I'm looking at picking up a slightly used (nearly new) set of chrome replica Z06 wheels. They are in good shape with a nice set of Michelin Pilot Sports on them. Seller said he purchased the car recently and wants to go the polished 5 spokes that came on the car, which is what I have so we're working out a partial trade. Anyone have experience - good or bad - with replica wheels. Still trying to figure out the brand but the seller believes they were purchased through Discount Tire. Thanks gang!

 

Nearly new..... brings up a red flag.... Why would a guy who makes the decision to buy new Wheels, go through the trouble of tires and balance ec, then after a short amount of time decide to get rid of them for Factory quality wheels.

The deal may be great, but it could also be bad. Why does the guy go through the trouble and quickly ( Nearly New ) want to get rid of them? Are you willing to take the chance that there is a problem?

I would never buy someone else's decision to sell Nearly New wheels. You see an even exchange, and I know right now that you won't care. You want a change and you see this as a way to do that with no money out of your pocket. IM sure you are looking for validation.. a way to blame people here when and if things go bad. Many replica wheels have been found to be out of round, extremely hard to balance, easily bent, poor quality, etc. Hit a pot hole with a cheap replica wheel and its bent. Hit the same pot hole with a forged wheel and there is no problem. Ive maintained this life lesson over the last 30 years. " I can'r afford to buy anything too cheap " it took me 40 years to understand that notion. Looking back 71 years, I would never buy anything too cheap again. No matter how good it looked. Good deals are usually not that good when it comes to automotive parts.

 

I wouldn't trade your OEM wheels for a set of replicas, its a bad deal on your end

 

Sorry, I must not have been clear in my post. The wheels were on the car when he purchased the car, but wants to switch to polished five spokes (wasn't offering to swap to factory Z06, unpolished five spokes, wagon wheels, magnesium wheels, etc.). He did not buy them new. It's not an even swap either. I understand the other issue you raise, which is why I posted. Just wondering if anyone has an experience to share.

Thanks

 

thanks

 

Keep your original wheels and get them polished, if you want some real shine. Done well, polished wheels can come close to a chrome look. Replica wheels usually are foreign made and of lesser quality, not to mention the quality of the chrome plating. Caveat emptor.

 

I know how to read... You said the wheels were nearly New.... with a nice set of Michelins. I don't care if he bought the car with them on it... He must have told you they were nearly New, otherwise you would not have mentioned it, or you really don't know how old they are and just looking for validation. He wants your wheels because he know they are factory quality, and for whatever the reason, your wheels are much more valuable and credible then a set of used replica wheels, with no real evidence of their quality or age. Replica wheels that look good but are of poor quality can easily be subjected to the most minor road damage in the form of balance and concentricity. even though they may look aesthetically perfect.. Too many opportunities to make this a bad deal for you, but a good one for him.
Bill

 

Bill, not trying to offend. Clearly you can read. The points/concerns you raise are my concerns and is why I posted. Not looking for validation but rather experiential feedback. Thanks for your thoughts.

 

If it were me, I'd keep the Oem thin spokes. Trading oem quality wheels for a replica wheel of lesser quailty would be a bad deal in my opinion unless ur thin spokes arent in great condition.

 

There are some wheels produced in a oriental country (guess where) that are not good wheels. With that said, there are many well made wheels available that both look great and are well made. I have a set of 'knock off' ZR-1 wheels on my 2001 vert and they have been great wheels, with no balance problems or chrome problems. I can not count the folks that compliment me on the look of my wheels.

I'd attempt to find out who manufactured the wheels and go from there.

 

I don't think you were being disrespectful to me... I know when I am being disrespected...

However, as a student of internet body language. I can see that sometimes, a person might be blinded by what they think would be a good deal, with the motivation to make a change with little to no investment or chance for grief..

Some times they post things like nearly New, as if they were trying to talk themself into some thing and make it appear to be better deal then it really is, in the hope that others will see it the way you see it.. But when I challenged your input about being nearly new, you then went deeper into the fact that he bought the car with them on it and you really don't know anything about them with regard to quality or age, and how many pot holes the guy hit, or the former owner who may have dumped the car because of the ride aspect.

IN any event, its always good to get good honest feedback, from knowledgeable people, as oppose to sugar coating which is very present on this forum. IN this case ( just to show how poor this choice would be ) no one was been positive on this issue to support this deal. IN a forum where many people sugar coat everything, this is a case where there is no sugar coating.

I hope this helps with your vision of this opportunity.

Bill

 

Good point- Assuming you have the polished wheels, this would be a very bad move for you. You'd be replacing American made, forged Alcoa wheels with Chinese cold-spun crap with questionable metallurgy. Even if you have the painted (sorry, didn't go back to look), they're still a quality Speedline product with good cast quality.


Just find a set of Z06 wheels if you want them that bad. They pop up on eBay pretty often, usually for about $500-$700 a set.

 

Good advice from a man responsible for the merger of two Giants in shipping world between FedEx and United Parcel Service to create an even more unreliable shipping carrier. FedEx and UPS = Fed Up

Sorry "Fed Up" I could not help myself,, still think its funny.

 

I bought a car with chrome Z06 reproduction wheels on it. I would never buy them if I had the choice.

The chrome on most of the reproduction wheels will start to flake off. Mine still looked pretty good but you could see the inside barrels were starting to pit and flake.

The reproductions were heavy. The OEM are much lighter. I didn't weigh them, but it was a noticeable difference.

The reproductions are not made to the same specs. There are some little things that were different like the wheel lips used different weights (On my set two were one style and two were a different style wheel weight due to differences in the wheel lip.)

They also fit the center caps differently. Two of mine would work with the OEM center caps, but the other two were bigger and the caps were a little loose. (They worked with their own aftermarket caps.

If you want the shine, go with a set of the polished OEM Z06 wheels from an '04 CE Z06. They look very nearly chrome when they are cleaned and polished up. It may take some time to find them but they are around. I just bought a set a couple of months ago and they are on my car now.

Good luck.

 

Well, 2 of my polished OEM thin spokes were cracked. I bought the car in March, weather was atrocious. When I finally got to polishing them I could not understand why the 'black threads' were not coming off until I tested them with my fingernail. When I took them to my trusted wheel repair, he told me he 'would not and could not' repair them. Since it's been a looonnng time since I put aftermarket wheels on the car, I did as much research as I could and since budget was a concern, I bought 'Factory Reproduction' wheels from PYFC. I could not be happier, the wheels are about 2 lbs heavier, but since this is not a Z06 and I'm not tracking the car, I'm not worried about the weight. You will find lots of opinions due to experience here, remember that's all they are. Same arguments have been beaten to death by those who must buy Michelin tires and others who feel there might be another tire out there that's good for them. That's why we have lots of brands and styles.

 

Just to throw this out there - there are some aftermarket wheels that are quality made and hold up very well. My car came new with a set of Factory Reproduction C5 Z06 wheels on it (part of the Milestone Edition package) and they still look like new 13+ years later. No chrome peeling and they balance perfectly. They were made in the USA - stamped on the back side of the wheels.

It could be now that the same wheels are not USA made - that would be something to check. The OEM wheels are lighter in weight, but I have been happy with my reproduction wheels.

 

Not all replicas are equal, some better then others but also depends on how you will be driving the car. I for one would stick with the oem speedlines or get some CCWs

 

My Z came with chrome replicas. They were manufactured in the US in 2002 and they still look great. I don't know if they were rechromed, but I plastidipped them anyways because I wasn't a fan of the chrome.