LSKevin117

Hi guys, I've had my 2001 Corvette coupe with the thin spoke chrome wheels for a bit over a month now. I feel that these wheels really show the cars age. Since I'm in need of some new tires as well, I'd like to just go ahead and get a whole new wheel and tire setup on it pretty soon. I already know I want to go with an 18x9.5 front and 19x11 rear setup, and I'd like to get as wide of a tire as i can comfortably fit, which seems to be 305s in the rear and 275s in front.

​​​​​The problem I'm having however is deciding on a wheel color that will best fit my cars paint. I'll start by saying I have very mixed feelings on chrome wheels, part of me thinks they are ok depending on the wheel design, part of me thinks they are ugly no matter what. If I had virtually any other color car, I'd go with gloss black rims in a heartbeat. But I am really struggling to picture how my car will look with black rims. This color is pretty rare, and I have only managed to find one single picture of a DBGM c5 with black wheels, however, the very outside of the rim was red, so it is still a bit tough to picture what a full black wheel would look like. I know gold, brass, and copper colored wheels are somewhat common on other cars that are dark green, but I'd even prefer chrome over that. At this point, I have really taken a liking to the C6 Z06 style reproduction wheels. I am debating mostly between gloss black, black with machined aluminum, competition grey, or chrome. Competition grey is what is currently sparking my interest most, I've only managed to find a few pictures of c5s with comp grey C6Z style wheels, neither of course are dark green. It's very hard to tell from these pictures just how dark or light the grey is.

Anyways, if anyone has or knows someone with a DBGM or maybe even fairway green C5 with aftermarket wheels, please feel free to post some input and/or some pictures. And for those of you who don't, feel free to post your personal opinion on what you think would look best as well. I know at the end of the day that it is my car and I can do whatever I want with it, but at this point I am clueless as to what I want as I am really struggling to imagine how these wheels would look with this rarer paint color.

Here is a few pics for reference.




Note: I was actually taking a picture of the coolant leaking in that one, the water pump has been replaced and it no longer leaks. This just happens to be one of the only pictures I currently have that show the color of the car and the stock wheels pretty well, in most cases pictures, the car ends up looking black, like this:

K-Spaz

Badass looking car. Love that color. C5 thin Spokes in polished aluminum are my favorite wheel,.period

the only other choice I think I would put on that color car would be a light gunmetal Grey. Check out that color on the forgestar site. My personal thought is if you go to dark, it's going to look like hell. But to each their own.

ArmchairArchitect

I second vote gunmetal grey. In a wheel like the Forgestar F14's.

LSKevin117

Thanks for the nice words! And wow I'm surprised I haven't seen that color before. I do believe the Gunmetal F14s would fit my car very well! Definitely the best I've came across so far! Thanks for the suggestion!

LSKevin117

I agree! Thanks for the input, I'm not sure how I've missed these!

Vetteman Jack

Here are my recommendations:

C7 ZR1 style wheel in either hypersilver or gold: There are several current threads about this wheel on the forum with pics included.

Forgestar F14 in bronze burst.

Comp gray would look OK, but I just prefer something a little different.

JR-01

I think the car looks great the way it is. Nothing wrong with showing it's age. It was a good age. I am not a fan of trying to make older cars look like new cars.

K-Spaz

Not sure about gold. Hypersilver looks great HERE. I just assumed the OP was looking to get away from the polished alum look (which is my personal favorite). I like Bronze Burst, not sure it would be my first choice, but I ain't the OP.

This is sorta my thinking. I'd probably take a week and do a re-polish job on the thinspokes and go from there. Even if you weren't thrilled, you just doubled the resale value of your wheels, which are actually still in demand. Toque did a write up somewhere here (might be on his website) about re-finishing wheels. It's a BIG job, lots of hard work with your hands, but the end result is amazing.

Of the choices on the Forgestar site that I like, (BTW, their gallery for finishes sucks. Images actually open smaller than the thumbnails! )
Gunmetal
Bronze Burst
DDT
Anodized Silver

maybe Golden Bronze... eh...

I'm older, so who knows about my taste... I do not like 'Fad' colors. Back in the 70, I thought all the ridiculous colors on furniture and walls were abhorrent, and that white walls and traditional furniture were great. Turns out I was right.

I think all too often, people get a car and want the "New Wheels" thing, and they choose some wheel based upon how it looks on a website. The op is doing the right thing by thinking about what fits the car. IMO, if the car is a pos, then go ahead and get wheels that are loud and obnoxious. But if the car itself is beautiful as it sits, then keep the wheels cool but subtle, and make sure that when I look at that car from a distance, the wheels do not distract me from the CAR. That's the balance to strive for. Cars look awesome at a distance when in motion, maybe slow in a parking lot. They GRAB you, when the wheels help the car. Not when all you see is the wheels.

IMO, mill finish metals non-ferrous have been the peak of style for decades. Nowadays, you can get a zillion other colors. I say stick with metal based colors, and do not stray into the rainbow colors. Pewter, silver, Not even sure about gold. It'd have to be a really subtle gold. Grey, like mill finish low carbon steel, fine. Just not too dark on a dark car.

My comments are worth exactly $0.02...

'Shifter

For me, the Bowling Green (wonderful color BTW) is a really tough one to get a complimentary color wheel for. The factory silvery-color looks the best to me....especially on the Z-06 factory wheels.

Route99

I think a finish like the C5 Magnesium wheels (soft or faint gold tone), would look sharp with your color. Here's a link to an old picture of one with these wheels.
https://www.z06vette.com/forums/atta...een-vert-5.jpg

Evil-Twin

If you want to keep the car fairly stock looking, then a variant of any of the C5 wheels would work. " But " If you are looking to change the look and make that beautiful car " Pop ", I would consider a change in the look of the car. Wheels can make a very big impact on the transformation from a " stock looking car " to a more modern and upgraded look. If I were spending 1000 to 2000 dollars on my car and wheels, I would want to make that expenditure Pop. Wheels can make a dramatic difference in the look. If it were me, ( as a designer ) I would want to take this opportunity to make a personal statement. I would use the interior color as a que and go with a gold tone wheel ( or one with some gold in the core. One that would compliment the car and take advantage of the money spent to personalize your car. I would want to make the wheel selection an obvious departure from the stock look. Its a fine line between " a wheel that is too " In your face " and one that has a classic look.
Good Luck
Bill

dleibman

dleibman

kzoo-z

I think black wheels may look ok on dark days or at night when in fact your car will look black itself but on bright days when the green stands out... not so much....imho.

Fcar 98

This chrome wheel would look good on any color C5. This is a C6 Zo6 style wheel in C5 ZO6 sizes. Not an expensive wheel. They have been on my car for 8 years. I get a lot of compliments on this wheel.

'Shifter

I had a set of polished C5z wheels that indeed would have looked fantastic on green....

JR-01

Nice!

Fastbird

Personally, some kind of bronze always goes good with green.

neutron82

I was gonna say how about some ccw classics with bronze or gold centers, I think those would look pretty sweet

Fastbird

Yep! Or who's the guy with the Fairway green car and the bronze 5 star wheels? That one sticks out in my mind and I bet those would look killer on Bowling Green also.