Greetings from Maryland!

[TitaniumMan]

Delighted to join this impressive community of Vette enthusiasts. Looking forward to learning and giving back whenever I can. I'm blessed to own two Super Cars and a 'garage-mahal'. Check out my toy room where you'll find me when I'm not on the track!

 

[Tuna]

Howdy!

 

[TitaniumMan]

Thanks Tuna!

I appreciate the welcome, Tuna. Wow -- over 3,000 posts. That's dedication in anybody's book. Any sage-like advice for a newbie? I appreciate your time and interest in helping me make this experience a balanced give-and-take.I've already learned a ton!

 

[Rob]

Welcome to the Corvette Action Center!

 

[TitaniumMan]

Welcome to the Corvette Action Center!

Thanks very much Rob. You have one hellofa site here. I've only spent a couple of hours and it is amazing. No, really -- quite a cut above the vast majority of other car forums I've wandered through. And that's exactly how I often feel. Your site is very well organized, easy to navigate, intuitive, and simply loaded with information and activity.

I love my '04 Z06 Super Car, and here's a couple of shots of me doing what she was built to do...

 

[jrose7004]

Welcome to the

 

[Tuna]

Any sage-like advice for a newbie? I appreciate your time and interest in helping me make this experience a balanced give-and-take.I've already learned a ton!

That's a big order! I guess the best advice I can think of is to get involved with the "give-n-take" here in the CAC. There's something Corvette for everyone here.

I also see you have a CTS V. Checkout Cadillac V-Net | Cadillac VSport | Cadillac ATS-V| Cadillac CTS-V | Cadillac STS-V | Cadillac XLR-V also.

 

[TitaniumMan]

Thanks JR!

Welcome to the

Holy swollen wrist -- 8,000 posts? OMG that's a hell of a lot of writing! And, that's one shiny '07. Black-on-black? I love black and white cars with chrome wheels, even though they are a pain and break your heart when they begin to pit and peel. I have the high polish aluminum, almost chrome-look factory wheels on my CTS-V -- very close to an '02 to '04 Z06 wheel as you might have noticed -- and love 'em -- a total knock-out IMHO. LOL.

By now you know I have a silver '04 and needed a set of street wheels/tires between track days. I was going to spring for a set of chrome, but the after market Z06 wheels are junk. Many don't even have the correct 58mm offset! And let's face it, OEM is where it's at. I wanted REAL C5 OEM Z06 wheels, but the 'Argent Silver' color always clashes with the Machine Silver body paint -- they're close, but that's just it, there is no match it's of and bothers me. On the track, I could care less, but out tooling around, I wanted something different, yet total quality.

So, after considerable effort, I was able to find four new OEM Z06 wheels for my '04. My new wheels are the correct 'Speedline' spun-cast aluminum for '02to '04 Z06's, not the prone-to-crack Alcoa wheels original to 2001 Z's.<o></o><o></o> After many hours of research, I decided to havethem finished in the PermaStar PVD 'Black Ice' finish, instead of the brightPVD. I strongly believe that if you are seeking a chrome-type finish for your wheels, PVD is THE superior way to go. The list of advantages of a PVD finishvs. traditional chrome are quite long, but in short: PermaStar PVD is extremelycorrosion resistant (no pitting or peeling), is lighter than chrome by 2 to 3lbs. per wheel (less unsprung weight), is warranted for 5 years or 100,000miles, and virtually indistinguishable from chrome. Plus, unlike traditional chrome, PVD is VERY environmentally friendly. Check them out. What do you think? Guys?

 

[TitaniumMan]

Promise I'll try!

That's a big order! I guess the best advice I can think of is to get involved with the "give-n-take" here in the CAC. There's something Corvette for everyone here.

I also see you have a CTS V. Checkout Cadillac V-Net | Cadillac VSport | Cadillac ATS-V| Cadillac CTS-V | Cadillac STS-V | Cadillac XLR-V also.

