BBJ Posted March 31, 2018 Share Posted March 31, 2018 Finally got some wheels for the TC. 17x7.5 Ford Fusion with Bridgestone Potenza 215/50 tires. Too soon to tell if there is any handling difference but it sure looks better. Jiquay and CheesyRider 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiquay Posted March 31, 2018 Share Posted March 31, 2018 I'm already searching for summer rims (alloy) for the FTCW XL I'm getting this summer. I'll put the snows on the stock steelies & get rims that don't scream "BASE MODEL" next spring. I don't want to go low-profile though, due to the road conditions in Quebec. (I drove 9 km without a pot-hole & had to refresh the GPS to make sure I was still near home...) GK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtn Posted April 1, 2018 Share Posted April 1, 2018 I went classic. You could call them base modelish, but I wanted to make sure they're strong and from a reputable manufacturer as I sometimes ride fully loaded and a thin spoke wheel may fail a pothole, so I ditched the original idea to get a fancy replica wheel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidparker Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 BBJ, I totally dig those wheels with the GT stripes. I think anything (well, almost anything) you can do to make a white TC different is a plus. Here in Charleston, SC we have more white cargo vans than I have ever seen. Ha ha, now i'm one of them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLDSCHOOLFOOL Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 18 minutes ago, davidparker said: BBJ, I totally dig those wheels with the GT stripes. I think anything (well, almost anything) you can do to make a white TC different is a plus. Here in Charleston, SC we have more white cargo vans than I have ever seen. Ha ha, now i'm one of them! A nice little throwback to the old Shelby GTs. Nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 On 3/31/2018 at 12:59 PM, BBJ said: Finally got some wheels for the TC. 17x7.5 Ford Fusion with Bridgestone Potenza 215/50 tires. An extra inch isn't much bigger for a wheel. But that could make all the difference, depending on what the offset and backspacing is. Do the tires rub when turning? I don't think the handling or turn radius would be noticeable with 1" difference in wheel width...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLDSCHOOLFOOL Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 The 17x7.5 Fusion wheels should have a +55 offset in effect pushing the inside edge of the wheel 18mm closer to the suspension. If the wheel clears the brakes okay (and it should) this shouldn't be an issue. The scrub radius will go -6mm which might be noticeable but I kind of doubt it. The tire itself really doesn't change much with 215/50r17 being only .2" larger in diameter than 215/55R16 and the cross section will barely increase due to the increased wheel width. A good setup I'd say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 More wheel with a little less tire. Less sidewall. Perhaps a little bit more grip on the road. Maybe better handling. Maybe a stiffer ride. But it shouldn't really be that noticeable unless you have a back back. I haven't noticed anyone on the forum mention suspension modifications. Nobody has tried different shocks, springs, and struts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdarren Posted August 31, 2018 Share Posted August 31, 2018 Those Fusion wheels look great. I'm curious about their weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLB Posted October 4, 2018 Share Posted October 4, 2018 I also have Fusion wheels waiting for summer tires for next spring. Do you need to change anything to use them on a TC? Different lug nuts or spacers or anything? Hub centric or lug centric the same? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLDSCHOOLFOOL Posted October 4, 2018 Share Posted October 4, 2018 6 hours ago, MLB said: I also have Fusion wheels waiting for summer tires for next spring. Do you need to change anything to use them on a TC? Different lug nuts or spacers or anything? Hub centric or lug centric the same? That could depend on what year it is. 2012 and older I think used a different bolt pattern and hub bore. Try this, there is a TON of info on there. www.wheel-size.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillMartin Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 I like the GT stripes a whole lot! I'll have to think about what those would look like on an earlier one. It sure beats plain white, and sure would be more cost effective and better looking than painting the outside a different color. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillMartin Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 (edited) Also, I'm thinking about putting 2012/2013 Focus wheels on my TC. I assume they will fit. Actually, I'm confused. Wheel-size.com says the TC is 5x108. They say Fusion and Focus are 5x114.3. So, do you need adapters or do they fit? I'm officially confused now. Edited October 23, 2018 by WillMartin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLDSCHOOLFOOL Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 11 hours ago, WillMartin said: Also, I'm thinking about putting 2012/2013 Focus wheels on my TC. I assume they will fit. Actually, I'm confused. Wheel-size.com says the TC is 5x108. They say Fusion and Focus are 5x114.3. So, do you need adapters or do they fit? I'm officially confused now. Are you sure you have the right year? It matters. And Fusion is a little bit more limited if I recall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillMartin Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 (edited) No, I'm not sure I have the right year. I'll check again. Thanks. I may be having a DOH! moment. The 2012-2014 Focus wheels are turning up as 5x108 now. I don't know what I did yesterday. Edited October 23, 2018 by WillMartin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillMartin Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 (edited) I just bought four used Focus wheels from Ebay. $208 for the set seems like a decent risk to take. If they don't fit for some reason, I'll just sell them. Then windows for the sides and maybe GT stripes. I really like the way those convert a plain white van into a far better looking machine without painting the whole body. I just don't know what it would look like on a first gen yet. Edited October 23, 2018 by WillMartin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLDSCHOOLFOOL