19in Wheel Reliability

[johnnpee]

Hello new here, just interested if anyone has had any issues (or if they haven't) with the polished 19in aluminum wheels? About to be a new owner and was thinking about a goodsam wheel warranty for insuring the wheels from huge potholes

[leftoverture]

The only problem I had with the polished wheels on our 2014 was when my wife rubbed up against the curb and scratched one of them up real bad. But when she hit a large pot hole and ruined a tire, the wheel itself was fine. 

[bbf2530]

9 hours ago, johnnpee said:

Hello new here, just interested if anyone has had any issues (or if they haven't) with the polished 19in aluminum wheels? About to be a new owner and was thinking about a goodsam wheel warranty for insuring the wheels from huge potholes

 

Hi jp and welcome to the Lincoln MKZ Forum.

 

There are no "issues" with the factory 19" wheels. That being said, whether to purchase a wheel insurance really depends on the quality of the roads where you drive, how careful you are when you drive, etc. etc. Have you ever bent a wheel before? What size wheel/tires?

 

The truth is there are members who have experienced bent wheels. This will be the case with any wheel.

 

I bent one (and blew the tire) when I hit a huge pothole, at speed, at night, in an unfamiliar area. I had tractor trailers on my left and right, could not swerve or hit the brakes in time to slow down. While I can not know for sure, I have a feeling it may have even bent the 17" wheels and blown the 50 series tires on my older MKZ. Luckily, my wheel was able to be straightened for $85, versus replaced for ~$750.

 

Bottom line? Apples to apples, a 19" wheel with a 40 series tire will have a higher chance of being damaged by a pothole than an 18" wheel with a 45 series tire hitting that same pothole at the same speed/angle etc. And an 18" wheel with a 45 series tire hitting that same pothole at the same speed/angle etc. will have a higher chance of being damaged, than a 17" wheel with a 50 series tire hitting that same pothole...etc. Same with 20" versus 19" etc.

 

I'm sure other members will also jump in to help.

 

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

[gfong]

I have only owned my 2017 with 19" rims for under 6 months but when I was looking for a used car, curb rash was extreme on most of the rims I looked at. Most of them were 19" as I wanted a Reserve. I know a lot of the damage is driver error by getting to close to curb and such but how the tire sits in on the rim and not protecting the rim edge is not ideal IMO.

 

Directly to your question my car has original 19" stock reserve rims and they are fine except for some road rash as I described above. They seem solid!

[drolds1]

I'd agree that there are no "issues" per se with the OE 19" wheels.  In fact, OE wheels must meet DOT safety standards and are, in many instances, more robust than some aftermarket wheels.  If you hit a pothole hard enough with any wheel, it'll sustain damage of some kind.  As stated, the shorter the sidewall, the less protection afforded. I bent a rim from hitting a pothole at highway speed on my 2010 MKZ Sport with 18" wheels, which a had a higher series sidewall than my later MKZs with 19" wheels.  I'm not familiar with the goodsam wheel warranty.  I have the official Lincoln tire/wheel warranty.  I've had one tire replaced, and a few flats repaired over the years under the warranty.  It's like buying any other insurance.  You hope you don't need it but if you do, you'll be glad to have it.  Look up the cost of a 19" wheel for an MKZ.  Just read the terms of the policy you're buying very carefully.

 

One more thing that worth mentioning is that the Lincoln Drive Control CCD suspension feature pothole mitigation. This can help minimize damage.   See here for further explanation.

[johnnpee]

Thanks y’all! Oh, I thought pothole mitigation was a 2017+ thing, that’s awesome. Im coming from a 14 Fusion hybrid with 17in wheels and haven’t had any issues.. This warranty is only $300 for 5 years, seems pretty reasonable and it covers the tires too, so I could skip the hazard protection at the tire shop.

[17MKZ3.0TT]

I have really bad roads in my 'hood and in maybe 30k miles, the OEM 19" on my '17 have been fine. That's compared to some years back when 3 of the 4 OEM 18" on my '06 Caddy STS had decent dings in them that had needed repair.

[kramf411]

Yesterday, I hit a pothole so very bad on a highway traveling about 70mph. It happened on both the driver side wheels. I thought that was the end of it due to the jarring impact. While driving, I was paying very close attention to whether I would develop some sort of vibration - nothing. I inspected them once I reached my destination to find no damage - I was relieved.

 

By the way, aren't these MKZs fitted with some sort of controlled suspension damping once the sensor detects unusual drop in the wheels?

Edited August 24, 2021 by kramf411
more info

[bbf2530]

44 minutes ago, kramf411 said:

Yesterday, I hit a pothole so very bad on a highway traveling about 70mph. It happened on both the driver side wheels. I thought that was the end of it due to the jarring impact. While driving, I was paying very close attention to whether I would develop some sort of vibration - nothing. I inspected them once I reached my destination to find no damage - I was relieved.

 

By the way, aren't these MKZs fitted with some sort of controlled suspension damping once the sensor detects unusual drop in the wheels?

 

Hi kramf. Yes, the newer, last generation models have an available "Pothole Mitigation" system which sense and attempt to limit wheel drop when encountering potholes and other deeper road depressions. However, it is only a "mitigation" system, and can not/will not completely eliminate possible wheel/tire damage in all situations.

 

Good luck.

[drolds1]

3 hours ago, kramf411 said:

By the way, aren't these MKZs fitted with some sort of controlled suspension damping once the sensor detects unusual drop in the wheels?

There's a link to an explanation of pothole mitigation 4 posts above.

[philld]

Well I had my polished 19" wheel repaired/welded back together and it lasted approximately 16 months!

During a recent 1500 mile road trip I started experiencing a leak from the weld.

When looking for a replacement not only is this size few and far in between, but the prices seem to be a bit high when compaired to the 18" wheels.

I'm now seriously considering stepping down to 18" wheels. Not only will I get slightly improved gas milage, but also a style selection from which to choose.