The Pothole Gang Got Me - new wheels

[WickerBill]

My 2013 Ford Fusion, Rosalita, that I have babied since birth and I still love and only has 35k miles on her, fell prey to an Indiana pothole gang.

It was dark, I saw the hole on the right and jogged just a touch to the left to avoid it. But nay, the hole on the right was a decoy, guiding me directly into the bunker on the left, which bent two rims. My resulting overcompensation while swearing guided me into the little hole on the right's big brother which bent rim #3.

I need new wheels. OEMs are nice but insanely pricey - the very nicest aftermarket wheels I've considered are $120 cheaper per corner than the Ford OE. Plus, the car is tuxedo black, and it would be inaccurate to state that I'd never wished my wheels were darker.


But here's the rub. I don't know what I'm doing. Is it best to buy from a place like Discount Tire (I have to get four new tires, too), or should I be looking for a specialty shop, or is there a magical place I'm not thinking of that has good wheel selection for cheap?

[SteveH]

File a claim with the state
https://www.in.gov/indot/2351.htm

Or if it occurred in Indianapolis
https://www.indy.gov/activity/file-a-tort-claim


I’ve done both for ruptured sidewalls on runflats, which don’t run at all when that occurs. Fortunately I didn?t damage the wheels in either case.

The Indy claim was two of years ago. The state claim was a year ago. I have only heard from the state a few months ago that it was in process but no indication that payment would be made. You probably won’t get anything either but for sure you won’t if you don’t file.

No suggestions on wheels, though.

[WickerBill]

I did report it, and if they reimburse me, super - but I've filed before (when this car was one week old and shredded a tire on a pothole) and it just seems like a black hole.

[cameraman]

Tirerack.com has a large selection of wheels and easy guided shopping to make sure they fit.

[nrc]

We've bought through Tire Rack several times. Their service has always been great and they guarantee their packages fit. They show you a list of local installers with pricing and you can ship the package there for installation if you want.

Both Tire Rack and Tire Discounters (probably others) have good tools for visualizing the wheels are on your car. You can also find a lot of pics online of most wheels on a bunch of different cars. I'd just find the wheels you want and go through whoever has the best price.

I still need to get rid of the custom wheels that we got for Missy's Mazda 6. Unfortunately they're they wrong bolt pattern for your Fusion. :)

[TRDfan]

Tirerack is a great way to go. They partner with very good shops and everything usually runs smooth.

[chop456]

And if you can make it to Tire Rack HQ in South Bend on 3 ovoid wheels, you'll get a discount.

[WickerBill]

993


what I like the very best about these is that they're round.

[nrc]

Looks great. Kind of like the Mustang GT Performance Pack wheels. :thumbup: