Old_arts need help re. wheel

[oldfolks]

We're getting ready to buy a 2010 Fusion S, which will probably (given our ages)be our last new car. Don't need any of the bells + whistles, but one thing we want is wheels that don't corrode or look awful.

Our present car (a piece of junk Prius) hadn't even got to 2 years old when the wheels blackened. It's looked terrible ever since.

What type of wheels should we get? Thanks for your help.

[bbf2530]

We're getting ready to buy a 2010 Fusion S, which will probably (given our ages)be our last new car. Don't need any of the bells + whistles, but one thing we want is wheels that don't corrode or look awful.

Our present car (a piece of junk Prius) hadn't even got to 2 years old when the wheels blackened. It's looked terrible ever since.

What type of wheels should we get? Thanks for your help.

 

Hi oldfolks. :D Not sure I understand the question, but I will give it a try: If properly cared for, the Fusion's factory wheels will look good for many years.

 

So according to which you like better and how much you want to spend, either stick with the standard Fusion S wheel or upgrade to the optional wheel. Either way, they are good quality wheels.

 

Your other choice would be to purchase aftermarket wheels and have them changed over. While you would have near endless wheel choices, aftermarket wheels can be pricey, especially if you are trying to keep costs down.

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

[DJE]

I like the painted alloy wheels. it's pretty easy to keep them clean and the clear coating protects the finish.

[oldfolks]

Thanks, bbf & DJE. Didn't realize the alloy ones were painted;even w/a clear coating, I wonder how long they'd stay looking good here in Maine, where we love to pound the salt to our roads during our 9 months of winter. JK

[fusionff]

Thanks, bbf & DJE. Didn't realize the alloy ones were painted;even w/a clear coating, I wonder how long they'd stay looking good here in Maine, where we love to pound the salt to our roads during our 9 months of winter. JK

 

As long as you clean them regularly, they should look good for years.

[akirby]

Keep them rinsed off and wax them regularly and you should have no problems.

[oldfolks]

As long as you clean them regularly, they should look good for years.

 

 

Well, you see, therein lies the problem...we like to keep things simple and life's too short to spend much time cleaning and polishing, etc. (priorities, you know).

So my next dumb question (is there a limit to how many I can ask in a given day?) is-do they make hubcaps for the 2010 Fusion S?

[DJE]

The 2010 S comes standard with 16" Alloys. I wouldn't change them out for steel wheels with hub caps. Even if you just spray off the salt once or twice a week, the alloys should look fine for years.

[akirby]

Well, you see, therein lies the problem...we like to keep things simple and life's too short to spend much time cleaning and polishing, etc. (priorities, you know).

So my next dumb question (is there a limit to how many I can ask in a given day?) is-do they make hubcaps for the 2010 Fusion S?

 

They don't require any more maintenance than "hubcaps'. Just keep the salt rinsed off and have the whole car washed periodically and waxed once a year at least.

[xmech2k]

My turn for a dumb question. If your wheels turned black, wasn't it just brake dust? Just get a bristle brush to go over them when you wash the car. No detailed cleaning or polishing necessary. That stuff bakes on if you don't clean them ever.

[DJE]

Not dumb at all xmech. At first, I was thinking the same thing. I get sick when I see all the Mercedes cruising around with black front wheels because the owners don't clean them.

[deo1929]

An easy way to deal with the wheels is go to a good car wash every week and pay for the extra wheel cleaning service. It doesn't get any simpler than that.

 

FYI....The alloys and tires on the S were designed to get that extra 3 MPG EPA rating over the SE/SEL 4 cylinders. I wouldn't change them. I actually thought of getting a set of S wheels and tires for my SE. Wait a minute. Hey oldfolks, lets to a swap. I'll send you my SE wheels/tires/wheel covers and you send me yours. We can put our cars up on blocks for a week while we wait for them to ship....or maybe 3 weeks if we use the USPS! LOL :hysterical2:

[DJE]

Two and a half weeks if you're lucky! (USPS stinks!)

[deo1929]

We're getting ready to buy a 2010 Fusion S, which will probably (given our ages)be our last new car. Don't need any of the bells + whistles, but one thing we want is wheels that don't corrode or look awful.

Our present car (a piece of junk Prius) hadn't even got to 2 years old when the wheels blackened. It's looked terrible ever since.

What type of wheels should we get? Thanks for your help.

 

 

Check this link out for Mother's all wheel and tire cleaner.

