Which Bolt rims look better?

When I was first ordering my Bolt, I was concerned that I was not going to be happy with the rims that come with the LT trim.

However, after picking up my car, I actually like the rims on the LT trim much better than the premier trim rims.

Where's the "this thread is useless without pics" smiley?

Care to share some comparison photos of the different wheels? I believe they are the same size - but just a different style?

mitchev said:

Where's the "this thread is useless without pics" smiley?

Care to share some comparison photos of the different wheels? I believe they are the same size - but just a different style?

Click to expand...

Compare the wheels:

LT:


Premier:

Frankly, both styles are pretty sad. Need to look for alternatives when buying a winter/summer set.

What's the bolt pattern on the Bolt? Is it 5x105, same on the gen 2 Volt (not that those are any better looking)? Wonder what our options are...

To me, the differnces are not worth mentinong.
Hardly noticable.

boltage said:

mitchev said:

Where's the "this thread is useless without pics" smiley?

Care to share some comparison photos of the different wheels? I believe they are the same size - but just a different style?

Click to expand...

Compare the wheels:

LT:

Premier:

Click to expand...

Thanks for taking the time to share the pics! I like the Premier wheels, they're simply, clean, and yet sophisticated looking because they have the black insets.

If anyone wants to sell their stock wheels, please PM me. I need another set for my winter tires for next fall (LT or Premium, I don't care).

Unless I'm going blind, those wheels appear to be identical except for the black paint on the inside of the holes. What am I missing?

EldRick said:

Unless I'm going blind, those wheels appear to be identical except for the black paint on the inside of the holes. What am I missing?

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Pretty much. The LT version will eventually catch up to the Premier look as brake dust cakes up.

TomatoOne said:

EldRick said:

Unless I'm going blind, those wheels appear to be identical except for the black paint on the inside of the holes. What am I missing?

Click to expand...

Pretty much. The LT version will eventually catch up to the Premier look as brake dust cakes up.

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That'll take a long time with regenerative braking...

SeanNelson said:

That'll take a long time with regenerative braking...

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Is that why the Premier comes with the rims painted black on the inside - to maintain the established look from day one?

But you're right, we're pleasantly surprised with the state of rims on our Smart ED compared to ICE cars.

mitchev said:

Thanks for taking the time to share the pics! I like the Premier wheels, they're simply, clean, and yet sophisticated looking because they have the black insets.

Click to expand...

Actually, those pictures are straight from the Chevrolet web site. Go to the configurator for the Bolt. Switch between LT and Premier and you can see the visible differences, including the wheels.

Here is another comparison set from the same:

Premier

EldRick said:

Unless I'm going blind, those wheels appear to be identical except for the black paint on the inside of the holes. What am I missing?

Click to expand...

Actually, the photo images don't show the true difference; the LT wheels are silver painted aluminum without any black insert......painted very similar to the base wheels when the Chevy Volt first came out.

The Premier wheels are 'polished' aluminum with distinct black painted inserts on each spoke.

The major question in my mind is, which wheel will hold up the best over time in some weather beaten conditions; my 2012 painted wheels are bubbling in spots, with moisture getting under the paint........beyond warranty period. This will likely occur with the LT wheels but I'm not sure if the Premier wheels will show corrosion too.........if they have been painted with a clear coat sealer, moisture will likely get under that and similar results may occur..............a test of time and conditions!

mbepic said:

EldRick said:

The major question in my mind is, which wheel will hold up the best over time in some weather beaten conditions; my 2012 painted wheels are bubbling in spots, with moisture getting under the paint........beyond warranty period. This will likely occur with the LT wheels but I'm not sure if the Premier wheels will show corrosion too.........if they have been painted with a clear coat sealer, moisture will likely get under that and similar results may occur..............a test of time and conditions!

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

They're both painted and clear coated. The difference is that the LT wheels are coated with the same pain all over, while the Premier wheels are painted black on the inside, polished on the outer side of the spokes, and then clear coated. Corrosion will eventually get through curb dents, rock nicks and chipped paint, but both should be equally protected when they're new.

TomatoOne said:

mbepic said:

EldRick said:

The major question in my mind is, which wheel will hold up the best over time in some weather beaten conditions; my 2012 painted wheels are bubbling in spots, with moisture getting under the paint........beyond warranty period. This will likely occur with the LT wheels but I'm not sure if the Premier wheels will show corrosion too.........if they have been painted with a clear coat sealer, moisture will likely get under that and similar results may occur..............a test of time and conditions!

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

They're both painted and clear coated. The difference is that the LT wheels are coated with the same pain all over, while the Premier wheels are painted black on the inside, polished on the outer side of the spokes, and then clear coated. Corrosion will eventually get through curb dents, rock nicks and chipped paint, but both should be equally protected when they're new.

Click to expand...

Yup, that is what I think I said but wasn't 100% sure that the Premier wheels were clear coated.

flamaest said:

When I was first ordering my Bolt, I was concerned that I was not going to be happy with the rims that come with the LT trim.

However, after picking up my car, I actually like the rims on the LT trim much better than the premier trim rims.

Click to expand...

I think there's a lot of people shopping for a Bolt didn't even notice the difference between the two. It would have been nice to see the Bolt offer an "eco" 16" tire/wheel option instead of having two 17" wheel choices that look nearly identical.

oilerlord said:

I think there's a lot of people shopping for a Bolt didn't even notice the difference between the two. It would have been nice to see the Bolt offer an "eco" 16" tire/wheel option instead of having two 17" wheel choices that look nearly identical.

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You should be able to mount rims from other GM cars that use the 5x105 bolt pattern. 16" would work well for snows.

TomatoOne said:

You should be able to mount rims from other GM cars that use the 5x105 bolt pattern. 16" would work well for snows.

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No doubt. My point was that GM could have offered a 16" "eco" option along with a 17" "style" option. Choice is good. I've always had better FE with 16" wheels/tires than 17" ones, 16" tires are less expensive, and also work better in the snow.

Patronus said:

If anyone wants to sell their stock wheels, please PM me. I need another set for my winter tires for next fall (LT or Premium, I don't care).

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Ditto. I am hoping to get a full size spare tire and rim of the LT trim wheel. If anyone is getting rid of their wheels because they're getting new rims tires, please contact me to buy one of the wheels with the original Michelin Tire on it still.