[1LEMATT]

Originally Posted by mjk3888

As far as clear bra. I live in SC so I don't deal with severe road salt or stuff of that nature so I decided to not get one. Some of these installers are asking for as much money as it would cost me to just repaint the damn thing. I would just live with it and use Dr. Colorchip touch up kit if you ever get any sizable chips than need repair. I love this car, but we are talking about a 40k daily driven camaro here not a 200k exotic car. But to each their own.

IMO not getting a clear bra on ANY nice car is a mistake. The front of the car will get beat up if driven enough no matter if you live in an area with or without road salt. I have been there and done that!

I had my whole nose done with Xpel Ultimate for just over $500. A good paint shop will charge way more than that for repair/paint on the whole bumper. If they don't, I would wonder about the quality of the body work and paint they would do. Plus, then you have a "repainted" bumper that may not match as well, may have to deal with potential issues with the shop removing/installing the bumper, overspray where it shouldn't be, etc, etc. I've tried Dr. Colorchip too, it sucks. I dunno, I don't get why someone would drop 40 grand on a car and not drop another $500 or so to protect it properly? Heck, the higher resale value you would get from the nose being in great shape would alone easily pay for the cost of the clear bra down the road!

[FlashBang23]

Originally Posted by camaroJD

Why not immediately take off and sell the stock tires and replace them with something better for three seasons/rain/longevity? And then I'll grab a second set for winter/track? Am I missing something as to why this wouldn't be a good idea?

Honestly IMO the stock tires are very very good and as others have said probably your cheapest option. I would just drive them initially especially considering you will do what I did last year and put winters on almost immediately. That way you also can use your cash to do a clear bra and get a nice winter setup right away.

Originally Posted by 1LEMATT

IMO not getting a clear bra on ANY nice car is a mistake. The front of the car will get beat up if driven enough no matter if you live in an area with or without road salt. I have been there and done that!

I had my whole nose done with Xpel Ultimate for just over $500. A good paint shop will charge way more than that for repair/paint on the whole bumper. If they don't, I would wonder about the quality of the body work and paint they would do. Plus, then you have a "repainted" bumper that may not match as well, may have to deal with potential issues with the shop removing/installing the bumper, overspray where it shouldn't be, etc, etc. I've tried Dr. Colorchip too, it sucks. I dunno, I don't get why someone would drop 40 grand on a car and not drop another $500 or so to protect it properly? Heck, the higher resale value you would get from the nose being in great shape would alone easily pay for the cost of the clear bra down the road!

I completely agree. Cheaped out on my two previous brand new 5.0s and really regretted it. Won't get a new car ever again and not get PPF put on.

OP - As far as driving in winter goes, from a fellow michigander, don't feel bad. Personally I traditionally go to the quarter wash, lay on the ground and spray the underside off a couple times a week while salt is on the road (as well as the paint). Car also only gets hand-washed or water less washed even in the winter. Is the bottom of my car clean enough to eat off of? Absolutely not. Is it corroded and all rusty like everyone wants you to think it will be? Nope. I've done this on a G8 GT. 14 5.0, and 15 5.0 and although not ideal it's doable. Personally I will be picking up a new daily this fall only because my commute has increased and I am piling the miles on the car. I still plan on swapping the winters on and driving on dry days regardless of salt on the roads.

[mjk3888]

I might do paint protection on the front if it was only $500 installed. But that's the first time I have heard numbers that are tolerable.

[SS 1LE]

Originally Posted by mjk3888

I might do paint protection on the front if it was only $500 installed. But that's the first time I have heard numbers that are tolerable.

That is about what I paid too, $500 for the full nose, and $100 for the rockers. Xpel Ultimate as well...

[ddanj]

Originally Posted by SS 1LE

That is about what I paid too, $500 for the full nose, and $100 for the rockers. Xpel Ultimate as well...

