edge of rims. Hair line crack all the way thru the spoke.

Your problem is definitely different than mine. It was obvious to me that my problem was caused by over torque. The bolt holes were even mashed toward the center of the wheel causing hub cover to have to be removed from the wheel with some effort.
I think that the problem would only happen on cast aluminum wheels. Probably not on forged or steel wheels. But what is the shear strength of the studs??
All in all over torque is not a good thing.

[PatO]

By 2010 I started noticing my Eagle rims cracking through the center bore. I replaced a few of them and then went to other rims at some point. I believe the 140 torque requirement was too much for the thin area.

[pinsx3]

I have a long history with cast aluminum rims from Pro Comp.

three rims failed over two owners. I moved on to steel rims -- the best i could find.

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