Cosmo Kramer

I'm in the market for a set of machine faced Z51 wheels. The OEM wheels are about double the price of aftermarket wheels. I know aftermarket wheel do not say "Corvette" on the rims, but what else is different? Can somebody post pictures of aftermarket wheels next to OEM wheels?

Red C8 of Jax

Don't have any photos. For me the OEMs would be my choice. The OEMs are made with GM specifications and the aftermarket, who knows. You usually get what you pay for.

MikeyTX

This, plus, a lot of dealers will reduce trade value on a car with aftermarket wheels. It makes them wonder what else has been changed that they can't see.

Vetteman Jack

Usually one of the drawbacks to aftermarket wheels is they are heavier than the stock ones (there are some exceptions). However, if that is not a concern, there are some aftermarket reproduction wheels that are very good. I have a set of Factory Reproduction wheels on my C5 - they have been there since the car was new. The chrome is still in excellent shape and the wheels balance out perfect.

And if it ever gets to the point where you decide to sell/trade the car in, keep the OEM wheels and slap them back on if needed. I've never had a dealer offer me less for aftermarket wheels, especially if they are a popular style and in good shape. But I can't say every dealer works that way.

nmvettec7

I personally see nothing wrong with aftermarket wheels. I have aftermarket wheels on my 2014 Porsche and 2009 Jaguar and soon to be my 2015 Corvette.

There are millions of cars on the road with aftermarket wheels. The wheels are stamped and built to strong quality standards.

You can save up to 1/2 in price or more by buying an aftermarket product. There are many top name brands and most of the monoblock wheels are made overseas in an Asian country. That does not make them inferior.

I have pre-ordered a set of Z06 style 19 & 20 chrome wheels from a Corvette Forum vendor that carry a lifetime warranty on the structure and 2 years on the chrome.

Here is 2 of my current sports cars with aftermarket wheels that I have not had any reported problems with the wheels whatsoever.

I would agree, they tend to be slightly heavier in weight than an OEM wheel, but a few extra pounds does not bother me as I do not track my C7.

There are many CF vendors that sell aftermarket wheels and I have not seen any threads were a Corvette owner has made an aftermarket wheel purchase and has written a complaint about the quality here on the forums.

The topic of OEM vs aftermarket will always attract both Pros and Cons to the subject. Be sure to ask the vendor selling the wheels where they are made and if they have experienced any problems with what they sell. There are many reputable vendors and huge tire dealers like Tire Rack, Discount Tire, 1010 Tire, Pep Boys etc. that sell aftermarket wheels. And then there are thousands of smaller speed and tire shops that sell aftermarket wheels. The industry is huge as far as sales revenues.

Here are some of the brands that large aftermarket wheel dealers sell.

http://www.tirerack.com/content/tire...en/wheels.html

http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/ini...T%7Cpc%7C88001

MikeLsx

there are nicely made aftermarket rims, and there are not as good ones. I would never buy a cheap replica rim.

CRABBYJ

Cray Spider


OEM


Your call

1SG_Ret

If I were ordering a car, I'd opt for the OEM wheels I want at that time. If I had the car and wanted to add a set of wheels, I'd likely go aftermarket.

On resale you sell both sets with the car (to sweeten the deal to the private buyer). On a trade, you mount originals and sell the after-markets on Ebay, Craigslist or the Forum.

nmvettec7

MikeLsx:

Your statement is very vague and generic.

How do you differentiate "a cheap replica rim" from a good one.

What is your criteria? How do you tell?

Do places like Tire Rack and Discount Tire and the CF vendors sell cheap rims?

1FUNC5

What he's saying is there are well made aftermarket wheels with some even being lighter than item and there are a couple of companies out there that do cheap knockoffs of OEM wheels which are heavier and not as good of quality as OEM or even the better made aftermarket wheels.

nmvettec7

How do you differentiate "a cheap replica rim" from a good one.

What is your criteria? How do you tell?

jr3

Beautiful cars

Silver looks good in the sunlight.

1FUNC5

None of the replica wheels are made with the highest quality. Most are Chinese made. The quality of the finish isn't there, some require A LOT of weight and have even seen grinding marks in the barrel hidden under a type of finish to try and balance them out. A good quality wheel would be a forged type for instance..... Ccw, hre, 360 forged, forgeline, etc......

Kracka

OEM Z51 wheels are forged, most knock-offs are cast. Heavier and not as strong.

MikeyTX

This .....

MikeyTX

Yup ! And, I stand by my earlier statement. I have watched at several of the big three Chevy dealers here in D/FW knock down the trade price because of the trade in Corvette having aftermarket wheels.

SilverScorp

Out of all the four Corvettes I've owned, I have always replaced the OEM wheels with aftermarket/reproductions wheels. I have never had any issues with non OE wheels in the lifetime of any of my cars. Also, consider the fact that I actually drive my Corvettes on a daily basis all year (yes in the winter with ice..but not snow) and never had any issues with them at all. Reproduction or aftermarket wheels are just fine if you don't plan to do HPDEs, which is where the OE wheels are really built to perform.

Cosmo Kramer

Thanks, everybody, for your comments. Maybe a vendor who sells aftermarket wheels can post a side-by-side photo showing the appearance differences between their aftermarket wheels and the OEM wheels.

Crabbyj...........The OEM style wheels you posted are, I believe, are aftermarket wheels. I don't see the word "Corvette" on the rims.

nmvettec7

A CF vendor Docz-1stratecorvetteparts goes under several names. You can check out their aftermarket wheels at floridaspeedshop.com They also sell on eBay under customwheels05, floridaspeedshop1.

There is also West Coast Corvettes (WCC JOE) a CF vendor, House of Wheels a CF vendor. House of Wheels is also an eBay seller under houseofwheels982tj6

There are many CF vendors that sell aftermarket Corvette wheels under various names, but they are all the same companies.

These vendors have numerous styles of Corvette aftermarket wheels all at great prices and have very high rating for feedback on service, price and quality. You can also find their CF post under C7 Vendor for Sale section.

I currently have a pre-order for a set of (4) Z06 Style wheels for my 2015 Corvette 1LT w Z51 Appearance Pkg 19" & 20" for under $1060 shipped to my door. Here's what the wheels will look like. The OEM GM Z06 wheels are priced much higher than any aftermarket wheel that vendors sells them for. There is a substantial savings buying these aftermarket wheels vs OEM GM.

So hard to beat an aftermarket wheel.

Scoobydoobydoo

I bought a set of replica chrome Z51 wheels from a vendor here ( Bob from House of Wheels ). The weight was identical to my base silver wheels, weighing approx 26lbs in the front and 28 in the rear. Finish was excellent, the chrome looked great, and they balanced up with no problems. Since they were 18/19's I remounted my existing tires onto the replicas. Thus besides being about 1/2 the cost of OEM ones I was also able to save money by not having to buy new tires.