Prices depend highly on geography. I called about 6 different places here in Massachusetts. The cheapest quote I got was $1500 for xpel on the whole front end :(

[SS 1LE]

Originally Posted by ddanj

Prices depend highly on geography. I called about 6 different places here in Massachusetts. The cheapest quote I got was $1500 for xpel on the whole front end :(

Wow, that is insane! That is like 95% installation, as the contract, template and film is all the same price from what I have been told.

I mean my old man just had his new Audi done on Long Island, where you would assume it would be the highest, and just paid slightly more than I paid.

[JBones81]

I just want to say for the clear bra question - I had it installed immediately on my 1LE, and was sure to have them apply to the side area in front of the rear tires, too.

Our 2016 SS has 12k miles now, no clear bra. The front is ok, but that area in front of the rear tire is chipped to hell. Crazy what the front tires must be throwing back at those panels!!

[camaroJD]

Originally Posted by TrackClub

How often are you planning on tracking the car?
Keep in mind the consumables on 1LE ain't cheap albeit for rubber, stockers are by far the cheapest option as u can get a set for about $1300.
If you get all seasons, plus track tires you're looking at a large chunk of change all up front for 2 sets of rubber plus rims. Plus you'll likely lose a few bucks reselling the stockers.

Like a few have said here: just get a set of winter rims/tires and run stock set up for the summer/track days. Phone some big dealers in your area to see if they offer winter deals. Many do around Oct but unsure if they do for Camaros. I've bought a couple of sets for my SUVs from dealers and their prices couldn't be beat (times have changed). Check for regular SS take offs as well. I've seen somebody post a whole winter SS set on this forum recently but can't recall which thread.
PS I have a buddy who DDs and tracks his C6Z in summer then uses his old C6 as a winter car. I've also driven my 81 Z28 in winter back when I was young and foolish. ZL1 engineering team drove their Camaros in winter (with winter rubber on).
It is not mission impossible if you have the right tires and put the car in Snow/Ice drive mode.

Originally Posted by mjk3888

Unless money is no object to you it makes no sense to immediately sell the GY Supercar 3's Keep them for your track tires. As said by others, its by far the best value on the market for solid non R compound track tires. As far as clear bra. I live in SC so I don't deal with severe road salt or stuff of that nature so I decided to not get one. Some of these installers are asking for as much money as it would cost me to just repaint the damn thing. I would just live with it and use Dr. Colorchip touch up kit if you ever get any sizable chips than need repair. I love this car, but we are talking about a 40k daily driven camaro here not a 200k exotic car. But to each their own.

Originally Posted by FlashBang23

Honestly IMO the stock tires are very very good and as others have said probably your cheapest option. I would just drive them initially especially considering you will do what I did last year and put winters on almost immediately. That way you also can use your cash to do a clear bra and get a nice winter setup right away.



I completely agree. Cheaped out on my two previous brand new 5.0s and really regretted it. Won't get a new car ever again and not get PPF put on.

OP - As far as driving in winter goes, from a fellow michigander, don't feel bad. Personally I traditionally go to the quarter wash, lay on the ground and spray the underside off a couple times a week while salt is on the road (as well as the paint). Car also only gets hand-washed or water less washed even in the winter. Is the bottom of my car clean enough to eat off of? Absolutely not. Is it corroded and all rusty like everyone wants you to think it will be? Nope. I've done this on a G8 GT. 14 5.0, and 15 5.0 and although not ideal it's doable. Personally I will be picking up a new daily this fall only because my commute has increased and I am piling the miles on the car. I still plan on swapping the winters on and driving on dry days regardless of salt on the roads.

I was under the wrong impression that selling the stock tires and getting a different, more durable set would make sense financially in the long run. It sounds like I was wrong. I'm definitely looking to go with the most cost efficient option. I can readdress getting some track tires once the stock ones are done.

So any wheels made for the standard SS will also fit on the 1LE with the bigger brakes? Or just OEM SS takeoffs? I'll be on the lookout for some deals. I like the idea of cheap 19s for winter wheels/tires but I guess fitting is an issue?

It sounds like XPEL is the way to go, I'll just have to decide how much coverage and price out a local installer.

[Magsz]

Years ago I did a 3M clear bra on my Mazdaspeed 3. Never, ever, EVER again.

