When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
My black used car came with them, and I was never a fan, feeling they spoil the clean lines of the car. But It was never a big enough problem to make me want to explore a possible game of paint fade surprise if they came off.
Then, I was browsing through some posts about speed runs and a poster mentioned they help keep the car planted above 100mph. So now, instead of spoiling the lines, I have a speed accessory that others , perhaps with prettier cars, lack. At least that's what I read, once, and I'm going with it, because it's the only positive thing I have ever come across in discussion about these things.
I always figured they were a dealer add on for suckers, because that is what they look like. my mind is easily turned to suspicion with most car transactions.
The only people who need BSM are folks who drive their cars. Garage queens and show cars look better without that option. Who would want a practical option on a car only used as a foolish hobby?
If you know what makes these things practical, please fill me in.
Because I have a perfectly good set stuck on the sides of my car, and would appreciate being able to say they were good for something besides screwing up the looks.
In the hundreds of posts I have read about the BSM, all negative, I have only once heard of something positive, they were an aerodynamic aid for stability at speed . Yours would be the second positive post about the BSM , and as an owner, I am looking for some pride of ownership, or at least reason for the things , beyond spoiling the looks, of course. Thanks in advance for your reply and time.
Last edited by strand rider; Nov 14, 2017 at 06:34 AM.
From: Dear Karma, I have a list of people you missed.
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
If BSMs have been on the car for several years then, depending on paint color and how the car has been stored (or not) the surrounding paint may have faded slightly from sun, etc over time. Sometimes when things (BSMs, decals, logos, etc) get removed it exposes the original unfaded paint and is very obvious.
From: Dear Karma, I have a list of people you missed.
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
Originally Posted by mrr23
i like them. painted mine silver.
Cool. Never seen that combination. Silver and dark green go well together. Ever think of adding another very small touch of silver, say to the door handles? Not the entire oval section necessarily, just the flip part that gets pulled up on.
Or, in the alternative, maybe a small silver accent line on, or around, the mirror housing?
My black used car came with them, and I was never a fan, feeling they spoil the clean lines of the car. But It was never a big enough problem to make me want to explore a possible game of paint fade surprise if they came off.
Then, I was browsing through some posts about speed runs and a poster mentioned they help keep the car planted above 100mph. So now, instead of spoiling the lines, I have a speed accessory that others , perhaps with prettier cars, lack. At least that's what I read, once, and I'm going with it, because it's the only positive thing I have ever come across in discussion about these things.
I always figured they were a dealer add on for suckers, because that is what they look like. my mind is easily turned to suspicion with most car transactions.
I can assure you they do nothing for downforce, on yours or any car. They might save you from a door ding in a very rare case.
From: Gilbert, Arizona Currently Own: 1998 Coupe YouTube: My Corvette Life
I actually like it either way. I normally don't like extra crap stuck on my cars, but the BSM is so synonymous with the C5 design it looks normal to me.
Last edited by Chris Draper; Nov 14, 2017 at 03:23 PM.
Just my opinion, but bsm give the car the forward motion look, as if it moving, while still being parked.
When I started looking to buy a Vette five years ago, bsm was one criteria.
I would not have bought one without it.
Corvette's are all about motion, in their design, and the bsm only adds to that look of continuous motion.
I just looked up some info but it doesn't pertain to all models because in 1998 there wasn't a FRC or Z06. There were just over 31,000 1998 Corvettes made (coupe and vert) and just over half of them 17K+ had BSMs. Regardless of anyone's opinion, they were popular or at least GM thought they would be. Asking whether they look good or not is not a group decision. It's your car, so you decide. They were designed to protect a car from door dings. It was later found to have some slight beneficial aerodynamic properties. But the bottom line is, you should decide, and not depend on others whose opinions may or may not be the same as yours or mine. It's your car not theirs. If someone else doesn't like it, then as they say in Russia, "tuffsky shitsky". GL on ether way...with or without.
Cool. Never seen that combination. Silver and dark green go well together. Ever think of adding another very small touch of silver, say to the door handles? Not the entire oval section necessarily, just the flip part that gets pulled up on.
Or, in the alternative, maybe a small silver accent line on, or around, the mirror housing?
