2013+ Ford Escape Forum banner

Which wheels do you like best?

  • Wheel 1 - Enkei M52

    Votes: 11 44%
  • Wheel 2 - TR Motorsports C4

    Votes: 9 36%
  • Wheel 3 - Sparco Pro Corsa

    Votes: 5 20%
  • Wheel 4 - Voxx Lago

    Votes: 0 0%

Help choosing (possible) new wheels

32K views 50 replies 11 participants last post by  PaulOinMA  
#1 ·
I'm torn between a couple of different wheels and wanted to see what you guys & girls thought, so here's a poll (the photos are in order from right to left, Wheel 1 through Wheel 4)...

Some relevant info: I currently have the 18" wheels with stock size Continentals on them. The plan here is to downsize to a 17" wheel and put true All Terrain tires on. (There are a couple of forum members who stuffed some AT tires on stock 18" rims and I think they look AMAZING, but those guys have some rubbing at full wheel crank and that's a deal breaker for me.) I really like the look of black wheels on any color Escape except for a black one and, guess what?...I have a black one. Heh. So I'm looking to stay away from black wheels. Gunmetal / dark gray would be great, and I'm fine with silver wheels too.

Wheel #1 - Enkei M52. My favorite ones on the list, but I'm a little concerned about how the spokes are curved in such a way that they protrude outwards past the edge of the rim a little bit. I haven't curbed a wheel in years :) but I do run my Escape through a car wash in the winter months and I'm nervous about the conveyor possibly scraping up the rims.

Wheel #2 - TR Motorsport C4. I REALLY like these. My only concern with these is that I read a review online for the black version of these wheels where the own complained that the paint had a matte finish and was difficult to clean; so I'd assume the gray wheels have the same finish. I'd prefer wheels that are gloss/clearcoated.

Wheel #3 - Sparco Pro Corsa. I like - not love - these wheels. But they'll do the job and function properly to hold the tires that I want. (The tires are the real driving force of my whole project here.)

Wheel #4 - Voxx Lago. I REALLY like these in black. In silver, in the photo, they look a little too "bright / light" to my eye. I dunno - Maybe it's my imagination... I tried to do a Google Images search but almost everyone who has these has them in black.

Please vote and respond and let me know what you guys think! I wanna hear opinions, even if you don't like my choices - Please tell me why and I promise I won't be offended :) Thanks!
 

Attachments

#2 ·
I'm an odd-numbered spoke kind of guy. I think because I'm older and back in the day 5-spoke mags were the thing.

Nothing wrong with the others actually -- just like the spoke pattern of the first one best. The others are all basically 6-spoke or a "skeletal 6-spoke" to my eye. Prefer the skeletal 5.

They could all look good though. You didn't pick anything so radical that it is tasteless or whatever, lol.
 
#3 ·
I voted #2 .
Chose this cause the design should be easier to clean. I also would prefer a 5 spoke, because 6 makes no sense, it's only got 5 nuts.
I've always liked the look of a black car with a wheel that has a gloss black center and a polished or chrome lip.
 
#10 ·
Every time I wash my car it reminds me that I should not have chosen a different wheel if possible. I have the OEM 18" wheels for the 2017 Titanium, the ones shown on the FEs that are on the photo at top of this forum. I liked the look of these better but after my second wash I knew I made a mistake with all of those spaces (and tight), it takes a while to get those clean.

In hindsight, I should have asked if they had other 18" wheels that I could have switched out, but then maybe I might not have liked them as much. Might look into getting some new ones if I get bored of these and can't find an easier way to clean (and dry) the wheels.
 
#4 ·
I think those Enkei's are the same as I've seen fitted on a Camry where I regularly walk. If they are, the curved spokes literally stick out a mile- I'd say they wouldn't suit off road use.

Could 18" with a different offset to stock fix the rubbing you're talking about?
 
#5 ·
Well, there are other Enkei's that look similar to those with slight differences, including the spoke curvature. Could be tough to tell them apart. (I don't do any off roading. I just like the look and the performance in winter. My Escape is my first vehicle in 15 years that I didn't put AT tires on.)

As for the question about the 18's with a different offset: Not really... That's been discussed extensively elsewhere on these forums. The smallest "true" AT tires people are typically able to find at 255 55 R18; the wheel wells on our Escape are just a little too tight for that.
 
#6 ·
In some of the wheel descriptions at TireRack . com, it states that the wheels will come with a "required centering ring". I assume this is a hubcentric ring, right?

I've done a small bit of Googling and a search on these forums, but can someone please school me on these rings? I get the principle, but are they actually necessary? Back in the day, we used to mount tires on wheels and just bolt them on the truck. These days I need hubcentric rings and TPMS sensors that need to be properly programmed, etc... I just wanna make sure I understand the hubcentric rings, though. Are other people using them? What's the deal?...

TIA.
 
#11 ·
Thanks, I actually saw that link in my research yesterday :) But I thought I also saw some discussion on these forums that our vehicles aren't hubcentric, they're lugcentric (i.e.: the wheels get centered as you tighten down the lugs, hence the taper on them). And, there's also people running aftermarket wheels without hubcentric rings.

I'm either missing something (which is pretty likely), or there just isn't a single "correct" answer to this (which is also pretty likely).

I suppose if TireRack is going to provide me with the rings, I'll use them. I just prefer to understand rather than just blindly do something because someone tells me to.
 
#13 ·
Voted number 2, just not so much a fan of delicate looking slender spokes on SUV's. This is 17" (OEM for my SE) Enkei BR7's in the "Silver Machined" finish on mine. If interested you'll also find 'em in grey and gunmetal.

