Better Beaters - Building Cars and Daily Drivers

 They were worth the trip!

These are some good looking OEM wheels.

I know, I once said that I wouldn't try to dress up my truck. That it was fine the way that it was. 

That's still pretty much true, but there have been little things that need fixing. I've also been thinking that if I cut back on my hobby cars, then I want to fuss over my truck a bit, since it will be elevated into quasi hobby car status.

Once I started thinking about nicer wheels, I started noticing what was on the newer model Ford trucks that I saw on the street. Many are big off road type wheels and tires. Not the look that I'm aiming for.

On the other hand I see many trucks sporting big custom hoops, everything from 20-26 inches with low profile tires. These look pretty cool, especially if the truck is lowered. But again not the look I'm aiming for.

I didn't have any interest in putting on a set of aftermarket custom wheels.

At first I thought that 20 inch wheels were kind of dumb, I figured that they had to ride rougher than a 17 or 18 inch wheel. They were just for looks, right?

That's pretty much true. But my Flex came from the factory equipped with 20's, and I think that they look much cooler than the 18's that were standard. I haven't experienced a rougher ride on the Flex, it rides fine, though replacement tires will probably cost more than for the18's. I wouldn't have changed the Flex's wheels if they had been 18s, but I am digging on the 20's.

Ford has put some nice looking 20 inch wheels on their later model F150s, and this particular model really grabbed my eyes! 

I like that they are a twelve spoke design, six main spokes in the front, with another six "floating" spokes between those. This is quite a unique design, as most wheels are five spokes of some type. It kind of has a medieval kind of vibe, to me at least. It looks like something you might have seen on a knight's shield. Since they are 20's, they really fill out the wheel wells, even on the newer, blockier F150 models. 

You gotta admit that Ford makes a handsome truck!
Though this one isn't mine.

Once I decided on what I wanted, I started looking on CraigsList where I was sure that a set would be bound to show up. Eventually.

I kept an eye out, looking for listings and most sets of other OEM wheels were selling for over 500 dollars to over a thousand. The more expensive ones did have new tires already mounted. Somebody out there obviously didn't like the wheels that their new F150 came with, and switched them out immediately.

After looking on my local CL listings I was getting pretty discouraged, so I decided to look down south, and sure enough a set showed up in LA! They were in good shape with "okay" tires already mounted. Best of all was the price, only 350 bucks!

These wheels were in very good shape.

I think that these tires will last me through the new year,
which is very fortunate for me.

I first saw the wheels just before Thanksgiving, and contacted the seller immediately.  He told me that he was going to be out of town around the holiday, but would be back by the next week. I emailed him that I would drive down to see the wheels. My Wife put together the reservations for lodging, it would be one day down to LA, pick up the wheels, then head north and spend the night in Solvang. I agreed that I would stop at the stores that she wanted to visit on the trip home. I contacted the seller and we confirmed the schedule. 

I took my truck, as I didn't want to dirty up my Flex carrying a set of wheels.

I was hoping that the seller didn't find a buyer before I could get down there! I kept those fingers crossed during the days before I left. I phoned the guy the night before we left and he assorted me that the wheels were still available, and he would let me have the first choice at buying them.

We left early, maybe not quite as early as I would have liked, but we would be there by noon. The weather started out a bit gloomy and even a bit foggy going over the Pacheco Pass, but once we hit I-5, the sun came out, and it was a glorious sunny California Winter day. 

Even though I've owned my truck for over 17 years, I still really enjoy driving it. It's been a good truck and I really like the design and the color, and it certainly deserves to get a bit of attention and fussing over.

I had worked and lived in the LA region for a couple of years in the early 1980's, and am comfortable navigating around the region. We met the seller at his house in West LA, I found the wheels to be exactly what I was looking for, so I paid him and he helped me load them up. Last year he had bought a truck that came with these wheels, and had switched them out. Later he sold the truck, so he didn't need the wheels anymore. Extra wheels take up a lot of space, and I knew that now I'd be holding onto my F150s original wheels! 

The trip home was uneventful.

Big hoops are lookin' good!

I changed the wheels as soon as I had the time. My truck was going to need new tires in the coming year, so this was a good time to make the switch. I used the original lug nuts which aren't chromed, but look okay for now. Not only are the rims three inches bigger, but the tires are quite a bit wider. The new wheels give the truck a more aggressive and newer look. I'm really happy with the way they look, they ride fine, and give me more grip in the curves.

The only problems are that the wheel lugs don't protrude as far through the nuts as they did with the steel rims. The threaded portion of the nut makes good contact and the wheel stud is flush with the top of the nut. I made some reference marks on the nuts/lug ends to be sure that they have no tendency to loosen up. I also check them after each trip in the truck. They have not loosened at all, though I will check and see if trucks with alloy wheels from the factory have longer wheel studs. 

The tire pressure sensors in the new wheels don't  work with my older truck's low pressure warning system. So the light stays constantly lit, luckily that doesn't have a warning chime. 

The other problem is that the larger wheels have thrown off my speedometer's calibration. The bigger rims take less revolutions to cover a mile, so I'm actually travelling faster than is indicated. I used my Garmin navigation unit to calibrate the true speed. Up to 45 mph. it's only two or three miles slow. At 50 mph. it reads 5 mph. slower. This holds steady all the way to 85 mph. If I'm going 85 mph. I'm probably going to get a ticket anyway! 

I refer to the speedo problem as "Fifty plus Five." I'm going to make up a sticker to put on the speedo to remind myself that it reads slow, though five miles over the limit usually isn't a problem.

This has made quite a difference in the truck's appearance.
I have always loved the way my truck looks.

I'm really happy with the way the truck looks, I think that the wheels look particularly good with the earlier model trucks more "demure" styling. I plan on making some other additions, while also sprucing up the interior of the truck a bit. My truck is now my most favorite vehicle, since my '96 Mustang is gone. 

I now consider it one of my hobby vehicles so I will be serious about preserving it for the coming years. More improvements and additions will be covered in the upcoming year.