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Those were Cray Mantas. They came with the car. Not my choice. I mean, I love mesh-center wheels, but not heavy cast ones like those Crays. I planned on replacing them with CCW SP16As with a gloss black center and polished lip, but ended up selling the car.
I went grey and there's times i wish they were even lighter. Or Bronze so they'd pop more (i may eventually powder coat them).
I've always said black wheels on anything makes the car look like it's floating. It's literally the biggest focal point of most cars... Hiding it with black paint kind of makes the car unbalanced on the bottom.
This has been a good thread with a lot of participation. Wheel discussion can transcend a generation or two of Corvettes. And like most thing, opinions vary . But the secret of life still remains. "To be happy." So trying to figure out what make someone happy is sometimes elusive, and many times quick decisions or spur of the moment choice are filled with buyers remorse. Even when people know they made a mistake and are just trying to live with it. Some will even defend their poor choice ( even a choice they personally made and personally regret )
Bill
As Ive said before... My car represents my style. My C5 was never dirty. Never. Things like brake dust is something to deal with. My cars never see any brake dust because its removed daily. Ive often said, " Black wheels are a lost opportunity " People buy Corvettes for different reasons. Some for transportation, Some for Performance, some for Style and personal fulfilment. Or a combination. I am no longer a go fast guy. Iv always had a head turner. Ive always had an exceptionally clean car. Ive always tried to make my car unique to me., Wheels contribute to the car's personality coupled with the owners vision of his own car. Looking at my car from a distance draws my eye to the void between the wheels wells. The number of colors found on the car contribute to the overall look. The balance of color is also important. If you car's color is mostly singular then adding almost any wheels works. The problem is My car the C7 has a lot of black area next to the torch red. A balance of 70 % Torch and 30 % carbon flash. ( Grill, front splitter, cross flags, Corvette logo, Hood intake, side mirrors, rear spoiler, side skirts, stingray fender emblems,) Adding a silver wheel to my C7 introduced a third significant color. This tri color look, is not complimentary to my eye..
where silver works very well with my typically singular Torch red C5 . My C7 is Black and red, not just red. To my eye its very obvious, My C7 with black wheels seems like its missing something in the wheel well area.
My C5 seems well balance with the silver wheels
Mostly Torch red with a second color of silver to define the wheels which work well together
My C7 seems to lack that balance because the wheel well area is not as defined
I hope people can see what I mean. The black wheels go with all the black on the car. but fail to be well defined. Adding silver wheels would define the wheels but would not compliment to total look of this car.
I went through a similar conflict decision with my '19 Z06. I went polished with my MSG C5 but didn't feel polished would look as good on an Arctic White with Carbon Flash trim. I couldn't bring myself to ordering the OEM black wheels because, similar to other black wheels, the cuts and design of the wheel disappears as you move away from the car and especially a white car, I didn't want the black holes look where the wheels should be. Even with painted, or non-black brake calipers, it just looks too dark for my eyes. That's why I chose the Transparent Smoke Finish Forgeline AR1s to match up with the Shark Gray vents.
Forgeline's Transparent Smoke finish is one of my favorite colors. I decided to go with Dark Smoke finish, for my CCW SP500's, but it was a hard choice.
This has been a good thread with a lot of participation. Wheel discussion can transcend a generation or two of Corvettes. And like most thing, opinions vary . But the secret of life still remains. "To be happy." So trying to figure out what make someone happy is sometimes elusive, and many times quick decisions or spur of the moment choice are filled with buyers remorse. Even when people know they made a mistake and are just trying to live with it. Some will even defend their poor choice ( even a choice they personally made and personally regret )
Bill
Wheels and tires are a personal passion and my favorite topic, here. I've seen quite a few C7's with dynamic rolling stock fitted so I'll post a few I like, later.
I was active back when it was pretty much Cragar 5-spokes & Centerline solids. Chrome bumpers & trim. Evolved to the blacked out trim, quickly followed by body colored trim.
My current black C5 looks good with the chrome lettering & chrome repo Z06 wheels (how I bought it). But the black C7s with black wheels I had grew on me.
But there are repo C7 ZR1 carbon flash wheels in my future once I'm settled on my performance mods.
The C5 portrays to me exactly what you said...it's never dirty, brake dust is always removed daily...it's a sleek/clean image with a good color scheme balance.
The C7 on the other hand looks more angry, rowdy...a car ready to get down and boogy whenever wherever. Given the fact that a third color is not to your liking, what about a simpler black wheel...something in a simple 5 spoke that MAY pop more due to the simpler style.
Like a Forgestar CF5 design.
I'm sure CCW/Forgeline make a similar 5 spoke design since I don't see you buying Forgestar
I guess I am kind of old school, I am not a great fan of any monochromatic wheel of any color. I like a polished lip and a contrasting center even if it's just brushed silver. I understand what you are saying about losing the definition from a distance. I hedged my bets with my wheels and went with a brushed black, which is more of a dark tint than true black. A couple of options that I think would look good on your car are dark bronze or brushed/satin silver with polished lip. Here is a picture of mine, even from a distance in low like you can still see the wheels.
What brand are those? A spider reproduction?I like the style and am looking for a graphite color.
Last edited by Ed Ramberger; Aug 26, 2019 at 09:45 PM.
Bill, the correct color combo you want for your C7 is definitely something you have to decide. I loved the combo you had on the C5 but I think for your C7 that current combo works great. You just need to stay within 15 feet of the C7 so you can see the wheels better.
Bill, the correct color combo you want for your C7 is definitely something you have to decide. I loved the combo you had on the C5 but I think for your C7 that current combo works great. You just need to stay within 15 feet of the C7 so you can see the wheels better.
Or, maybe it’s time for a new eye exam and a new pair of specticals!
Take that as a compliment.
