To Everyone Ordering a C7 ...Deciding on Wheel Options..
 

If I were ordering a C7 today I would consider getting the black wheel option no matter of the body color. Im not usually a fan of painted wheels but with all of C7s black trim/vents etc. Black wheels on this car ties the whole package together and I think they look sharp with every color they offer. I used to love chrome wheels but for some reason not on this design. The black wheels make the car look more modern and track ready.

If I was to track my Vette on other than an experimental basis I would get whatever wheel/tire combo that would give me a competitive advantage regardless of what they would looked like. For a "ready to track" look I would consider black or machined. For a sophisticated car look I REALLY like this:

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e1...626d11a391.jpg

I agree that the black wheels tie together all the vents and reduce their level of distraction. I personally would get the Lime Rock Green with black wheels, visible CF roof, and either Brownstone or Kalahari interior.

Looking forward to next year when it will be possible to (hopefully) see the colors in person and take a test drive.

-T

Black or non chrome silver wheels for me. Chrome imo looks out of place on a modern sports cars

Black if you are going to track the car, chrome for the street.

:iagree:

That is why I am getting the black wheels on my Laguna Blue Z51, visible CF roof and even the carbon flash black external mirrors and rear spoiler.

Agree on the black. The chromies were the only thing I found out of place on the C7 that I saw yesterday.

Yep great choices, the black wheels tie in with the rest of the black trim on the car. I think GM will be surprised on how many black wheel orders they will get.

:iagree: they pull your eye away from the rest of the car and not in a good way. The C7 design is complex and sort of flashy on its own so IMO the extra bling of chrome clashes with the basic design. Also you save some money too.

Black if you want a track/muscle look. Chrome if you want a sophisticated look.

Chrome looks nice but I feel they are too delicate for thedaily driving roads in the ny. Metro area. Too many pot holes.

Of go polished or painted. I need to see the cars in person to decide silver or black wheels.

Chrome looks nice but not for the roads in this area

JMO

Another problem chrome brings into the mix.

I've never been a fan of chrome wheels; in my mind they're too "Lexus" or "Buick". As for black wheels, they seem to just disappear the way they blend in with the black tires. As such, it seems like they lose their ability to serve as a design element. Of the Corvette wheels, my all time favorites are the machine-faced ones that came standard on the 2013 427 convertibles. Unfortunately, there's no machine-faced wheel available on the 2014 Z51 so I'll be going with the standard Z51 painted wheels which, by the way, look pretty darned nice IMO.

Is it possible to get the black Z51 wheels machine faced after purchase? Anyone know of some place that could do this?

I'm sure you could if you went to a wheel shop the kind that does aluminum wheel repairs and re finishing.

On Ken's C7 pricing thread I thought they were ................. http://forums.corvetteforum.com/1583743226-post1.html

I just decided on LB. I was against paying the $ for it, but I will drop from 3LT down to 2LT. I am for sure doing the black wheels, yellow calipers, and exposed CF roof. I am torn on the mirrors and spoiler though...:confused::confused:

On the C7 machine-faced wheels are available only on non-Z51 cars.

RQ1 Machine Faced Aluminum Wheels 1YY*7 only $1,495.00

Sucks for you Mike. Big time. :ack:

I thought so at first. Now that I've seen pics of the standard painted Z51 wheel, though, I feel much better; it actually looks quite good.

I liked the chromes on my TR GS vert, probably will not get chromes on my future C7 Z51 black vert, but may change my mind after seeing them in person.

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g7...em11062010.jpg

The painted wheels look much better than the C6's painted wheels. The C7 painted wheels are done in "sterling silver" which was the color they used on the Atomic Orange C6 convertible Indy pace cars.

Jimmy

Not a big Black wheel fan. But, have to admit the Black wheels on the Torch Red are calling...........

Agreed. If GM really wanted to change the demographic for this car they should stop offering chrome wheels. Nothing says a senior is driving this car better than chrome wheels. You won't find them on a Ferrari or Lamborghini. :ack:

GM knows who's buying the car, same old gold chain wearing guys.

I'm a bit confused. Is the black wheel selection an extra +495 or is that just for an extra set?

Extra cost. You do not get en extra set of wheels

They keep selling them because the dealers keep ordering their lot cars with them. :willy::ack:

Correct because its a high dollar option and they make tons of $ selling that option.

You're not surprised are you ? :D

Has anyone seen the C7 machine-faced wheel at any of the shows;
if so, please describe.

Got it. Thanks.

One of the test mules that has been pictured had them. Other than that, none of the cars seen has had them to my knowledge.

I am torn. I agree that if you get a light/ bright color car, the black wheels do a good job with the accents. For dark colored cars, there is not real accenting with the grills and vents because everything is already black, therefore, the chrome wheels really do the car a favor. But IMHO, chrome wheels on light colored cars still look great and you can not go wrong. I too will have to wait and see in person.

Seems that in most photos they are showing black or chrome. Would be great if, even if just in a photo, they would show the painted silver Z51 wheel

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/memb...ted-143817.jpg

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/memb...3-1-143820.jpg

Are these two photos one and the same painted wheel version?

