Warrantying Crusty Wheels and Adding Style to My DD Explorerhttp://www.svtperformance.com/forum...rusty-wheels-adding-style-my-dd-explorer.htmlhttp://www.svtperformance.com/forum...rusty-wheels-adding-style-my-dd-explorer.htmlhttp://www.svtperformance.com/forum...rusty-wheels-adding-style-my-dd-explorer.htmlhttp://www.svtperformance.com/forum...rusty-wheels-adding-style-my-dd-explorer.html
http://www.svtperformance.com/forum...rusty-wheels-adding-style-my-dd-explorer.html
As some of you may have saw, about 10 months ago I picked up a new daily driver. It's a 2009 Ford Explorer Sport V8. We have done articles about routine maintenance and adding the obligatory intake, tune, and exhaust. With this short article I'm going to take you through the fix for a common problem among Fords with factory polished aluminum wheels, namely corrosion of the aluminum leading to blistering of the clear coat. If you're wondering why the Ex doesn't have its go-fast parts installed in this article, it's because the events featured in this thread took place before those in the performance oriented article mentioned about.
The ugly blistering of the clear coat on the wheels has become such a problem that Ford has released a Technical Service Bulletin ("TSB") instructing dealers on how to address the situation. Unfortunately, it's not a cheap fix. Ford recommends replacing the affected wheels, along with the center caps and the bands for the TPMS sensors. Fortunately for me, my Ex was still under it's 3-year/36,000-mile warranty so all four wheels were replaced with brand new ones by Conway Ford of Conway, SC. The EX had about 35,000 miles on it, and it's stock tires, so I figured since it was getting new wheels that now would be as good a time as any to replace the tires.
I settled on the Nitto 420S as my tread of choice and placed an order with Discount Tire Direct. Within a couple of days I had four brand new wheels and tires on my new DD. Not a bad deal. However, I didn't want to stop there. I felt it would be a good idea to protect the Ex's new shoes so i called up Tousley Ford and ordered a set of Ford Accessories Security Lugs. Had I thought of it, like I did just now (months later), I probably could have used the ones that came with the SVTP GT. No use worrying about spending a few dollars now though. While on the phone with the guys at Tousley I ordered a factory 2002'ish Ford Explorer Rubber Hitch plug. I first discovered this plug back in 2002 when I bought a brand new Ford Ranger from my local Ford dealer. I spotted the hitch plug on an Explorer in the showroom and the salesman threw it in on the deal. That same plug spent time on my 2004 Lightning (before I finally removed the hitch) and now currently resides on the SVTP F-350. I like the plain and simple look of it, so I decided to add one to the Ex as well.
Take a look at the pics below:
This is the corrosion I was speaking about above. It was present on all four wheels.
This is a good reason not to buy a vehicle sight unseen and at night. Had I not asked the dealership to pull the truck into a well lit garage I would have likely overlooked this defect.
This wheel was the least affected by corrosion, but it is starting to make its presence known around the center cap.
I'm just glad that I got this issue fixed under warranty. Also, knock on wheel weights are the devil.
The new wheels and Nitto tires look great.
I went one size larger with the tires (265 vs. 255). This gave the Ex a more performance oriented look and happened to cost about $70 less per tire.
I think the old truck looks pretty good once it's all cleaned up.
To protect the new wheels and tires from theft we opted to add a set of Ford security lugs.
The star pattern in the top of the security lug is matched by that of the security socket.
This means you pretty much have to have that socket in order to remove the wheel.
Installation is as simple as removing a stock lug from each wheel...,
...and replacing it with a security lug using the provided matching socket.
The security lug doesn't quite match the other lugs, but it's hardly noticeable.
While this might not make the wheels theft proof, it may be just discouraging enough to make a thief look for an easier target.
It's just a simple piece of molded rubber, but I think the Ford Hitch Plug compliments the overall look of the truck nicely.
The rubber construction allows it to be held firmly in the receiver without any hardware.
So instead of having an unsightly hole on the back of your vehicle...
...you can have this.
The improvement is more dramatic from farther away. Here we have the not so great before image.
And here is the much better after image. I think it's nice subtle improvement. Shout out to Lethal Performance for the sweet beer koozie in the background.
For those interested, this is the part number for the hitch plug.
This is a good reason not to buy a vehicle sight unseen and at night. Had I not asked the dealership to pull the truck into a well lit garage I would have likely overlooked this defect.
This wheel was the least affected by corrosion, but it is starting to make its presence known around the center cap.
I'm just glad that I got this issue fixed under warranty. Also, knock on wheel weights are the devil.
The new wheels and Nitto tires look great.
I went one size larger with the tires (265 vs. 255). This gave the Ex a more performance oriented look and happened to cost about $70 less per tire.
I think the old truck looks pretty good once it's all cleaned up.
To protect the new wheels and tires from theft we opted to add a set of Ford security lugs.
The star pattern in the top of the security lug is matched by that of the security socket.
This means you pretty much have to have that socket in order to remove the wheel.
Installation is as simple as removing a stock lug from each wheel...,
...and replacing it with a security lug using the provided matching socket.
The security lug doesn't quite match the other lugs, but it's hardly noticeable.
While this might not make the wheels theft proof, it may be just discouraging enough to make a thief look for an easier target.
It's just a simple piece of molded rubber, but I think the Ford Hitch Plug compliments the overall look of the truck nicely.
The rubber construction allows it to be held firmly in the receiver without any hardware.
So instead of having an unsightly hole on the back of your vehicle...
...you can have this.
The improvement is more dramatic from farther away. Here we have the not so great before image.
And here is the much better after image. I think it's nice subtle improvement. Shout out to Lethal Performance for the sweet beer koozie in the background.
For those interested, this is the part number for the hitch plug.
Special Thanks To:
Tousley Ford
Discount Tire Direct
Conway Ford
- SID297:beer:
P.S. - I know crusty stock wheels, lugnuts, and hitch plugs may not be the most exciting things to write and article about; but you never know, the next time you see an article involving the Ex we may be cracking into the engine or adding some boost.
