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GET THE SPARE ...EBAY, DEALER, WHATEVER! GET A SPARE We bought one shortly after blowing a tire ...on this road. At night/no cell service/no fun. Got lucky, hitched a ride. Came back the next day and took this picture after fixing it. (Think about it; the silly Ford repair pump 'might' patch a tiny leak; not a puncture like we had)

5868 mile (98+ engine hour) 21-day March / April road trip through 15 states. 37.7 mpg mostly highway / interstate at speeds ranging from 75 to 85 miles per hour (...no tickets) $373 fuel cost (mostly 89 octane). Lowest price $1.95 Wells, NV; highest $2.59 Green Bay, WI First leg: Eastern Oregon to Northern Arizona with 3 occupants. Second leg east on I-40 Needles, CA to Memphis (old Route 66) then north to Green Bay and final leg I-90 west ...2 occupants. elevation ranges 6300 ft to 337 ft

I looked at many forum comments but could not find clear answers regarding 16 inch rims on a Fusion Hybrid. Our 2015 FFH came with Michelin energy saver M & S P225/50 tires on 17 inch rims. They are good dry-pavement/summer tires but in winter ...not so much! Les Schwab, a Northwest tire franchise quoted me $213 apiece for studless 17 inch Toyo Observe winter tires ...for a few months of driving, OUCH! And when you add $60 in spring and again in late fall to switch summer/winter tires to the same rims it really bites! If you have the space a cost saving solution is to buy a second set of rims and avoid paying to switch rubber twice a year. Used basic steel rims typically save money and Schwab does free rotation, switching, balancing, flat repair if you buy from them. The problem is finding used 17 inch rims; not a common item (yet) and new rims in that size are around $100 each. They did some looking and told me I can get 16 inch rubber with a higher profile resulting in a diameter similar to 17 inch rubber and they had used 16 inch steel rims (only $30 each) so I had them do a test fit. There were some sloppy weld spots inside that dinged the rotors so they tried to grind em down but no luck. Interestingly, aluminum rims are machined so there are no interior welds. We tried a new 16 inch rim ($98 each) and it fit just fine; Specs: 16 x 7 5-4.5/4.25 multifit (Fusions are 4.25), offset +40. Prices on rims are close to a wash but the 16 inch tires were $132 each ...a $324 savings. My drive-off cost with TPMS etc. came to $1236.

I put a bike rack hitch (from Etrailer) on my 2015 FFH and learned a few things. The frame on a Fusion is LIGHT gauge steelformed into a hollow square frame. These cars do not have 'old school' structural steel frames ...a big reason they get such good mileage. Etrailer specs a 'class I' hitch for Fusions with tongue weights of 200 or 300 pounds and towing weights of 2000 pounds or less. I installed the hitch and it was pretty easy. The receiver opening on a Class I hitch is only 1.25 inches...NOT the usual 2" receiver opening you see on full size SUV and pickup trucks. You cannot tow heavy stuff; period! If you were going to tow anything do the math before buying and before hooking up ...I would NOT tow anything with combined weight (trailer plus everything you put on it) that comes close to the 2000 pound limit. These are light weight cars; not SUV/pickups.

This August we bought our 2015 FFH with Michelin Energy Saver M & S P225 / 50 / R17. We hit our first snow in late September but only for a couple miles over a pass so no real test. Two weeks ago (mid December) I parked it after a scary eye opener on the highway and will drive our beater till I find winter tires and rims. The Michelins are AWFUL and do not deserve the M and S label. They are only a summer tire! Here in the Northwest Les Schwab dealers are widespread so I would like to buy snow tires from them...suggestions welcome; thanks.

After reading forum comments about which hitch, I opted for the Drawtite hitch so I could keep the factory plastic underpanel. Ford design engineers must have put that panel there for a reason! After removing and marking the panel I used a 1 5/8" wood bit to accomodate the hitch mount rear hex nuts. The Fusion is so low it is imperative to get a hitch to fit as high as possible and, after scraping it shortly after the install we are keenly aware of the need to get a rack with a bent neck to optimize clearance. The best we have found (so far) is the Yakima StickUp 2 bike hitch. The fact is a driver will have to pay attention to steep driveways.

2015 SE bike rack/trailer hitch question: Etrailer sells two hitches; Curt, rated at 350 pounds tongue weight and; Draw Tite Sport rated at 200 pounds tongue weight. Reviews and install comments indicate that the heavier rated Curt requires removal of a body panel while the lighter Drawtite indicates the need to do some trimming on that same panel ...but it remains in place. If one is only going to use the hitch for a bike rack (not to tow something) it seems the Draw Tite is the way to go if a person wishes to keep the body panel and its aerodynamic properties. Anybody have any experiences, suggestions, or comments?