I am taking delivery of my new CyberGray Gransport on Friday (09 Coupe going back to GM for buyback) and I have been reading all of the faster, better, stronger posts that have been dominating the forum.

In reality, who cares?!? If there are less than 1% of the members of this forum who are talented enough to extract 0.2 faster times that would be shocking. All Vettes are fast, handle great, and none of us (except the very few) will ever drive our cars at the limits they are designed to handle. The threads should really stop.

The GS is really about aesthetics (Wide Body, Big Tires, Brakes, etc...). The funny thing to me is reading all of the comments on how ugly the badge over the gills is because it is "Gaudy" chrome.

I find this funny because Corvettes still suffer from that "mid-life crisis" and gold chains reputation that the 80s and early 90s gave it. To this day, it is still the only sports car that predominantly is sold with "heavy" chrome rims. If most get the chrome rims, how can a little chrome badge be cheesy.

Seriously Porsche, Ferrari, Lambo, BMW, Merc, Audi, etc... have moved so far away from chrome rims and trim because they are so 80s flashy.

Personally, I dislike chrome rims. I prefer painted or polished. more with the times. Not cheesy. No stigma attached.

I know its personal choice, but look at the inventory at Kerbeck, Boardwalk, Les Stanford, etc... and 90% of all the cars are sold with Chrome wheels. That little badge on the GranSport can't be that bad.

 

I agree with you on the chrome badge but if you are dissing the chrome rims to make your point, you lost me. I have black rims but still love the chrome one's too.
Enjoy your GS.

 

I don't really care for chrome rims either, of course that's just my personal choice. GM really should look at updating them, but considering the economy and GM's position it's tough for them to keep Vettes somewhat affordable.

 

I'm a certified "chrome hatter" Very little if any for me. A little fender badge isn't a big deal but some people don't know when to stop.

 

As far as the wheels go, I think most people just got chrome because of the milky inconsistent finish quality of the polished wheels only to have the clear coat start peeling soon after a slight stone chip. Some people were stripping the polished wheels and polishing them almost to a chrome finish anyway.
As far as the chrome add on/ gold chain syndrome goes, it is still alive and well. Just go to a few car shows and you will see plenty of c6 cars all geeked up with louvered taillights, plate frames , billet grills, side marker chrome surrounds,chrome headlight eyebrows, chrome corvette letter inserts, chrome friggin engine covers,chrome battery and alternator covers and in more cases than not, the owners with their thick gold chains that match the bling of their car. Especially in Florida.

 

Yeah, these manufacturers are real tools. Nobody does chrome anymore, it sooooo old school.......
I'm sure there's an anti-chrome audience. As for the badge, chrome or color matched would work, I would prefer color matched with 09 spider wheels.

 

I think the badge would have looked great in Carbon Fiber. Am not a chrome hater, I love my chrome wheels on my black vette. They go with all the big medallions and chains I wear with my 80's silk disco shirts and leather pants......

 

Looking back at American car history, American cars always had some chome on them. Both my Vettes have chromed wheels.

I would not put chrome wheels on a foreign car like Porsche, Ferrari, Lambo, etc.

BTW, my chrome wheels get lots of compliments.

 

You wear a chrome hat?

 

I'm already sick of the carbon fiber look primarily because it is way overused as a cosmetic effect. CF is trying to be the new chrome but it fails miserably IMHO. The badge would look better as the same color as the car with the lettering as a contrasting color.

 

What chrome?

 

One of the beauties of chrome is its durability and ease in upkeep. It's harder than paint. Easy to wash brake dust off without fear of pitting like with aluminum or painted wheels. Windex makes chrom shine. Twinkle, a grocery/hardware store product treats chrome nicely too. After washing the vehicle, wipe Twinkle on and hose off. Dry vehicle as normal. It gives chrome a nice look and leaves a bit of a protective finish on it. I've used it on the chrome engine components of my bikes for almost 2 decades.

Maybe what people dislike about the little badge is the car is otherwise "clean" looking. Adding protusions such as the badge detract from the lines. I for one dislike the "gills". Too much of a good thing is too much. Not hateful, just my preference to my eye. That's one of the things I enjoy and admire about the C6 - it's clean lines and simplicity. Of course in the cockpit that translates to lots of electronics behind the scenes that will be expensive to repair or replace.

Perhaps the real truth isn't the chrome badge that has people raising their ires. Perhaps it's their sinful nature of pride? What they like and dislike is somehow translated into right and wrong? People can take things personally and get very emotionally upset when the world isn't as they expect it to be or as they think it should be. Again, that's what pride does to people. They cling to things that hold no relevance. Perhaps that's why some are upset with the badge and why other just don't prefer it. Let's not lump the two groups into one. Nice post, OP.

 

I agree with you all the way until you get to the chrome wheels part, I like alot of different wheels but I prefer chrome on my white coupe which seems to be another unpopular choice.

 

Congrats on getting into a GS

 

The chrome piece over the shark gills is missed placed and you don't have to have a lot of artistic atributes to notice it is crooked.

 

it takes a certain car to pull off chrome...a vette being one of those cars...a Ferrari, NOT being one of those cars. Some of it can be ghetto, but its all on how tasteful it's done in the end-same goes for carbon fiber.

 

 

:o
works better than tin foil

 

Chrome rims on a black C6 is the look I fell for when I bought mine.