Personally, I much prefer the look of the stock wheels we currently enjoy.
I'm on the other end of the spectrum on the factory wheels. When I ordered my 06 I ordered it with satin wheels even though it was fully optioned, including chrome package, because I knew they were coming off as soon as the truck arrived, and I wasn't willing to waste the extra cost of them in chrome.
Chrome wheels of any kind are problematic. If you scratch or bruise them, they are not repairable short of a complete stripping, repair, and rechrome. A polished aluminum wheel can be easily and invisibly repaired,(unless they clearcoat the damned things) even if you need to re-weld an edge to fill in a gouged area. A painted wheel allows you to repair and repaint.
Where I think GM designers totally missed the mark with the factory wheel was by not taking advantage of the unique 19/20 sizes, and not highlighting the fact the rear wheels were 2" wider than the fronts.
The big/little narrow/wide look is a prime feature of street rods, and GM managed to completely mask that fact. If they had used the same spoke design front and rear, and had 2" more lip on the rears they could have looked much better. By curving the rear spokes from the outside edge of the hoop to the same point at the hub, they managed to bury the different offsets.
My other disappointment with the stock wheel is the HUGE hub diameter. It unnecessarily hides 3/4 of the brake calipers, which can look really nice if they're cleaned up and featured, or replaced with high performance brake systems.
Oh yeah - and I hate plastic caps.:surprise:
