Alloy Wheel Upgrade: OEM or Aftermarket?

[Adspam]

Hi everyone,

I've been happily driving my 2013 titanium fiesta around for about a year and am looking into progressively making her look a bit sportier. One of the quickest ways to achieve a better look is by upgrading the alloys, and the sensible yet tame 14 inch alloys that came as standard with this car are on my list of things to upgrade.

I looked into getting OEM alloy wheels, but the prices are outrageous... it would cost me around £800 to get four wheels! And yet, some much more attractive aftermarket wheels are available for less than half the price.

The question I want to know is, does buying aftermarket wheels dramatically affect resale? Would I find it very difficult to sell the car with non 'Ford' alloys? Theoretically I could just hang on to the old 14 inch ones until I wanted to sell, but it would be nice to just flog them. Is there a major reason why Ford wheels are so much more expensive? Have any of you guys/girls bought aftermarket alloy wheels and regretted it?

Thanks in advance for your help and advice.

[Dan P]

I have a set of virtually new (66 miles) ST alloys for sale. Have a look here.

[kpg]

Just a matter of taste I would imagine. For me anyways, I like upgrading with OEM wheels. I'm currently looking for 19' 5Spoke Kuga alloys for my focus.

[Tomson]

Depends what aftermarket wheels you put on it.  A lot upgrade their alloys for TeamDynamics PRORACE 1.2's which really suit the fiesta and they seem to sell on well compared to other designs/brands. It's all down to taste and trend, I would say.

upgrading to OEM is my preferred choice and has also helped with insurance premiums at one point when I owned Vauxhalls. The premium increased by £25 extra for Vauxhall alloys compared to the £50 for aftermarket - both were the same alloy and tyre size, too.

keep your old 14s for when you come to sell if it's something that might bother you.

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On 18/11/2016 at 7:29 AM, Dan P said:

I have a set of virtually new (66 miles) ST alloys for sale. Have a look here.

 

Thanks mate, but 17 inch is a bit too big for me - I'm worried I'd scuff them way too easily! 16 inch is enough for me. But thanks for linking me to them, I hope you find a buyer soon.

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On 18/11/2016 at 0:39 PM, kpg said:

Just a matter of taste I would imagine. For me anyways, I like upgrading with OEM wheels. I'm currently looking for 19' 5Spoke Kuga alloys for my focus.

Thats interesting, are all the Ford wheels from all the models compatible with the Fiesta? I really like some of the wheels on other models but assumed you could only buy OEM wheels specific for your car model.

[Adspam]

On 18/11/2016 at 3:37 PM, Tomson said:

Depends what aftermarket wheels you put on it.  A lot upgrade their alloys for TeamDynamics PRORACE 1.2's which really suit the fiesta and they seem to sell on well compared to other designs/brands. It's all down to taste and trend, I would say.

upgrading to OEM is my preferred choice and has also helped with insurance premiums at one point when I owned Vauxhalls. The premium increased by £25 extra for Vauxhall alloys compared to the £50 for aftermarket - both were the same alloy and tyre size, too.

keep your old 14s for when you come to sell if it's something that might bother you.

Thanks for the advice, I think I'll probably stash the 14s away for future car sale then. Considering there would only be £25 in it for OEM/Aftermarket insurance wise I might just go for aftermarket, but I'll probably end up ringing my insurer to see what the difference will be anyway. Cheers mate! 

[kpg]

Just a matter of taste I would imagine. For me anyways, I like upgrading with OEM wheels. I'm currently looking for 19' 5Spoke Kuga alloys for my focus.

Thats interesting, are all the Ford wheels from all the models compatible with the Fiesta? I really like some of the wheels on other models but assumed you could only buy OEM wheels specific for your car model.

As long as they are 4 stud and OEM ford I imagine they would fit your fiesta.

Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk

[Adspam]

1 minute ago, kpg said:

Thats interesting, are all the Ford wheels from all the models compatible with the Fiesta? I really like some of the wheels on other models but assumed you could only buy OEM wheels specific for your car model.

 

As long as they are 4 stud and OEM ford I imagine they would fit your fiesta.

Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk

Thats good to know - I'll have another look at the catalogue and see if anything takes my fancy. Pretty expensive compared to aftermarket, but potentially a good investment.

[kpg]

Thats interesting, are all the Ford wheels from all the models compatible with the Fiesta? I really like some of the wheels on other models but assumed you could only buy OEM wheels specific for your car model.

 

As long as they are 4 stud and OEM ford I imagine they would fit your fiesta.

Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk

Thats good to know - I'll have another look at the catalogue and see if anything takes my fancy. Pretty expensive compared to aftermarket, but potentially a good investment.

You could try eBay or gumtree for second hand ones. I had Mondeo TitX alloys on my old MK2 focus. I got them off eBay for a steal.

Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk

[Dan P]

FYI for your Fiesta you'll need wheels with PCD 4x108. Ford wheels have hub diameter of 63.4mm so if you get aftermarket wheels you'll need spigot rings to match. The stock 7" wheels have ET (offset) of 47.5 but aftermarket suppliers generally recommend ET38-42.

The Team Dynamics on my Fiesta are: Diameter 17”, Width 7J, PCD 4 x 108, Offset ET38, Hub diameter of 73.1mm.

[Tomson]

14 hours ago, Adspam said:

Thanks for the advice, I think I'll probably stash the 14s away for future car sale then. Considering there would only be £25 in it for OEM/Aftermarket insurance wise I might just go for aftermarket, but I'll probably end up ringing my insurer to see what the difference will be anyway. Cheers mate! 

My advice was based on an experience I had back in 2010 and was only given as an example - Premiums are very different these days and the price difference of £25 presented to me at that time wouldn't be the same, today. Best bet as you say is to call your insurer as some don't charge anything and some charge the earth for modifications.

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19 hours ago, kpg said:

Thats good to know - I'll have another look at the catalogue and see if anything takes my fancy. Pretty expensive compared to aftermarket, but potentially a good investment.

 

You could try eBay or gumtree for second hand ones. I had Mondeo TitX alloys on my old MK2 focus. I got them off eBay for a steal.

Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk

I've always shied away from buying second hand wheels in case they were buckled and I wouldn't be able to tell until I had them on the car. How did you choose your wheels when you got them off eBay, did you go and see them in person?

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10 hours ago, Dan P said:

FYI for your Fiesta you'll need wheels with PCD 4x108. Ford wheels have hub diameter of 63.4mm so if you get aftermarket wheels you'll need spigot rings to match. The stock 7" wheels have ET (offset) of 47.5 but aftermarket suppliers generally recommend ET38-42.

The Team Dynamics on my Fiesta are: Diameter 17”, Width 7J, PCD 4 x 108, Offset ET38, Hub diameter of 73.1mm.

Thanks for the info, I had no idea about this. I'll make sure any wheels I get match all the required specs for the car!