Thanks again Tuna. Yeah, there are some great and not-so-great CTS-V sites. A couple of the one's you listed I haven't visited yet.

Right now, I'm hoping my passion and growing knowledge of the PermaStar PVD finish will be valuable to CAC members. It really is the solution to all the problems with chrome wheels. As I mentioned in another post it has an arm's length of advantages -- even for manufacturers. It's wet here in the mid-Atlantic, and even though many of us don't drive in bad weather or in the winter when they put those terrible salts down, PVD is still THE choice for a high performance car. The weight advantage alone is huge for guys like me who push their cars hard -- on AND off the track. No kidding -- everybody that gets up close finds the 'Black Ice' finsh to be beautiful. The PermaStar PVD bright finish looks just like chrome.

The interesting thing is that it's not that new. But around here, nobody, I mean not even industry experts has heard of PVD or PermaStar for that matter. So, I'm going on a trek to spread the word, answer any questions I can, etc. Here's a couple more shots:

 

[Z16#952]

Welcome to the CAC. Glad to have you with us. I have a 2004 Z06 myself and it is my favorite car to drive.

That CTS-V sounds like a beast. Enjoy the cars and ​ SPEED SAFELY.

 

[bill81vette]

Welcome to CAC!!!
enjoy!!

 

[hoosierdaddy]

Welcome to Corvette Action Center

Welcome aboard we're so glad you found us, kick your shoes off and stay a while

-Bill

 

[TitaniumMan]

Thanks, and getting 100+ HP from a CTS-V is easy!

Welcome to the CAC. Glad to have you with us. I have a 2004 Z06 myself and it is my favorite car to drive.

That CTS-V sounds like a beast. Enjoy the cars and ​ SPEED SAFELY.

I really appreciate this warm welcome Z, and the many others received. Hellofa forum. Yup, our C5 Z06s are truly unbelievable Super -- and as I say, if you want to understand C6s and C7s, you must understand the C5 Z06. It's rare not doing triple digits whenever I'm out for whatever reason, but I do SPEED SAFELY. LOL...

The '14 CTS-V IS a beast, but very docile picking up the grand kids and groceries. That LSA engine is a sweetheart. By now, it's almost formulaic getting 100 extra HP out of that car for under $5k. After we bolted on a handful of after market parts and I had Jeremy Formato tune it, it was like the car was re-born. It is almost twice as fast, responsive and quick as when new. When I went to the Ron Fellows Cadillac V Series Academy out at Spring Mountain, I couldn't help but tell my fellow driving students that if I had MY CTS-V there, they would REALLY understand what an already amazing car can do when its 'unleashed'.

It is a Corvette with two extra doors, and I can whip the pants off of just about any Corvette in a straight line, and certainly through the curves, unless of course, the driver went to Spring Mountain too. LMAO

Thanks for the haller!

 

[TitaniumMan]

Welcome to CAC!!!
enjoy!!

Thanks Bill -- I am enjoying it here very much. I see you have an '81. Why do they call that year the 'lost year' for a Vette?

 

[TitaniumMan]

Welcome aboard we're so glad you found us, kick your shoes off and stay a while

-Bill

Hoosierdaddy -- love that one. I'm glad I found you guys too. Learning a ton Bill, and loving it. I love the C5 body style and with apologies to C1, 2 3,4, 6 and 7 owners, the C5 is flat out THE most beautiful Corvette -- ever. Maybe that rumored Zora will tug at my heart strings, and a clay model I saw somewhere was promising. But besides a Jaguar XKE, there simply is no more beautiful car than a C5, and the FRC (sorry Bill) Z06 is what I call Beautiful, Serious Business.

Anyway, love the hood shot of your black C5. Classy. Very well done Sir!

 

[Toms007]

Thanks again Tuna. Yeah, there are some great and not-so-great CTS-V sites. A couple of the one's you listed I haven't visited yet.

