[1]Automakers have always had a history of reaching out to aftermarket companies and collaborating on projects. Still, GM is famous for having made everything from wheels to brake pads in their cars, a business model that at one point made them the largest company in the world. Times are different now though, and lately there has been a lot more crossover between automakers and the aftermarket, especially for high-end vehicles like the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1.
There are problems, however, with shopping outside the company, as The Truth About Cars [2] discovered on the Corvette Forums [3]. Like many ZR1 owners, he had vibration issues in the steering wheel at highway speeds and soon discovered why; unbalanced rotors!
The Corvette ZR1 is made from an abundance of different aftermarket parts, including Brembo brakes and rotors. Now it’s important to note that many of the Corvette ZR1’s hit the road without any vibration problems at all. But others experienced vibrations in the steering wheel around the 75 mph mark. For a $100,000+ sports car, people expect better (despite the sheer awesomeness of the ZR1 in every other way).
The rotors were in total 1.5 oz out of balance, which doesn’t sound like much, but the vibration increases geometrically with road speed. The customer fixed the rotors himself, and later on received the proper rotors from GM after contacting some higher-up’s. GM is abundantly aware of the problem, having run out of “validated” rotors from Brembo, probably due to the unexpected popularity of the Corvette ZR1. GM and Brembo are both working on a process to ensure all rotors on future ZR1’s don’t have this problem, and really, what more can you ask?