 

http://www.mothers.com/02_products/05924.html

[oldfolks]

Wow! The things one learns after one gets old and "knows it all." Thank God for computers and for helpful people like all of you. Had no idea that "brake dust could get baked on." Mystery solved I think-maybe the Prius had alloy wheels and by not getting a car wash very regularly, we probably caused the problem ourselves.

Not to excuse ourselves for being basically lazy, which we enjoy being in our retirement, we also have Maine winters to deal with. We can spray and rinse off the wheels here at home, except for winter, when we have to put the hoses away due to freezing. And we rarely (like most Mainers) use the carwash in the winter because nobody likes to discover their doors frozen shut the next day.

Looks like the solution is to bite the bullet and pay for steel wheels and hubs;even w/a mileage decrease,it's well worth it to us not to have to deal w/black wheels;my old '99 Prizm still looks great, and now I think you've all helped us figure out WHY.

Deo-funny idea about the swap, and here's a thought re. the shipping: we could use our junky Prius to get the wheels back and forth-I hear Priuses go "full speed ahead." Now if we can just unload ours before we become the next victims.

[bbf2530]

Wow! The things one learns after one gets old and "knows it all." Thank God for computers and for helpful people like all of you. Had no idea that "brake dust could get baked on." Mystery solved I think-maybe the Prius had alloy wheels and by not getting a car wash very regularly, we probably caused the problem ourselves.

Not to excuse ourselves for being basically lazy, which we enjoy being in our retirement, we also have Maine winters to deal with. We can spray and rinse off the wheels here at home, except for winter, when we have to put the hoses away due to freezing. And we rarely (like most Mainers) use the carwash in the winter because nobody likes to discover their doors frozen shut the next day.

Looks like the solution is to bite the bullet and pay for steel wheels and hubs;even w/a mileage decrease,it's well worth it to us not to have to deal w/black wheels;my old '99 Prizm still looks great, and now I think you've all helped us figure out WHY.

Deo-funny idea about the swap, and here's a thought re. the shipping: we could use our junky Prius to get the wheels back and forth-I hear Priuses go "full speed ahead." Now if we can just unload ours before we become the next victims.

 

Hi oldfolks. :D Just as an FYI: Steel wheels will exhibit the same problem (baked on brake dust) as aluminum wheels. In addition, due to the fact that steel wheels are inexpensive and not usually clearcoated, they will look bad even sooner than aluminum wheels.

 

Whatever the reason your "99 Prizm still looks great", it is not due to having steel wheels. If you are going to use the steel wheels in the winter, thus avoiding the the harsh winter conditions for your good aluminum wheels, that would not be a bad idea. However, if you plan on leaving the steel wheels on year round, you will have the same brake dust problems, but even sooner.

 

Hope this information helps.

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

[xmech2k]

Yeah, I have an SE with the hubcaps (sadface... waiting for the tires to wear out, then find some not-too-gaudy rims) and they'll collect the dust, too. (I guess it doesn't matter how the steel wheels look underneath.) I wouldn't go with the steel rims as they are at least 10 lbs heavier each. And, being 17" vs 18", you'll probably notice the road imperfections some more, as well, if that would bother you.

[oldfolks]

Thanks for the added information,bbf and xmech. I think (merely an opinion here)the reason the old Prizm still looks good is because it has full hubcaps...as opposed to these "modern" wheels that have fancy designs that only serve as catchalls for snow, slush, salt and other road grime. You wouldn't believe how even a short trip to the local store in winter makes a mess of things.

You've all helped solve another mystery, too. All winter long, the bay in the garage where we park the Prius ends up looking like a skating rink (nice safety feature for older folks-not) because the snow that's accumulated in the wheels melts off.

The side where we park the Prizm barely has any ice.

Soooooo-my question for the day is: Can we get full hubcaps for the alloy wheels? I notice they use the term "hubcaps" and "wheel covers" interchangeably

on different sites, but I mean the full ones.

Thanks.

[DJE]

I really doubt you'll be able to find full wheel covers for alloy wheels. They do make shields for the back of the wheels to keep brake dust off. I know you really want covers but seriously, nothing makes a car look better than clean alloy wheels.

[bbf2530]

Thanks for the added information,bbf and xmech. I think (merely an opinion here)the reason the old Prizm still looks good is because it has full hubcaps...as opposed to these "modern" wheels that have fancy designs that only serve as catchalls for snow, slush, salt and other road grime. You wouldn't believe how even a short trip to the local store in winter makes a mess of things.

You've all helped solve another mystery, too. All winter long, the bay in the garage where we park the Prius ends up looking like a skating rink (nice safety feature for older folks-not) because the snow that's accumulated in the wheels melts off.

