Fusion Titanium 19" Wheels affect MPG??

[malibu3105]

I am in the process of ordering a Fusion Hybrid Titanium and am opting for the optional 19" wheels.

 

Does anyone know if this will affect my MPG ? I figure I should ask before I order :).....

 

[neod192]

Check out this thread over at the Blue Oval Forum: http://www.blueovalforums.com/forums/index.php?/topic/52837-19-h-spoke-wheels-on-hybrid-titanium/

[Riggo]

I am in the process of ordering a Fusion Hybrid Titanium and am opting for the optional 19" wheels.

 

Does anyone know if this will affect my MPG ? I figure I should ask before I order :).....

 

Yep, what neod192 said. Those wheels aren't offered on the Hybrid Titanium, only the gas Titanium. It's been noted by many people on here how the lack of wheel choice on the Hybrid Titanium stinks. I'm hoping in a year or so there will be aftermarket or used H spoke wheels that I can swap out. I can't stand the look of the HyTi wheels that are forced on me.

[acdii]

When mine comes in, I will see if the dealer will swap out my Luxury 18's for the TI ones. I did a side by side of the cars, SE vs Ti with the stock 18 and SE Luxury 18 and it looks much nicer with those than the stock ones,

[malibu3105]

I read that thread. A lot of info. Well..... So I wonder what the actual wheel size is on the 18" that come with the TI? Maybe I should just opt for aftermarket 18" wheels that look better. I can still use the low resistance tires, but loose the ugly spoke wheels.....

[acdii]

18 X 7.5" I believe is the rim size, and pretty sure the Ti will also have the Goodyear Eagle LS2 tires. I have found out that souther cars get a different brand tire in some cases, why, dont know, but they do. I think they get Conti or something.

[HenryVIII]

The 19 in wheels get the Continental ContiPro (96V) tires. Understand that tire selection in the 235/40/19 tire size is very limited.

 

You may want to opt for aftermarket wheels in a size (even in 19 inch) that caters to your needs for tire selection.

 

Here's an example of a better looking 19in wheel. Understand that when you go that big you gotta pay to play lol.

 

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/WheelCloseUpServlet?target=runWheelSearch&initialPartNumber=CK007DSK&wheelMake=BBS&wheelModel=CK&wheelFinish=Bright+Silver+Paint&showRear=no&autoMake=Ford&autoModel=Fusion&autoYear=2013&autoModClar=Titanium&filterFinish=All&filterSize=19&filterBrand=All&filterSpecial=false&filterNew=All&filterWeight=All&sort=Diameter

 

At 26 lbs it'll keep your rotating weight down too.

 

So if you decide to go with 19 inch wheels, look for lightweight wheels to help keep your efficiency (mpg). But be ready to take a hit anyways.

Edited March 21, 2013 by HenryVIII

[Da0ne]

how much do the stock wheels weigh

[HenryVIII]

My guess would be anywhere from 25 to 30 lbs depending on wheel diameter. Smaller diameter wheels (17 inch) will be closer to low to mid 20 lbs unlike the 19 inch wheel options.

[tombarker13ffh]

If it were me, I'd order the HyTi with standard wheels and find a set of take-off 19's on ebay and put some of these on em. Could cost you a couple grand though.

 

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Continental&tireModel=ContiProContact&partnum=34HR9CPC&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Ford&autoYear=2013&autoModel=Fusion&autoModClar=Titanium

[malibu3105]

Thanks. I may just get stock everything on the TI and them maybe get some 18" wheels that look good and keep the tires the same.

[gdn]

Jeez- eye opener - have a gas Titanium with the 19" that was ordered - will probably pick it up Monday if the get it from the rail yard to the dealer. To say the least - for the price of the OEM tires they better ride and handle like a dream.

[wailer]

_{I did a little research on what wheel and tire combinations work best on the 2013 Fusion, and this is what I have found. If you try to go with 20" rims and tires there are no low rolling resistant (LRR), all-season radials that will fit. The lower sidewall associated with this larger size will likely result in a harsher ride over the bumps of your everyday commute. They will also likely throw your speedometer off slightly, depending on what tires you mount on them. 19" will work, but there is less of a selection of rims and tires that won't significantly run your purchase costs up. The widest availability of rim/tire combinations that will give you LRR tires and not appreciably affect your speedometer is the 18" size rim. I found 4 LRR tires (3 are Michelins) that will work.}

 

_{I know many people seem to be going for the dark rim look of gunmetal or black rims these days, but I guess I'm old school. I just ordered a set of 18x8 Helo HE 845's in Chrome (see pic below). I like the clean, recessed look too. I had Michelin 235/45-18 Primacy MXM4 Differential Tread mounted on them. These are highly rated LRR tires that should be relatively quiet, smooth, with good handling in both wet and dry. There are better tires out there, but for the price these should give good life and performance. After all, I'm not looking to drive the hybrid like I would drive a Porsche! Rims, tires, along with metal stems, lugs, mounting, balancing and shipping to my door came in at just under $1900 (with mail in rebate on the Michelins). I was told wait time will be about 2 weeks.}

 

_{I have a white Fusion with newly tinted windows. I also just added a burled walnut dash kit thoughout the cabin (full 58 piece kit - but didn't use the pieces that would have covered the silver trim). I felt that would have been overkill. The kit is a bit pricey, but overall I'm happy with the way it dressed up the cabin. I added beige floor matts as well to match the interior. When I got the car the first thing I did was a clear bra on the front and mirrors and that has helped a lot. Next, I have an HID Low Beam conversion kit I'm putting in, and may follow that with HID Fog lIghts, and white LEDs over the Fogs. I already changed the headlight parking lamps to LED, and need to change the blinker bulb to (Sylvania) silver coated bulb to get rid of the orange reflection. I've ordered side-emitting red LED's to surround the red non-Titanium tail-light reflectors (mine's an SE), but I'm not sure how good those will look yet, or just how much work it will be to get power to the trunk-split tail-lights. All just fun projects! We'll see how some of these work out!}

 

_{Yeah, I'm a bit of a car geek! Chances are, so are you or you wouldn't have read this far! :)}

"Wailer"

 

 

 

Edited March 24, 2013 by wailer

[GrySql]

How about some pictures of that burled walnut dash kit, and some comments on the install procedure.

Do you have the Nav Pkg?

How do the lower buttons work with the kit?

 

I've been looking at those kits but the instructions daunt me.

[wailer]

Yeah, I've got NAV. I have the standard radio (not the Sony). The kit is available for non-Navigation, Nav with regular radio, and Nav with Sony. The new dash kits are available in a basic, or much more extensive 58 piece kit. I too was concerned a bit about the touch switches, but so far it really hasn't been an issue. I have to purposefully place my finger on the small opening in the kit that sits over each icon. The nice thing about that is it gives all those switches some tactile feedback, and cuts down on inadvertent activation of the wrong switch, which was happening a lot before when driving.

 

The kit is very straight forward, and easy to put in IF you follow all the directions. Cleaning the surface with the isopropyl alcohol pads, heating any curved pieces with a hair dryer, and using the promoter pen (an optional extra I highly recommend) near all the edges. Start with small pieces first to get used to how to do it. Move to a few curved pieces that require heating. Finally install the larger pieces. On the dash, just take extra time to ensure you align the holes with all the switch icons. If you are in a semi-darkened garage to do this piece, with your parking lights on, you can see them easily lit up through the cut-outs. I did not use the trim over the car's existing silver trim, as I felt it would have looked tacky, and I actually like how the silver frames things out. You be the judge! There are pieces for the rear door and the fold down cup-holders, as well as the back of the center console. The whole job took me about 3 hours, but I work reeeeally slow! I have put these kits in three other vehicles before, and have always found them easy to install, remarkably accurate in their laser cuts, and they add much to dressing up the interior. I've had a lot of compliments from others who knew I'd added them. Most had no idea they were aftermarket.

 

This is a lousy picture (too many reflections), but should give you an idea. A larger version of this picture can be found in my profile. I'll try to post some better close-ups later today. I bought the medium burled walnut kit.

 

Cheers,

Wailer

 

 

 

[acdii]

Wow that does look nice. The area around the radio knobs does look a little off balance though, is there a reason for that?

[wailer]

It's just a bad photo (reflection). The photo size limits within the forums is VERY small. I've uploaded a bunch of better shots in my Profile Gallery located here:

 

http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/gallery/album/269-2013-fusion-se-hybrid/

 

Everything has to line up on the console or your icons won't shine through, and switches wouldn't work!

 

Enjoy!

 

~Wailer

Edited March 24, 2013 by wailer

[DeeCee]

It's just a bad photo (reflection). The photo size limits within the forums is VERY small. I've uploaded a bunch of better shots in my Profile Gallery located here:

 

http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/gallery/album/269-2013-fusion-se-hybrid/

 

Everything has to line up on the console or your icons won't shine through, and switches wouldn't work!

 

Enjoy!

 

~Wailer

Looks quite nice. Do you have a link for the kit you selected?

[acdii]

If you have Facebook, you can just link pics like I do, then not have to worry about the limits. I saw a couple shots in the gallery header at the top, looks great actually, almost as if it came that way.

[wailer]

Dash Kit Link: http://www.carid.com/2013-ford-fusion-wood-grain-dash-kits/

 

There's a basic kit, and a full kit. 3 versions under each. Make sure you pick the right combo!

 

~Wailer

[ace8726872]

Wow, that looks really nice. Great job!

 

I would like to get some mods in the future. Maybe start off with something easy like installing the LED ambient light. Was the wiring difficult?

[wailer]

_{LOL! :hysterical: Super EASY! Seven bucks for the two 4" strips of LED's at Pep Boys, and pull the kick plate on the driver side of the console (use some panel pulling tools for leverage and towels underneath them so you don't scratch anything. The rubberized plastic panel pulling tools are cheap at your automotive store. From there just find a wire that is hot when the car is on and wire positive to positive and negative to negative. Easy as that! :)}

 

_~Wailer

Edited March 25, 2013 by wailer

[DeeCee]

Dash Kit Link: http://www.carid.com/2013-ford-fusion-wood-grain-dash-kits/

 

There's a basic kit, and a full kit. 3 versions under each. Make sure you pick the right combo!

 

~Wailer

Thanks for the info. You might also consider posting this and the picture link in the Interior Forum as it is kind of off topic in this one.

[B25Nut]

_{LOL! :hysterical: Super EASY! Seven bucks for the two 4" strips of LED's at Pep Boys, and pull the kick plate on the driver side of the console (use some panel pulling tools for leverage and towels underneath them so you don't scratch anything. The rubberized plastic panel pulling tools are cheap at your automotive store. From there just find a wire that is hot when the car is on and wire positive to positive and negative to negative. Easy as that! :)}

 

_~Wailer

Thank you for this info. Now I'll finally get my Ambient Lighting that I said I couldn't live without when I was looking at new cars last year. When it comes to electronics, I will never be the one to do a modification for the first time. Since this also lights up the console cubby, I feel it may be better than the lighting that comes with the Titanium.

[wailer]

Whoooooo hooooo! UPS notified me my new wheels and tires will be delivered tomorrow! :happy feet:

~Wailer

 

UPDATE! Wheels delivered! See my Gallery (or check the home page Gallery) ~Wailer

Edited April 9, 2013 by wailer