Posted October 24, 2018 Share Posted October 24, 2018 (edited) 20 hours ago, WillMartin said: I just bought four used Focus wheels from Ebay. $208 for the set seems like a decent risk to take. If they don't fit for some reason, I'll just sell them. Then windows for the sides and maybe GT stripes. I really like the way those convert a plain white van into a far better looking machine without painting the whole body. I just don't know what it would look like on a first gen yet. If they are Focus wheels and have five lugs you should be just fine. Went back and checked and cannot see anywhere for Focus wheels at 5x114.3. Fusion wheels on the other hand is a different matter. I'm running 2013 Focus wheels right now and got a really sweet deal because the guy bought them FOR a Fusion only to find they didn't fit. Here's what mine look like. These are 16s. And I think the stripes would look even BETTER on the Gen I but I'm biased towards the 2013 model. I kind of wish I had the 2013 instead of 2016 but with the 2.5l and the 6 speed tranny. Edited October 24, 2018 by OLDSCHOOLFOOL add comment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillMartin Posted October 24, 2018 Share Posted October 24, 2018 3 hours ago, OLDSCHOOLFOOL said: If they are Focus wheels and have five lugs you should be just fine. Went back and checked and cannot see anywhere for Focus wheels at 5x114.3. Fusion wheels on the other hand is a different matter. I'm running 2013 Focus wheels right now and got a really sweet deal because the guy bought them FOR a Fusion only to find they didn't fit. Here's what mine look like. These are 16s. And I think the stripes would look even BETTER on the Gen I but I'm biased towards the 2013 model. I kind of wish I had the 2013 instead of 2016 but with the 2.5l and the 6 speed tranny. They are five lug Focus wheels, and they look identical to those as far as I can tell from ratty eBay photos. I don't know what I was looking at - probably just Fusion wheels and got fouled up with a brain cramp. They are 16x7 like yours, which means they ought to work just fine. They are a little scuffed, but that's not a huge issue for me. At root, it's a hauler, not a show car. I have been thinking about how to lay out stripes and then how to accomplish them. I'll probably take it to a real car painters, since I want it to look better than I'm likely to achieve in the driveway with rattle cans or tape. That means it won't happen until sometime next year, after it gets side door windows and a backup camera. The bike and my musical instruments are supposed to be the mistress, not the van. What am I thinking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidparker Posted October 25, 2018 Share Posted October 25, 2018 9 hours ago, WillMartin said: I have been thinking about how to lay out stripes and then how to accomplish them. I'll probably take it to a real car painters, since I want it to look better than I'm likely to achieve in the driveway with rattle cans or tape. That means it won't happen until sometime next year, after it gets side door windows and a backup camera. The bike and my musical instruments are supposed to be the mistress, not the van. What am I thinking! Have you considered vinyl stripes? Same material used for NASCAR car wraps. A lot easier to apply, cheaper, and can be removed later. And if you don't want to do it yourself, you can probably find a "wrapper" near you. https://www.rvinyl.com/racing-stripes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLDSCHOOLFOOL Posted October 25, 2018 Share Posted October 25, 2018 9 hours ago, davidparker said: Have you considered vinyl stripes? Same material used for NASCAR car wraps. A lot easier to apply, cheaper, and can be removed later. And if you don't want to do it yourself, you can probably find a "wrapper" near you. https://www.rvinyl.com/racing-stripes You can get similar ones (and a LOT cheaper) straight off Amazon. I don't have the link but saw them yesterday while loving the Google. Don't really know anything about them personally, but they were advertising that you could also take them right back off without damaging the paint. I think I just Googled "racing stripes". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beta Don Posted October 25, 2018 Share Posted October 25, 2018 Bought a set of 2012 Focus wheels (at least I think that's what they came from) on eBay a couple years ago for $400. Sure look better on my TC than the steelies with vinyl hubcaps davidparker 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidparker Posted October 25, 2018 Share Posted October 25, 2018 Agreed. Much better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted October 26, 2018 Share Posted October 26, 2018 On 10/24/2018 at 4:48 AM, OLDSCHOOLFOOL said: And I think the stripes would look even BETTER on the Gen I but I'm biased towards the 2013 model. I kind of wish I had the 2013 instead of 2016 but with the 2.5l and the 6 speed tranny. The body style was "updated". Of course, aesthetics is all a matter of personal opinion. The 1st generation with the high roofline could have simply been stretched for a longer wheelbase with 7 passenger seating. I would have bought a longer version of the 1st generation body. For a lot of us, the body could have been elongated by a few more inches. Lots of people would love to have a 4X8 interior to accommodate building materials. I would love to see a truck with a 10' box, or van w/ 10', for loading pipe in 10' lengths. Strap enough pipe onto the rack of pickup, and you will notice the high center of gravity. Nothing like 2,000' of pipe leaning into a turn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doitdub Posted October 27, 2018 Share Posted October 27, 2018 Installed some 17" '14 Fusion wheels on my '14 LWB Titanium (had OE 16" previously) yesterday and I'm diggin it. No issues with ride quality, although my speedometer is now off by (shows I'm going 5mph less than I actually am) and after a day of driving, my TPMS light came on for bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beta Don Posted October 27, 2018 Share Posted October 27, 2018 (edited) The optional alloy wheels which came stock on '14 TC's were 17's and not 16 like the steelies, so if you used the factory tire size (215/50R17) your speedometer would still be correct - Less than 0.5 mph difference at 60 Don Edited October 27, 2018 by Beta Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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