The high-point of the spokes is about 1/16" beyond the rim but about 1/2" below the tire sidewall; had 'em since July of '14 and haven't rashed any part of the wheels yet though I have scrubbed a sidewall on a curb a few times.

Image


Old pic, boy I'm glad those roof rails are long gone !

PS - When first installed I used Gorilla hubcentric rings (some sort of rigid synthetic material); those were destroyed in the process of pulling brake disks a couple of years down the road and not replaced. I'm very glad I did not have aluminum rings as they'd have been even more of a huge pain to remove over the slight rust on the wheel hub and 'bonded' under the rings. Many miles and tire rotations later I've not suffered any vibration or other ill effects for lack of them, always practicing standard criss-cross progressive torqueing of the cone-seat lugs when mounting wheels to get things centered. YMMV.
 
#16 ·
After you and I traded PM's a few days ago I really started getting stuck on the wheels you have, especially after I found out that they come in gray...And then I found out that they're discontinued. Isn't that always the case - Some of my top choices for wheels right now are out of stock at TireRack. Bah!

Thanks for the additional info on the hubcentric rings :) Good to know aluminum rings should be avoided. If I end up using rings, I'll be sure to get non-aluminum ones. I'm still fleshing this whole out thing out...
 
#14 ·
Nice choices! I voted 3 since that looks to be the closest to the favorite wheel my wife and I both has once (BBS VZ). How expensive are they? 1, 3, and 4 look similar to Sport Edition A15 at Tirerack which is around $130.
 
#15 ·
jmt9779 ... I sent you an IM. Not sure it went through. It's not showing up in my Sent folder.


Are you selling your 18s? I have 19s and would like to downsize, too. I'm in MA halfway between Boston and Worcester.
 
#19 ·
Nothing showed up yet. maybe Instant Messages are anything but instant. Mine to you still never showed up in my Sent folder.


I'm even headed to my in-laws in Bridgewater on Saturday. I know you probably still need the 18s. :D
 
#21 ·
centex has a good point about how the (what I call) BBS-style wheels may look on a CUV/SUV. If the wheels are on tirerack, there is a tool to see how they look on a vehicle.
 
#23 ·
Yup - I don't disagree. I wish they made this style with thicker spokes..Which is actually the style of stock wheel that Jeep puts on its Cherokee Trailhawks :) I saw those and I went to the aftermarket to try to mimic that look but it's much more difficult than you might think. Heh.

I've been using the TireRack tool to see the wheels on the vehicle, it's helpful but it's just gives a sense of the look. The context will be completely different with some BFG AT's on there.

At the moment, I'm leaning towards wheel #2 though (which coincidentally has the most votes); I just need to do more research about the finish on them. And thanks to Centex's last post, I'm considering the Enkei BR7's in gray and/or gunmetal too. Heh.
 
#24 ·
Even though I voted 3, I do like 2. I agree with the ease of cleaning with wheel 2. I went with Sport Edition F12 in 17" for winter wheels for both our FEs. It is a simple 6-spoke. Very easy to wash, bug/tar remover, and wax the wheels when I take them off in the spring.
 
#27 ·
I've spent entirely too much time this weekend ruminating/obsessing on these wheels, and I'm actually leaning towards a choice that was not in my original list. Andros Spec Q in graphite. Attached is a photo of the wheel and I also found a photo of them on a black Lincoln MKC (they're 18's though) - That's about as close as I'll be able to come to seeing what they'll actually look like on my black Escape.

Thoughts?
 

Attachments

#28 ·
I've spent entirely too much time this weekend ruminating/obsessing on these wheels...
:laugh: Lol, welcome to the agonizing world of wheel decisions!

Since you asked .... nope, I don't like the spoke extending 'through the rim' and I prefer 'clean, un-sculpted' spokes (but those do have a nice-looking 'heft' to them for a CUV wheel, and the color sure looks good). >:D

But hey, all that matters is what You like :) . ;) . :)

Edit - looking back twice ... those actually do look very nice on that MKC in spite of the details I don't put at the top of my list.
 
#33 ·
@jmt9779 are you taking into consideration what offsets and widths the various wheels you're looking at are available in? (The stock wheel offset is 52.5mm.)

It's something worth looking into. The tyres you're interested in will have a recommended rim width range (given you're looking at high profile A/T tyres that most likely won't be an issue.)

A different (more negative) offset will give you more clearance between the tyre/ front strut and increase the track (for more stability.) If you want to fit a wider tyre then more negative offset would be a good idea- say an offset of around 45mm if you're looking at 255mm wide tyres.
 
#34 ·
New wheel looks good on the tirerack simulation putting them on the Escape. Looks like a good deal, too, as they are a closeout on sale.

Was thinking of you while I was on 287 Saturday evening driving back from my in-laws. :)
 
#47 ·
Thanks :)

Andros Spec Q wheels. 17" x 8". 45mm offset. Matte Graphite Silver.
BF Goodrich All Terrain T/A KO2 tires. 225 65 R17.

I had to remove the little "flaps" in front of the rear tires, but otherwise, they fit perfect. Confirmed this morning: Zero rubbing at full crank, both directions.

I couldn't be happier with the setup. I really love it.

I really need to wash the Escape and get some better photos, but I hear I'm getting another foot of snow this weekend; so here are a couple more for now...
 

Attachments

#48 ·
Nice! I think I wanted you to get new wheels more that you did. I just replied to your IM and sent you an e-mail. :)
 
#51 ·
Just wanted to thank jmt9779 for his 18s. :)


My wife was in NJ visiting her parents for the weekend, and she picked up the 18s on Saturday morning. Will probably put them on next week. Cleaning up outside this week after the late-season heavy snow took down branches and trees and cutting firewood.


Thinking about selling my 19s.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jmt9779