The side where we park the Prizm barely has any ice.

Soooooo-my question for the day is: Can we get full hubcaps for the alloy wheels? I notice they use the term "hubcaps" and "wheel covers" interchangeably

on different sites, but I mean the full ones. :D

Thanks.

 

Hi oldfolks. :D First, just as an FYI on the "wheel cover"/"hub cap" terms: While many people do use the terms interchangeably, they actually are different to a car enthusiast. A "wheel cover" covers the entire face of the wheel from middle (or "hub") of the wheel to the outer rim. So as you stated, you are looking for a "wheel cover".

A "hub cap" only covers the middle "or hub" of the wheel. Think something more like the pie-plate sized "hub caps" on some cars in the 50's, 60's and 70's.

 

Now, on to your conundrum: I agree with DJE. While I do not want to say something is impossible, realistically I would say no, you would not be able to find wheel covers which would fit the factory aluminum wheels. Something like that would need to be custom made, and unfortunately there is not a big market for wheel covers to cover up aluminum alloy wheels.

 

Addressing only the problem of fit:: A wheel must be designed with room on the outer face for a wheel cover to fit. That is not the case with any factory aluminum wheel on any Ford product. In the case of the factory aluminum wheels, it would be impossible to get a wheel cover to fit flush/properly Then there is the problem of attachment: Most current wheel covers use the lug nuts to bolt on (very few are held on with clips or spring clips anymore). So again, the wheel must be designed from the outset to have room for the lug nuts to fit properly and still hold the wheels on the car. Just not the case with factory aluminum wheels.

 

Anyway, i think you see the difficulty in trying to find and/or attach any type of aftermarket wheel covers to an aluminum wheel.

 

If you want a wheel that will take a wheel cover, you will probably need to purchase a set of steel wheels that come with wheel covers, such as the current standard equipment Fusion SE standard wheels (called the 17" 5-Spoke-Design Wheel with Silver-Painted Cover"). Ironically, if you do some checking around, that may not be that hard to do, since those steel wheels are wheels that most people try to get rid of so that they can get the aluminum wheels like you have. :shades:

 

In fact, if you go to this Fusion/Milan/MKZ website: LINK: Ford Fusion Club and place a "Want to trade" post up in the Classified section (like here, you will need to register to post), you may be able to find someone in your area who would be willing even trade the Fusion "steelies" for your "aluminums". It can't hurt to try.

 

My advice (if you care)? Keep the aluminum wheels. They will be less trouble and will look just as good (or better) years from now as a steel wheel with a plastic cover.

 

However, I respect your right to do as you like with your car, so whatever your final decision, good luck. :beerchug:

Edited April 12, 2010 by bbf2530

[oldfolks]

Thank you, bbf. After I posted above, I had to leave for the day and all day I've been thinking, "You moron. They TOLD you at the onset that you can't get hubcaps for the alloy wheels and there you go asking the same stupid question!" You folks must think I'm the stupidest person in the state...today I'm running a close second.

You've all helped me to make a final decision. I'll either accept the alloy ones and live with them or ... maybe get an SE, instead.

 

I appreciate the patience you've all shown w/this old_art.

[bbf2530]

Thank you, bbf. After I posted above, I had to leave for the day and all day I've been thinking, "You moron. They TOLD you at the onset that you can't get hubcaps for the alloy wheels and there you go asking the same stupid question!" You folks must think I'm the stupidest person in the state...today I'm running a close second.

You've all helped me to make a final decision. I'll either accept the alloy ones and live with them or ... maybe get an SE, instead.

 

I appreciate the patience you've all shown w/this old_art.

 

 

Hi oldfolks. :D Don't worry about it. We all suffer our own "brain clouds" once in a while.

 

Coincidentally, someone has just posted that he has set of the SE wheels (steel with wheel covers) for sale.

 

You can find the post here: LINK: Fusion SE wheels

 

Please keep in mind I do not know you or the other member personally, so am not vouching for anything. Also, I do not know where you live (I believe they live in Central Indiana). Just making the information known to you.

 

My advice (again, only if you care) would be to purchase the car you like best, with the wheel style you like best. Do not upgrade to the SE just for the steel wheels, if the Fusion S fits your needs better. In the end, the Fusion S aluminum wheels will keep just a nice as the Fusion SE steel wheels/wheel covers. The aluminum wheels are clearcoat painted for protection.

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

Edited April 12, 2010 by bbf2530

[DJE]

I can vouch for DEO. He bought my wheels, paid right away and was very patient with the USPS.