foof

The EPA test is a standardized test route. I forget the details of it, but it's changed several times over the decades. Most of the changes were to make it more realistic, but it's still done on a stationary dyno. Tailpipe analysis is done to measure fuel consumption (count the carbon atoms, basically, which tells you how much fuel when in.), they don't rely on the gauges or a refueling system. I've had cars that I routinely beat the EPA numbers on (at least on the highway), and cars that were much much worse.

Michelin crossclimate is 99V in that size. I suspect the Xice would be too.

It's in the Song-Beverly warranty act of 1970. There is required verbiage that all work orders for warranty work have to have, which says that the warranty is extended, that faults that arrise during the warranty period need to be fixed even after the end of the warranty, and some other stuff.

Take it to the dealer. That's a warranty issue. Let Ford pay for it.

I used to run a tire shop. I have balanced probably 10,000 wheels and tires. Assuming that tire is actually balanced (which you can't tell from a picture) there's nothing wrong with what they did. There are weights on the inside and outside of the wheel's centerline -- they're all behind the face of the wheel, because with most alloy rims you have to use stick on weights, they're ugly, so the outside ones go inside, but as far outside as possible. Not being able to put them at the edge means you need a bit more weight, and they could have used heavier stickers (but they probably didn't have them, we always ran out). If the tire isn't balanced, then they screwed up. But that's true no matter how many or few weights they used. If I liked the customer, and wasn't terribly busy, I might have rotated the tire relative to the rim. That can change the balance weights required. Probably not for a used tire that was going to be a spare, though.