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Downsizing Rims


BatocheBob

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I just purchased a 2017 Edge Titanium with 19" wheels. I am planning on purchasing a set of winter tires and rims but would like to downsize for better price and availability. Before doing so I want to make sure there are no cons to doing this and determine how much smaller I can go. Costco has a nice set of 17" Replica rims at a great price but I'm afraid that might be too small. Not sure if there would be enough clearance for the brake calipers. Kaltire has a nice 18" wheel for about $30 (Cdn) more. Which ever one I choose I want to make sure there are no adverse affects from this downsize. Although a bit more money I'm inclined to consider 18" wheels with 245/60R18 tires. Speaking of tires, any preferences to Blizzak DMV2 or Michelin Xice? Your comments will be appreciated. Thanks

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I have no input on the Michelin as far as snow tires. I buy and use the 18in Blizzaks and have for many years. I usually get about 3 seasons of use out of them. The best tires for grip and ride I have been using are the Michelin Premiers LTX however the tread life they say they are rated for is way off. They are great in the water and dry conditions. The tread wear is a bummer though. warranty says 60K miles but I will wear them out by 30K miles.

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I would definitely not go to a 17" wheel since that size was not offered on any second generation Edge model and therefore may be a problem with clearance for the brakes. The 18" with 245/60-18 tires should fit fine and not impact your speedometer (only 1mm difference in overall diameter).

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  • 4 weeks later...

I also think that 17" would be too small. Also, you may want to be sure to always put the stock wheels back on the car when bringing it into the dealership for maintenance. They may consider your warranty void with aftermarket wheels, especially if you go with a wheel size not offered by Ford. I contacted the dealership about my warranty and they told be any aftermarket wheels I put on will void the factory warranty. I ended up going with the same Ford 21" wheels they offer as optional for the gen II edge sport.

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I contacted the dealership about my warranty and they told be any aftermarket wheels I put on will void the factory warranty. I ended up going with the same Ford 21" wheels they offer as optional for the gen II edge sport.

That's the craziest thing I've heard all day. Totally will not void your warranty. Though if you went to a heavy chrome 22/4 then yeah they might deny the claims akirby stated, but you will be perfectly fine with aftermarket rims, shit most dealers now will sell you the car with aftermarket rims if you ask. No way in hell I'd buy the factory 21s though, thats just me though.

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Since starting this thread I have learned a few more things.

 

As far as voiding the warranty by changing rim size, that may be possible depending on your choice of rims but for the most part i believe itès Ok and has even been done by the dealership in some cases.

 

There appears to be a valid argument, besides price, for down sizing your rims for winter tires. By down sizing the rim and using a compensating sized tire you increase the height of the sidewall and get a bit more resiliency when hitting the potholes.

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Whatever you decide, check out the quality of the rims before you buy. There are s lot of cheap, Chinese rims sold today that can (and do) fail on the road. (Mainly from hitting a pot hole). I would be especially careful if the price is low. A good starting point is wwwm.TireRack.com

 

[edit] for rims you need to use the full site, not the mobile site.

Also, you can use their price as a bargining chip. I quoted their price at my local Ford/Lincoln dealer and they immediately matched. Saved couple of hundred.

Edited by enigma-2
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  • 3 months later...

I have standard 22" rims on my 2010 Edge sport. For winter tires, i bought some 18" Lincoln MKX chrome rims on kijiji that also had the TPMS sensors for $150. I have no issues with the calipers rubbing. I reset the TPMS sensors each time i change from winter to summer. I bought the do hickey from Ford to pick up the sensors in learn mode.

 

The only issue i have is now the speedometer is out about 5 Kms per hour too slow. With the snow tires on the edge and the AWD systems, its like a tank and nothing will stop it!

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I have 20" wheels on my 2016 Edge Titanium and just bought 18" Fast Switch alloy wheels with Michelin Lattitude X-Ice XI2 winter tires. 245/60R18 is almost the exact same diameter as 245/50R20. The wheels have the same centre bore size as the hub (63.4mm), so no hub centric rings were needed. I ordered them last week and they were delivered, mounted and balanced with TPMS sensors on Monday.

 

I put them on just to make sure they fit (they fit perfectly) and then put the 20's back on until there's some sign of snow.

 

I think 17" wheels would be a bit too small.

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