ZL1 Wheel Costs
 

So I'm browsing GM Parts Direct website to see if the ZL1 wheels are listed there yet or not. Well they are and they have prices listed too. The part I find ironic is when you look at the prices of the wheels by themselves the black wheels have a higher list price than the bright aluminum wheels. But when you order a ZL1 the bright aluminum wheel option is an up charge from the standard black wheels. So GM is selling you the optional wheel package for an increased charge even though the wheels themselves appear to cost GM less money. I've attached a screen shot of the online prices shown. The RSK wheels are the black wheels and the RTQ wheels are the aluminum wheels.

i was wondering that myself?

The black wheels are harder to get, there is a higher demand for them. I had one replaced on my ZL1 today and there was only 2 places across the whole US that even had any.

Be careful about GM Parts Direct prices. They often show extremely low prices and then when you go to pay for them, the shipping charges are outrageous.

I quit even looking at that site for parts. I just order stuff from MaureenM@RodgersChevrolet now. She quotes me the delivered price. (No this isn't spam and I'm in no way affiliated with Rodger's Chevy. It's just my opinion from my own experience.)

:word: I agree 100%. I used gm parts direct before I knew of other places for my transformers things and got charged 50 bucks to ship each order. Lesson learned

I know the shipping can be a little extreme. But they do show what the dealer list prices are and I was just looking at the comparison of list prices for each style wheel and made the observations noted in my original post. I just found it interesting that GM lists the optional upcharge wheel option as costing less per wheel than the standard wheel.

I disagree with your theory on the price differences for this. I'm sure GM set the list prices well before there was any perceived demand for one over the other. If GM adjusted prices of their parts based on demand then you would always see the list prices changing with demand. But I'll bet those list prices stay the same for at least the rest of this year until GM revises their annual published pricing list.

I think the black wheels probably do cost GM more because they have to be put through a painting and painting prep process. The bright aluminum wheels are probably mostly just cast finish with the faces of the spokes smoothed out and then they probably just clear coat the wheels.

So, how do I read this? If I wanted to order a second set of rims, say the bright aluminum, how much would it cost?

for the hell of it I requested a shipping quote GM Parts direct quoted me $135 each per wheel to ship

The silver wheels are the ONLY exclusive wheels for the ZL1. So you pay more for that. The black ones are shared with the 1LE adn who knows what else - unfortunately. I have the black one and they look awesome. I get many compliments for them. I saw the silver ones and i personally think they're ugly...

:confused0068:Are they sending it to you in a lamborgini?

Compare that to the list price you would pay at a dealer and even with shipping it's still quite a bit cheaper per wheel.

You would need to order 2 of each of the RTQ wheels.
Quantity of 2 - 20x10 RTQ's
Quantity of 2 - 20x11 RTQ's

Just curious, did you put a total of 4 wheels on the order and then ask for a shipping quote or did you just put one wheel on the order and ask for a quote? Sometimes the shipping charges don't necessarily double just because you put 2 of the same item on the order.

Maureen at Rodgers Chevrolet has free shipping on any/all parts you buy from her.

Just saying.

They are only exclusive to the ZL1 if GM denies people from ordering them through the parts department.

So to me the exclusivity of them is not what you are paying more for. When the black wheels first came out on the 2012 ZL1 they were also exclusive to only the ZL1 for that production year. I think GM is banking on the assumption that more people would choose to upgrade to the bright aluminum for the looks so they could make more money by selling those as the "up charge" option on the car.

Good to know. I'll keep that in mind!

BTW I was never trying to promote GMPD or any reseller. I was only using GMPD because they will show the list price. I just used GMPD as a convenient way to see if the wheels were available anywhere yet and had prices on them. I'm sure there are better deals out there for sources that won't charge so much shipping.