I had the car for three years and it sat outside for the entirety of those three years. After numerous washes, wear and tear and sitting in the Florida sun I removed the clear bra prior to selling the vehicle as it had begun to peel up in certain places.

There was a clear seam line and the difference in paint quality between the UV "worn" area's and the non UV worn area's that were protected by the clear bra were apparent.

I would have had to spend a fortune having the car detailed/paint corrected or repainted in order to fix this. Thankfully, the vehicle was traded in at a poorly lit dealership at night in the rain. :P

Just something to keep in mind if you're keeping the vehicle long term.

[camaroJD]

Originally Posted by Magsz

Years ago I did a 3M clear bra on my Mazdaspeed 3. Never, ever, EVER again.

I had the car for three years and it sat outside for the entirety of those three years. After numerous washes, wear and tear and sitting in the Florida sun I removed the clear bra prior to selling the vehicle as it had begun to peel up in certain places.

There was a clear seam line and the difference in paint quality between the UV "worn" area's and the non UV worn area's that were protected by the clear bra were apparent.

I would have had to spend a fortune having the car detailed/paint corrected or repainted in order to fix this. Thankfully, the vehicle was traded in at a poorly lit dealership at night in the rain. :P

Just something to keep in mind if you're keeping the vehicle long term.

Maybe it's different now? Plastics are always changing. I was worried about this.

[SS 1LE]

Originally Posted by Magsz

Years ago I did a 3M clear bra on my Mazdaspeed 3. Never, ever, EVER again.

I had the car for three years and it sat outside for the entirety of those three years. After numerous washes, wear and tear and sitting in the Florida sun I removed the clear bra prior to selling the vehicle as it had begun to peel up in certain places.

There was a clear seam line and the difference in paint quality between the UV "worn" area's and the non UV worn area's that were protected by the clear bra were apparent.

I would have had to spend a fortune having the car detailed/paint corrected or repainted in order to fix this. Thankfully, the vehicle was traded in at a poorly lit dealership at night in the rain. :P

Just something to keep in mind if you're keeping the vehicle long term.

That was because the paint on those cars was complete crap, I had a MS3 too, didn't do a clear bra on it, and the front of the car after 25,000 miles looked like I drove through a war zone. There was even a class action lawsuit for paint quality and I got like $1750. Your issue even sounds like it was exaggerated by a poor install, as it should not have peeled up in that amount of time if taken care of correctly.

I've been doing clear bras on my "good" cars for over a decade, never, ever had an issue like you describe. You think people would use this stuff on multi million dollar cars if that was what happened? Nope...so don't be afraid of them.

[Detroit Muscle]

Originally Posted by camaroJD

Yeah, I checked last night and there was nothing.

Can people post their specific winter wheel and tire setups? A lot of the threads have conflicting info because there are members with V6 1LEs posting which doesn't really help me out. Cheap 19s seems to be the way to go, appearance isn't that big of a deal for me.

Hey! IM also from Michigan(another future 1LE owner here) For my 5th gen SS I was forced to drive in winter for a single winter and I bought used Pirelli Scorpion snow & ice on stock SS wheels on Craigslist for $1K, 80% tread, they were amazing, so I would try to go that route if you can

[dotfiles]

Originally Posted by mjk3888

I might do paint protection on the front if it was only $500 installed. But that's the first time I have heard numbers that are tolerable.

Shop around, it's pretty reasonable from the right installer. I got my whole front end, mirrors, rockers (w/ extensions) and rear quarters done for $850

[camaroJD]

Originally Posted by Detroit Muscle

Hey! IM also from Michigan(another future 1LE owner here) For my 5th gen SS I was forced to drive in winter for a single winter and I bought used Pirelli Scorpion snow & ice on stock SS wheels on Craigslist for $1K, 80% tread, they were amazing, so I would try to go that route if you can

This seems to be recommended and definitely a cheaper option, but what stock wheels fit on 1LEs? Will fifth gens work? Only SS stocks? Only sixth gen? I'm sure I'm missing a thread with this info.