The adventure continues as I tackle the one thing that bothered me most about the new Camaro…the wheels. The Rapid Blue Camaro that I ordered had the argent silver RS wheels. Once that order became unbuildable, I found a white car on another dealer’s lot. Unfortunately, it was equipped with black wheels.
Related article: Car Shopping: Time for Plan B
I’ve had a number of cars with black wheels over the years, and painted even more with black paint or PlastiDip. I think the trend started about ten years ago, when luxury car makers began putting black wheels on their basic models. Since then, they have become very popular and are an option on nearly every new car.
The downside with black wheels is that you lose the design of the wheel to the sea of blackness. That’s easily resolved with either paint or a wheel replacement. I enjoy painting wheels, but opted for different wheels in this case.
Related article: I’m Done With Black Wheels
Shopping for Wheels
Wheel shopping is almost as fun as car shopping, as the choices and varieties are endless. Depending on the vehicle, I have two good sources for wheels: TireRack.com and Facebook Marketplace.
I really like TireRack.com when looking for a tire and wheel combination. They mount and balance the tires/wheels and ship them at no cost. When that stack of tires/wheels shows up on your front porch, it is like Christmas morning!
If new wheels are out of your price range, then the next best thing is buying a used set from Facebook Marketplace. I really wanted the factory wheel in silver or gray, and was able to find a nearly new set on Marketplace. In fact, I found several sellers with the same wheels for sale so I went with the one who had the best price and was the most responsive.
The seller I bought these wheels from took them off his Camaro within the first 1,000 miles. He wanted black wheels, so was happy to sell these to me. One of us is on the wrong side of the wheel trend, and I don’t think it is me!
Curious about price? I paid $800 for all four wheels, which included lug nuts, center caps and the tire pressure sensors.
Installation
Unless you have a tire changing machine and wheel balancer at home, a tire shop will need to handle the wheel swap. My preferred place is Discount Tire. They do great work and offer lifetime tire rotation and wheel balancing with the installation fee ($24/wheel).
This is the easiest part of the wheel change process. I made an online appointment, dropped off my car and wheels and walked over to a local coffee shop. By the time I was done with my coffee, the vehicle was ready.
Final Thoughts & Questions
I am really happy with the transformation made with the new wheels. As luck would have it, my buddy has a Camaro with black wheels, but a different design than my old ones. He liked the gloss black of my wheels versus the flat black that came on his car. We swapped wheels, so I now have another set of wheels to paint and have ready when I get bored with my new silver ones! I have a color in mind for the extra set of wheels (Warm Gray Metallic). That’s a project for Fall or Winter.
Are you a wheel snob like me? Let me know your thoughts, or if you have any questions. You may email me at wct.billtaylor@gmail.com, or message me through the Vehicle Nanny Instagram or Facebook pages.
Previous Camaro Project Articles: Camaro Project 1: Emblem Color Change; Camaro Project 2: DIY Vinyl Graphics
Looks great!!! Although you know I’m behind on the trend as well, I still love black wheels and truly appreciate you making my dream of glossy black wheels a reality on more than one occasion. Thank you my friend!
You are welcome and likely in line with the real trend! I live in a different reality when it comes to cars. Actually, in real life too!