stanfan

I'm a new owner and would appreciate some advice on upgrading the wheels on my '99 mag red vert. I have standard "wagon wheels". I want to preserve the "stock look" and have decided I want to buy either polished or chromed "thin spokes" (ie that have the profile of the OEM wheels for '01-'04). I have heard of problems with each type of wheel...chrome flaking off or thin spokes getting scratched/getting dull. I would love to hear from Forum members as to the pluses and minuses of the two options. Also, your suggestions on the best manufacturers/vendors of the two types of wheels would be helpful. Thanks!

pec98

If you buy imported wheels you may be asking for problems. Many are hard to balance(without the use of excessive weight) and any type of racing will void your warrenty. My z06 replicas used 3oz of lead on each wheel to balance, with the lead on the outter side of the rim. On this type of wheel its hard to hide that much weight behind the spoke.I have read that some after market wheels are better than others , however mine are from Discount Tire and the brand is TOPLINE. I think they are absolute CRAP and I hope a factory Rep reads this and offers to refund me my money. As I will continue to post my opinion of this product indefinately!

WetteVette

My '97 has chrome thin-spokes that one of the previous owners purchased.

So far they have held up very well.

Sorry, do not know who manufactured them.

34RedRage

when i purchased my c5 the first mod i did was get rid of the cheap looking chrome 5 spokes and upgraded to oem polished 5 spokes and they look great....

Mr.Bill

I have a set of thin 5 spokes (GM) Factory sitting around, Is this something like you are looking for? I replaced my factory with 5 spoke C6 wheels.

WetteVette

I've gotten a lot of comments on my chrome 5 spoke wheels. But "cheap looking" has never been one of them!

I think it's just a matter of personal choice. Some like chrome, some like polished.

I'm just glad the previous owner had the good sense to get rid of the "cheap looking" wagon wheels!

Vega$Vette

Best bang for the buck is probably oem polished thin spokes.

34RedRage

totally

Luv My Vette

The only problem with the polished is that they are a Bi#$%tch to keep clean... But IMHO nothing looks better clean than polished

Vega$Vette

OEM Polished are clear coated.

Y2Kvert4me

The OE polished wheels are clearcoated. They are no more difficult to maintain than the paint on your car. They will never look as brilliant as chrome or an uncoated wheel though.

An uncoated polished wheel is more work to keep looking pristine, yes.

34RedRage

if you keep a good coat of quality wax on the clear coat they are easy to clean and will keep there shine for a very long time

tricep

This was right after I stripped the factory coating off of them. I hadn't polished them yet. They are EZ to keep clean, but then, I also live in Cali...

34RedRage

what did you use to strip your wheels?

tricep

Took the wheels off. Did NOT take the rubber off. Used a throw-away paint brush and an old mason jar.

Brushed the stuff on neatly, let it set in for about 30 minutes. I could see the coating bubbled up.

Took the garden hose and squirt em' off. I had previously tried with a stripper from Orchard Supply (PAINT stripper that is...)

It didnt work. It just made a mess. This aircraft stuff REALLY works well.

All four wheels took me about 4 hours tops. I took em all off at the same time...

Can't think of anything else...

Oh yeah, do it outside in the open air. That stuff tears up your lungs real bad.

The stuff is made by Kleenstrip or something like that. Cant read the label w/o magnification I guess.

moserbe

I have a set of painted OEM thin spokes that I no longer need. As you can see above, you might be able to just strip them as Tricep did. PM me if interested.

GrandSportRob

Stanfan, I have a 99 like you..I got rid of my ugly wagon wheels for factory polished 00-04 thin spokes... Ordered them from www.gmpartsdirect.com It's the best mod you can make and reuse your factory sensors and tires...Looks like a whole new car afterwards!!

Vetteman Jack

Chrome will eventually peel, but not for a long time if you take proper care of them. Plus they just outshine the polished by a considerable margin. If you can find a set of OEM wheels that have been chromed, that may be the best way to go with a chrome set. It will cost you more for the set though than a reproduction wheel.

That being said, the OEM high polished wheels are still a good choice - I originally had them on mine and they were very good looking. They are very easy to take care of since they are clearcoated. The wheels do seem to get a bit dull over time - at least many of the ones I have seen do. Not sure if that is just the nature of the wheel or whether there has been some improper maintenance done on them. I sold mine about two years after I bought the car in order to put a set of chrome C5 Z06 wheels on there.

Choreo

The day I got my new 2001 C5 (9/23/00), I went to Discount Tire and did the Chrome Exchange Program and swapped out my polished thinspokes for the chrome thinspokes. Both my original set and the replacements set were Speedline Forged (Made in Italy).

I have driven the car everyday now for over 7 years and the chrome wheels still look like the day I installed them (no scratches or peeling). I do however never let the car go to bed dirty.

Wish I could find who sells new Chrome Speedlines just like mine - I might buy a backup set for the future.

I have had scores of positive comments on these wheels over the years.

Bell

I originally had the chrome thin spokes (see my avatar) and cracked one of the spokes at the base. Afterward, I was surprised at how many people I found on the forums that said the same thing happened to them (surprised because I had never run across any threads complaining about it). I replaced them with chrome Z06 replicas from WCC. I love them. No problems (except brake dust which I'd get with any wheels).