I have been a chrome wheel person since I first owned a car. If I were ordering today it would be CG with the chrome Z51 wheels. Here's a close up I took yesterday on silver Z51 coupe in Panama City.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y10...psc6645b93.jpg

Yes, they are the same and they are the base wheel, not the Z51.

It is my understanding that when you order the RQ1 you get both the original wheels and the machined face aluminum wheels. IOW two complete sets of wheels at that additional price.

:thumbs: Oh not at all..

That is incorrect, you get only the machine faced wheels when you order RQ1. These are FACTORY installed option wheels.

The confusion was that the early order guide listed the FACTORY and DEALER installed wheels the same way, saying that you would have 2 sets of wheels. In the case of DEALER installed wheel options, you will have whatever wheels came on the car plus the dealer installed wheels.

Jimmy

Thanks for clarifying. I was just going off the latest Order Guide I saw. :cool:

These would look good on a silver car. Silver might be the only exception to stay with the standard wheel. For $500 I just think the black wheel gives you a fresh look matches the other trim and is a good bang for the $.

Me too....:lurk::bigears:bigears:bigears

You can get the latest, most up-to-date order guide here.

I agree, but painted especially black, might tend to get rock chips.

Thanks @Zymurgy. :cool:

Got my hopes up ... But it's still only C6 wheel pictures :(

Just to make sure I understand this correctly, we know this because RQ1 lists the wheel sizes in base sizes, not Z51 sizes; correct?

Whatever comes with the Z51 I'll go with. It's going to be replaced fairly quickly anyway. Little underwhelmed with the wheels so far but easily fixed via 360 Forged or HRE. I kinda like the base 5 spokes the best.

We know this because 1YY*7 means the car is a non-Z51. 1YX*7 are the Z51 cars.

1YY07 Corvette Stingray Coupe
1YX07 Corvette Stingray Coupe w/ Z51
1YY67 Corvette Stingray Conv
1YX67 Corvette Stingray Conv w/ Z51

Be careful when ordering aftermarket wheels to replace the underwhelming factory C7 wheels.

In the past many of us have ordered great looking wheels with little regard for the fact that we were adding weight and hurting the dynamics of our Corvettes.

This could be an even bigger issue with the C7 because Tadge claims they took great pains to keep the C7 wheels as light as possible.

It's hard to get aftermarket wheel companies to truthfully reveal the exact weight of a given wheel, but never again will I add unsprung weight to my car regardless of how pretty it might be. :ack:


New generation Corvettes often debut with boring wheels, they need to hold back so they can spice up sales in a couple years with more exciting wheel choices. If we like them we could upgrade then.


.

I would go with the body color mirrors and spoiler.

Got it. Thanks.

Roger that. Won't find chrome wheels on Porsche, McLaren or Aston Martin either. Audi and Mercedes Benz sell many more cars than Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston and Porsche combined, but I can't even recall the last time I noticed chrome wheels on those brands.

Nonetheless if you've just got to have chrome, I'm glad Corvette offers the option.

Chrome is over. (except for moms in 'bad ass' gold-package SUVs with grill guards)

A few years ago 90% of this forum was denouncing black wheels. My my how things change ....

I have chrome wheels on one of my black Mustangs and they look perfect.

Always have had chrome wheels on my Corvettes, including my C6 Z06. Both my wife and I have always loved them. However, when the C7 came out, my wife shocked me and said, "I want black wheels for the C7." Count me in as a black-wheel convert. Our C7 will have them.

It sounds like most of you people need to get a grip on yourselfs-:crazy2:...sounds like you-all have too much free time on your hands! :yesnod: LOL :crazy:
:woohoo:

It's like everyone is getting Corvette Fever! :rock:

This is some funny stuff! Oh yes black wheels are all the fad today, for at least the next few years. Its such a personal choice, stop trashing and stereotyping others who like different style rims. Im not a senior as other members have stated that you must be if you like chrome, i'm mid 30s. INHO black looks dirty and make the car look small, does nothing to make it shine, but to each let it be.

Black wheels for me. And I used to be a chrome wheel guy too.

Black is the new chrome...

70 to 80 percent of C-6's were purchased with chrome wheels. Get over it. If you want black wheels then get black wheels, but you won't get any oohs and aahs from me. :ack:

:iagree: partially. Chrome has too many issues over the long run and a little too showy. Black looks like someone stole the hubcaps and the wheel disappears. I want polished.

:iagree:

Polished or gray...but neither is offered :(

I'm waiting for the 3rd model year, 2016. Hopefully they will be offered by then.

Black wheels? I guess if you want to look like the Corvette Race team it is a great idea. On the other hand, as I have stated before, all the top designers use alloy polished or chromed, including Chip Foose. I would even consider black if the rims were polished. The solid black wheel is akin to a dirty dusty brake pad attack, I see lots of German cars with just the black wheels on the front. If you add the black side minors et al the car looks like an Army vehicle.
In my opinion , off course.

Agreed. I personally like the Z51 wheels and combined with the other enhancements, it made a no brainer to go that route.

Well I'm an old geezer who doesn't like chrome wheels and owns no jewelry, including gold chains, also not overweight. Looking to order a C7 before too long, waiting to see and drive one first. As for wheels I'm thinking machined faced Al but looking for a pic that shows them.

:iagree:
Polished or machined, here.

I was hoping the black would be black machined or black chrome. Painted wheels just don't do it for me.

On order:
 

Torch Red w/Black wheels/red calipers, A6, Z51 w Mag Ride, 2LT Kalahari, Navi, and NPP. Hopefully will be picked up in next allocation to dealer.

Although I agree with most of your assessments, there are plenty of good aftermarket forged wheels available.

I purchased a set of BC Forged last time around and they were light for their size (18: x 9.5"= 22# & 19" x 10.5"= 24.5#) and ALSO looked freakin' fantastic. They were also 100% custom in that you chose the offset and the hubcentric ring was not a cheap aftermarket deal but instead machined in to the wheel to fit your car.

Few things are more assinine that installing some huge overweight cast wheels on a proper sports car. If you are not willing to do it right, then just don't do it!

The last thing I would add is that large diameter wheels, even when the OD of the tire remains the same, is even a bigger hindrance to overall performance than wheel weight.

:iagree:
That's one of the reasons I ordered my C7 with the 18/19 wheel setup. That and the fact that it will be a daily driver. We have potholes here and I need more rubber between the rim and the pothole. The Z51 tires don't have much. Sometimes compromise is necessary though. Big brake options force a larger wheel diameter.

:iagree:

The wheel selection on both the z51 and non z51 packages are just not good enuf for me. I'll do 19 and 20 TSW Forged Nurburgrings with the same Z51 wheel and tire specs a week after I get the car:
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3...loads/1ooe.jpg

Nice wheel, looks like it might not be too heavy. It looks very similar to the wheels on the Transformers 4 Stingray that's been running around in Chicago filming for the last month or so.

It really would not matter if it's heavy - I'm retired and don't give a damn about peformance - I just love the look of the car....I mod toally for looks - I current run heavy Vossen CV3's:
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h3.../null-2117.jpg

When I purchased my 2011 "used" (5 miles) in August, 2011 (it was used ONLY in that there had been another titled owner) it had the stock base wheels. I wanted something different but was so happy with the deal I got that I said nothing at that time. The dealership charged me about 1/2 the cost of the factory option price ($1,995) to put the OEM option wheels on it about 3 months later. I don't know how they were able to do this but wonder if this is a possibility in any other cases.

I agree however chrome looks great if you also have the fuzzy dice hanging from the rear view mirror. :D

Some folks at Georgia Tech don't think the dice are necessary to complete the look.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c7-g...rgia-tech.html

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-m...o/IMAG0179.jpg

Sorry, to me the black wheels make the car look more like a tank

Wow, lots of bling from the standard silver calipers too...

To say that car is CLEAN........ I mean, look at that barrel :thumbs:

While black wheels would not be my first choice, I would absolutely pick them over chrome every time. All chrome wheels, IMO, look like wal-mart chrome hubcaps from aisle 4. They have no business on contemporary cars. A chrome lip looks good, but beyond that, these all chrome tin foil looking rims should be outlawed.

Chromed aluminum wheels..... if you don't like them :thumbs: but what is the point in denigrating them in that way? I just don't get it.

That picture is stunning. ....what a design, it even looks nice with the top off.

Sorry, was not my intention to hurt anyone's feeling on the matter (if that's what I have done), I was just venting my distaste for chrome wheels on contemporary vettes. I think it is time for GM to give them up already as other premium brands have.

you are not alone, I was very surprised to see them offered vs more machined/polished types...so over the top....

I'm heartbroken. :rofl: You would actually be in favor of limiting the choices people have for the wheels on their car? Why? What if popular opinion was strongly against whatever your personal preference was? Would you like that to result in the unavailability (outlawed) of your personal preference? I am seriously trying to understand that position.

Wouldn't get chrome either, nor would I get the the 4 inch chrome tip exaust...but the car still looks great!

Of course he isn't alone, there are a lot of folks who feel the way you and he does. But would you also please respond to the question I just asked him?

tips are aluminized stainless...far from a chrome look...

because most other cars in this class offer more polished/alloyed wheels instead of chrome. By offering chrome they are filling up the parts racks with a product that could instead be a machined face Z51 wheel instead.

I don't really care, I think all the wheel choices are pretty weak...as I wrote about above - mine are being changed the week I get the car...

What if GM has enough rack space for all those choices and even more?

Yes your right, I guess its the trumpet style that I can't get used to....

then have at it!...but that's dreaming...looks like they have space for 3 non Z51 types and 3 z51 types...and chrome takes up 30% of them....but I guess they kept them because their demographic is still older guys that like chrome...

These are the wheels which will be ready when my C7 arrives. They are HRE. They are polished. They are extremely cool. I am excited.


Z-51. 19" and 20"


http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/...psc4b6fc2a.jpg

now were talkin....

Now you are speaking for several broad age categories (yours and those older than you) too? :rofl: OK :thumbs: