Alloy Wheels for Ford Transit Connect

[Loafer]

I'm curious about alloy wheels.  The Owners Manual speaks about the electronics being coordinated with 15 inch wheels.  Mine is a 2012 Connect XLT.  Yet, to my knowledge, Ford does not make alloy wheels for the Transit Connect.  It seems that those offered are stated as remanufactured.  Therefore my question is, how much of a load will the various alloy wheels support.  Will they support the weight of the vehicle plus 1600 lbs of cargo safely?  Who are the trusted remanufacturers and where can the load limit be found?  What is a safe load limit for a Transit Connect alloy wheel.  I'm raising this question because I lost a wheel cover over the weekend and have been told that the covers for the Transit Connect are known for getting lost.  So I'm considering alloys as an alternative. Thanks!

Edited May 16, 2017 by Loafer

[mrtn]

You can get any quality wheels.

OEM wheels are perfectly good (image from facebook group):

[Beta Don]

11 hours ago, Loafer said:

The Owners Manual speaks about the electronics being coordinated with 15 inch wheels.  Mine is a 2012 Connect XLT.  Yet, to my knowledge, Ford does not make alloy wheels for the Transit Connect.

The computer just wants the overall circumference of the tire to remain the same as the OE tires.  You can install 16 or even 17 inch wheels so long as you adjust the tire size so the overall circumference remains the same

For example, if you were to buy a set of 16" wheels, you could swap from your stock 205/65 R15's to a set of 205/60 R16's and your size would be less than 1% off the stock size and they would work just fine

If you like any of the Ford OEM alloys, you could buy a good used set, or you could buy any quality aftermarket wheel and everything would work just fine.  I recently put a set of 2012 Ford Focus alloys on my TC

Don

[Loafer]

7 hours ago, mrtn said:

Thanks mrtn, the alloys on the TC look great.  I had a stock alloy on an Xterra that was recalled because of weakness, so I'm particularly interested in not just looks but also capacity since this TC will be criss-crossing the U.S. at full load levels, several times a year with many stops in between both north and south.  Once I'm informed regarding capacity I'll make a choice with respect to looks. This has been an interesting learning curve and I'm grateful for the assistance I receive here.  Cheers! 

 

You can get any quality wheels.

OEM wheels are perfectly good (image from facebook group):

 

[Loafer]

Beta Don, I tried twice to respond to you but the site ate the posts.  I do appreciate the clearly stated information.  Thanks.

While researching alloy wheels today I learned about their variations.  Some are for performance, some for looks, and some for toughness.  Most rims are composed of an aluminum-nickel alloy; less nickel makes for a light and agile rim but one that bends more easily under impact with potholes or other hazards. More nickel makes a heavier, more stable-seeming rim which does not bend easily, but is often brittle and cracks under impacts that will only bend softer wheels. The best rims tend to occupy a middle ground between these two extremes.

Some of the  wheel makers that repair shops see less often are Ronel, Konig, Enkei, American Racing, and BBS.  I also read that for vehicles that carry cargo over the road the best wheel is the steel wheel that comes with the TC.  It is more rugged. 

So, since that is what my TC will be doing, I’ll stick with the steel wheels and just keep replacing wheel covers as needed.  They can be found on Ebay for typically $25.00 each.  So, my issue appears to be solved.  Thanks for all the help received. 

Edited May 17, 2017 by Loafer