Right now, I'm hoping my passion and growing knowledge of the PermaStar PVD finish will be valuable to CAC members. It really is the solution to all the problems with chrome wheels. As I mentioned in another post it has an arm's length of advantages -- even for manufacturers. It's wet here in the mid-Atlantic, and even though many of us don't drive in bad weather or in the winter when they put those terrible salts down, PVD is still THE choice for a high performance car. The weight advantage alone is huge for guys like me who push their cars hard -- on AND off the track. No kidding -- everybody that gets up close finds the 'Black Ice' finsh to be beautiful. The PermaStar PVD bright finish looks just like chrome.

The interesting thing is that it's not that new. But around here, nobody, I mean not even industry experts has heard of PVD or PermaStar for that matter. So, I'm going on a trek to spread the word, answer any questions I can, etc. Here's a couple more shots:
View attachment 21558View attachment 21559

So where do you have do you have to send your wheels to have them done like that? And how much does it cost?

 

[jhecox]

Welcome to the

 

[TitaniumMan]

Here's the BEST way to have your wheels treated with a PermaStar PVD finish

So where do you have do you have to send your wheels to have them done like that? And how much does it cost?

First you need to decide if you want the traditional-look bright chrome finish called 'Bright Diamond' or the finish I had done, 'Black Ice'. Both come with a 5 year, 100,000 mile warranty. You'll never get THAT from a chrome wheel platter! The wheels would go to Suspension Dynamics in Anaheim, CA. Don Unrein, the owner, will make arrangements to have them finished by PermaStar who holds the PVD patent. There are other places that will do PVD for you, but trust me, you want them done by PermaStar because their formula is literally based on the one NASA developed in 2010. Don is an expert in high performance wheels and finishes, and is a close friend of Gary Goodrich who owns PermaStar. Don will personally make sure they are perfect -- he's a great guy and really cares. He's also very OCD -- like me. LOL!


Ok, cost. To make it simple, let's assume we want to get a set of C5 wheels done like I did -- 17 fronts, and 18 rears. Let's also assume three important things: the wheels are straight, round, and not damaged (curb rash, etc.). Let's also assume they are bare -- tires have been removed. For the Bright Diamond which is indistinguishable from traditional chrome, a set will cost $1050 and include new matching center caps and a set of lug nuts. Shipping is your only other cost and averages $200 round trip for all 4 wheels. The Black Diamond finish like below including all of the above is $1100.

Tom -- honestly, everybody who sees this finish -- bright or the dark chrome look is blown away. And I'm talking owners of top shops in my area and all the guys in my Corvette club. You might remember that ALL Callaway 25th Anniversary Corvettes had the Black Ice PermaStar finish on the OEM wheels. If it's good enough for Callaway, I'm sure it's ok for me.

I admit I'm passionate about PermaStar PVD because it is not only beautiful and easy to maintain, but because it is bullet proof -- it won't pit, peel, or fade -- and so much more. I have the results of several OEM torture tests on this stuff and it's amazing. PermaStar PVD "chrome" IS the future. EPA regulations are slowly squeezing the traditional platters out of business, but PermaStar PVD is virtually harmless to the environment.

If you want to know more, what the hell, just email me: steve@workforcemetrics.com. I'd love to hear from you any other members of this great community who may have questions. Our wheels ARE where the rubber -- and all that amazing and powerful technology above it -- meets the road. I think we should have a wheel finish that is equal to the rest of our great cars. For all my wheels, it's PermaStar PVD.


I look forward to hearing from you if you have more questions. Happy Trails!

 

[TitaniumMan]

Delighted to be here...DELIGHTED!

Welcome to the

WOW -- what a warm welcome you and so many of the other guys have offered. Amazing experience. Thanks so much!

 

[kpic]

Welcome to CAC and the group.

I'm originally from western Maryland; in the Catoctins kinda in between Hagerstown and Frederick. After a few jobs; I am now in NC.

My answer to the lack of power of the plain vanilla C5: