'11 Ford Taurus Wheel/Tire knowledge please aka Learn Me

My wife tells me that one of her friends is distraught to find out that the used '11 Taurus Limited she bought needs tires. She has discovered that the tires needed to fit the factory upgraded 19" rims cost $250 each making this a $1k purchase for 4 tires.

My wife has volunteered my time in helping the friend find a better solution.

Sure enough, at 19" the tires available are all $225-$300 with treadwear expected life of 35k-ish.
I see that the lesser model of Taurus, The Taurus SE, came with 17" alloy rims. Tires for these 17"ers are priced at $100-$125 and have treadwear ratings of 55k-85k.

It seems that the 17" rims can be JY sourced for $75 each. The 19" rims seem to have a JY value of $250 each (probably often bent due to low tire sidewall.)

The question I have for y'all is, "Is there anything different about the Taurus Limited vs Taurus SE at the brakes or hub that would hamper the ability to mount 17" Taurus SE rims on a '11 Taurus Limited?

Rock Auto seems to only list one brake rotor.

I don't know for sure, but the brakes could be different.....although unlikely

She could run 17's, but that would include buying wheels and tires thus negating the price difference at least this time.

Edit: nvm, but it sounds like the JY is keeping the TPMS sensors from the price equation.

I see your point of negating the price difference but factor in selling the 19"ers.

In round numbers:
$100 spend to buy 17" alloy
$100 spend to buy 17" tire

$200 gained by selling 19" alloy

Net: new, 85k rated tires for $0

The only problem with switching from 19's to 17's would be making sure that the overall diameter of the wheel/tire is the same or very close to it. So the 17" tires would have a taller sidewall than the 19's.

Ford is pretty good with being able to switch wheel diameters. My Focus originally came with 14's, I have had 17's and currently 16's on it. I switched my Transit Connect from 15's to 17's without any problem also.

I use rimsntires,com to check the wheel/tire dimensions when I do a swap.

JohnRW1621 wrote: My wife tells me that one of her friends is distraught to find out that the used '11 Taurus Limited she bought needs tires. She has discovered that the tires needed to fit the factory upgraded 19" rims cost $250 each making this a $1k purchase for 4 tires. My wife has volunteered my time in helping the friend find a better solution. Sure enough, at 19" the tires available are all $225-$300 with treadwear expected life of 35k-ish. I see that the lesser model of Taurus, The Taurus SE, came with 17" alloy rims. Tires for these 17"ers are priced at $100-$125 and have treadwear ratings of 55k-85k. It seems that the 17" rims can be JY sourced for $75 each. The 19" rims seem to have a JY value of $250 each (probably often bent due to low tire sidewall.) The question I have for y'all is, "Is there anything different about the Taurus Limited vs Taurus SE at the brakes or hub that would hamper the ability to mount 17" Taurus SE rims on a '11 Taurus Limited? Rock Auto seems to only list one brake rotor.

You might be able to fit 17 inch winter wheels and tires but I am fairly certain that the price will be higher than replacement tires alone. Tirerack appears to have continentals for just under $1000 dollars. It is unlikely that you can buy rims and tires for less than $1000 even if you choose all seasons. If the goal is to save money, you might check junkyards or car-part for a factory set of wheels/tires and jut use them up. While it might be possible to replace the wheels with 17 inch rims, the rims would have to be free to compensate for the price difference of used vs new.

I see where this is going- your best bet is to figure out the bolt pattern, and troll CL for some take-offs from another car- slap them sumbitches on there, offload the boat anchors and go from there. I have -1 and -2 wheels for my ms3, and I will have -2 wheels for the MINI once that pig stops eating rod bearings.

Even going to 18's should help. I paid around 700 the last 2 times i've bought summer/all season tires.

I have these in my sights now.
Asking $100 per alloy.
No mention of the tires condition but I will inquire. Seem that the base model Flex and the base Model Taurus shared the same alloys.

The owner/driver of this Taurus is a mid 50's secretary at a CPA firm. Other than the bling factor of the 19" rims, I suspect that she will not miss the 19"-ness of the current rims. I do think she will like the improved ride softness that the 17"ers will give. The added sidewall height should reduce the likelihood of bending a rim on our pothole ridden streets. In addition, the narrower tread should prove to be beneficial in our snowy winter months.

Side note: does that much damage really total a Flex?

JohnRW1621 wrote: I see your point of negating the price difference but factor in selling the 19"ers.

How? Who will buy them? These aren't "car people" you're talking about. I would wager that they won't want to keep bumping threads on Ford Taurus forums in the off chance someone wants a set of OEM 19" wheels.

Scuffed and rough, $200

Reman'ed $360
$315

My belief is that somewhere, every day, someone bends one of these giant rims in a pot hole, certainly here in the north.
I see it more as selling them one at a time rather than a whole set.
In a perfect world, I would even be happy with walking out of a JY with 17" alloys with so-so tires in exchange (or only sligh cash outlay) for the 19"ers.