Added on September 30, 2019  The News Wheel   , ,
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Chevy Patents Some, uh, “Interesting” Brake Rotors

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Photo: U.S. Patent Office

When it comes to customizing your Chevy, you’re only limited by your budget and your imagination. But a new custom car part has left the iconic brand’s fans a bit baffled. What could throw Chevy’s loyal fans for a loop? Decorative brake rotor inserts, of course.

A Better Way to Customize Your Chevy: GM Accessories

Across the board and throughout their history, brake rotors have been a pretty standard, unexpressive piece of equipment — they’re round metal discs. Sure, there’s some variation, with slots, holes, and vents drilled into them. Now, according to a recent patent, Chevy is looking to up the ante.

This patent details the concept of a decorative brake rotor insert. The illustration that Chevy submitted to the patent office shows rotors with little Chevy bowties drilled into it. The automaker played up this concept, saying that it’s “desirable to provide a method to effectively and lastingly mark components without adding prohibitive cost to the manufacturing process or compromising component quality.”

Uh, that’s one way to put it.

The Internet’s overall reaction has been less-than-positive, to put it mildly. Most auto enthusiasts put the decorative rotors in the same kitschy category as plastic spinning hubcaps, fake portholes, fuzzy dice and decked-out mudflaps. Alexander Stoklosa of Car and Driver quipped that the four-bowtie design makes these inserts look a bit like communion wafers.

If you’re interested in these rotors, just know that we’re not sure when (or if) they’ll be hitting the market. The Corvette and Camaro will probably get the rotors first, with other, more mainstream models to follow. If they’re a hit among consumers, expect other automakers to cash in on the trend.

What’s your take on the decorative inserts? Are they goofy, tacky add-ons, or just another fun way to express your style? Would you bedeck your car with these? Tell us in the comments below!

Sources: GM Authority, Car and Driver