I would go down a size in wheel then you can go bigger sidewall. If you do it right, no speedo/odometer changes whatsoever. I think yours is 45 series but couldn’t hurt to go to 50 series 19”, or better yet, 55 series 18” wheels as long as they clear the calipers.

While the OP has his wheels off, he should check the shocks/struts to see if they are leaking.

quote:

Originally posted by calugo:

quote:

So you think they'd bend before cracking? For some reason I assumed the cast aluminum was more likely to just break, but I don't know much.

Absolutely...I only know this because I bent an aluminum rim when I hit a pothole and it put a dent in the rim that was repairable.

The OP lives in CA so the ambient temp is favorable for bending.

About this time 12 years ago, I was living in Canada and it was -20C outdoors. My wheel just cracked.

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:
I would go down a size in wheel then you can go bigger sidewall. If you do it right, no speedo/odometer changes whatsoever. I think yours is 45 series but couldn’t hurt to go to 50 series 19”, or better yet, 55 series 18” wheels as long as they clear the calipers.

19s were definitely an OE option on the higher trim Flex.
Don't recall if there were any brake differences between the lower trims & the AWD and/or EcoBoost models.
18s on the lower trims, but they're definitely not as nice looking.

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
Sure you weren't street racing against a DB-5?

"A double blow-out! I've never sheen that before!"

Lol. My favorite Bond movie.

All betting is closed.



Took the wheels off and we have blown sidewalls and dented inner lips on both the front and back.

Clearly the tires are done. The guy at the tire shop said the rims are repairable though suggested they would more than likely hold air just as they were. The dent in the rear was pretty minimal, front was a bit more severe.

$225 for repair, if I go through the tire shop. I called the wheel repair place direct (same one they use) and it is $175 direct. Used set of the same OEM currently listed locally for $300. New OEM is $475 or so. Aftermarket copies were over $600, sources through the tire shop.

Tire shop guy suggested calling the road hazard warranty people before doing anything just in case they had hoops, but also said they could mount up tires right away and get it back on the road if that was my desire and said they’d hold off on collecting payment until things got sorted with the warranty.

In the end I decided to take them home and consider my options. While on the way I remembered I had kept one of my previous tires when I bought this last set. On a whim I called the local small shop who sells used and they had one on hand. So I grabbed the used one from my garage and had the little shop switch out the blown tires with the 2 used tires. $40 to buy the used and have both mounted and my car is back drivable. There is perhaps a slight vibration above 60mph but it tracks straight.

Of course I also called the warranty people and got that ball rolling. Just have to decide on what the permanent replacements will be… another set of Nokian or something different.

Should have jumped the median.