Basic question about aftermarket rims

[abiFusion]

Hi Fusion family,

 

I purchased a 2013 Ford Fusion Titanium Hybrid last week and I am really enjoying it. I am impressed with its fuel efficiency, the powerful engine (for a hybrid), the tech details everywhere, and its nice sporty look. However, I am not sold on the the 18" polished face with flash gray-painted pockets that came standard on the Hybrid Titanium so I am considering replacing the rims with some aftermarket ones. It seems that this is very common but I have a couple of concerns (apologies if some of my questions have been asked before in a different thread but I wasn't able to find the exact answers I was looking for).

 

- I am only looking at getting the exact rim size (18x7.5) so I can keep the tires and hopefully the same mpg performance. I am guessing that the only other factor that may have an impact on the mpg numbers is the weight of the rims. Since I don't want to give up on mpg performance in exchange for the better look, can anybody confirm that if I maintain the same rim size and the rims are about the same weight, the mpg performance should be very similar? Are there any other factors I should consider?

- If weight is an important factor (I would assume that rims of exactly the same size, probably weigh about the same but I am not sure), does anybody know the weight of the standard rims that come with the Fusion Titanium Hybrid?

- Another concern I have about installing aftermarket rims on my Fusion is to maintain the same vehicle features I currently have. The first one that comes to mind is the TPMS sensor. Are all aftermarket rims compatible with the TPMS sensor? I assume that that is the case as long as I keep the TPMS sensor that came with the car and the system is installed correctly on the new rims.

- Has anybody sold the Titanium hybrid rims on eBay or Craig's list? What do you think a fair price is? Note that the rims are only 1 week old so they are virtually brand new.

 

I am hoping to make a decision today on this so I can update my rims over the weekend if possible so any information on this regard would be really appreciated. Thanks!

[neod192]

I was offered $200/wheel by a local wheel place. Ford wants $800 for one....

[abiFusion]

Wow! 200/wheel is a great deal! Thanks for sharing neod. Based on your signature, it sounds like you decided to keep the wheels that came with your Titanium after all. I am hesitant because I don't want to lose the mpg if I replaced the current wheels. I am trying to find out the weight of the standard Titanium wheels. I figured that if the dimensions and weight are the same (or lighter weight), I should not see any impact on the performance.

[LostPuma]

Did you end up buying new wheels? Did it effect your mileage?

[abiFusion]

I am planning to purchase new rims today. After a lot of research I figured that as long as the size and weight of the wheels are the same, the mpg should not be affected. There is the aerodynamic factor but I think that may really be in the noise. I will post my experience after I get the new wheels installed in case it helps.

Edited August 21, 2013 by abiFusion

[neod192]

Yup, I decided to keep my wheels ... Can't really afford to buy new ones right now and these do the job. They're actually growing on me :)

[abiFusion]

I was at crossroads as well but I figured that if I found something not too expensive, I could get some nice rims for a few hundred dollars after selling the ones that came with the Fusion. I just ordered them today and I will post a picture and my experience in terms of mpg after I get them installed.