ETI Aluminum Wheels

[scottarue]

I have a deposit on a 21C. I would like to get the aluminum wheel option, but had bad luck with aluminum wheels on my Toyota Tundra. I live in North Dakota, and the wheels on the Tundra became pitted, which caused a problem with maintaining a seal around the rim. On especially cold days, the seal would break and I would have to put on the spare, which is no fun when it is cold outside. Eventually I put steel wheels on the truck and have not had a problem with tires holding air since.

For those of you who have the aluminum wheels on your Escape, have you had any problem with pitting or maintaining the seal?

The aluminum wheels are a nice looking option and I like the idea of something that is not going to get rust stains on them in time.

Thanks in advance for your reply!

[Mark James]

No problems. Love the look of the wheels. Keep in mind I don’t live or travel in cold climates. Would get them again.

[bborzell]

The vast majority of auto wheels are aluminum. The only steel wheels I have used in the last 10-15 years have been on a 4x8 utility trailer and a 5X10 enclosed cargo trailer. On the 4x8, I had to replace the wheels after 5 years because of rust. The other set is OK.

We chose aluminum on our 21C because of weight and appearance. No complaints.

[Iowa Dave]

We have ETI wheels on our 2013 21. They do not leak and are not pitted
They have never been run on salty roads much either. Only a few times in the west in early spring and then washed shortly after. Still look good and hold air well. Rim and bead are clean.
Iowa Dave

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by scottarue

I have a deposit on a 21C. I would like to get the aluminum wheel option, but had bad luck with aluminum wheels on my Toyota Tundra. I live in North Dakota, and the wheels on the Tundra became pitted, which caused a problem with maintaining a seal around the rim. On especially cold days, the seal would break and I would have to put on the spare, which is no fun when it is cold outside. Eventually I put steel wheels on the truck and have not had a problem with tires holding air since.

For those of you who have the aluminum wheels on your Escape, have you had any problem with pitting or maintaining the seal?

The aluminum wheels are a nice looking option and I like the idea of something that is not going to get rust stains on them in time.

Thanks in advance for your reply!

Hi: scottarue... Aluminum wheels won't rust but they will corrode. It's just that they look better getting there!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie.

[GregWCIL]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

We have ETI wheels on our 2013 21. They do not leak and are not pitted
They have never been run on salty roads much either. Only a few times in the west in early spring and then washed shortly after. Still look good and hold air well. Rim and bead are clean.
Iowa Dave

I’m still impressed with how well Rita keeps those shined up Dave.

[Ron in BC]

The fact that they lived in the desert for the first part of their life didn't hurt either.

First saw those wheels at Moab in 2014.

Ron

[Iowa Dave]

She does a fine job and when she wants to work on the wheel wells if I drive though some tar, I always pull the tires and wheels off for her.
Iowa Dave

[John in Santa Cruz]

the ETI alloy wheels, like many alloys, are clear coated... eventually that clear coat will chip through, especially near sharp edges, then the underlying wheel will start to corrode a little. I've never had one pit so badly it started to leak air, but most of my cars with alloy wheels have been european (vw, volvo, mercedes) and had silver painted alloy wheels. the silver paint they use is very tough and not likely to chip.

[Rossue]

If bought the ETI wheels made by Hi Spec and the clear coat went bad within two years.

I bought another set( different mfg.)from Discount Tire and that clear coat also went bad- fortunately within the warranty period. I then had them replaced with one that are black with a satin finish and two years later are still perfect. Raceline 944B Outlander.
https://racelinewheels.com/collectio...BoCnYsQAvD_BwE

[CharlesinGA]

Just get the steel rims and then buy something different. It seems that Bigfoot, Escape and Oliver all use those "modular style" wheels with the 20 holes in them. My clear coat was going bad and I decided to get something better looking.

My wheels are made by Sendel, who supplies wheels to Airstream.

Charles

[dstreight]

Ditto @CharlesinGA. I installed Sendel aluminum wheels on our 15A 3+ years ago and they are still in perfect condition. Got them from etrailer.com...https://www.etrailer.com/Boat-Traile...l/AM22653.html

Having said that, if you live in a community that drops salt on the roads and it repeatedly contacts wheels...

[CharlesinGA]

This is the link to the 15 inch 5 lug wheels from RecStuff.com which is where I bough my wheels. Needless to say prices have gone up since I bought two years ago.

https://recstuff.com/trailer-wheels/...rn=5+on+4.5%22

You will also need center caps and lugnuts

Charles

[Ryanb-72]

I also ordered our 21C with the base steel wheels, then ordered a set of aftermarket aluminum wheels. They look nice and so far are holding up well. It has only been a year and we live in Texas so not a lot of corrosion problems here.

I will say my initial thought was I would save a few bucks this route, but actually it ended up costing about the same and I took the wheels off and reinstalled to save a few dollars.

[cpaharley2008]

Have purchased and used the aluminum wheel packages for 10 years without any single issue, just routine washing to keep clean.

[Dcboyd]

Our aluminum wheels are going on 2 years and look like the day they were put on. I clean them after each trip and then spray them with a ceramic detail coating , then wipe them.
As previously mentioned most all vehicles now have aluminum wheels. Hopefully these will last a long time.

[Ooshkaboo]

Steel for me-roads, tire shops, a shot of spray paint and all is new again.
I try and keep all things low maintenance as possible.

[Doug2000]

I have a Tundra. Both my summer and winter aluminum wheels I had powder coated. It only cost $400 a set. I only paid $150 for the set of TRD Rock Warrior wheels.

For the trailer, I got the steel wheels because on the last trailer I needed a spare , stopped at the farm or trailer supply and got a spare in 5 minutes mounted on a white steel wheel, back on the road, barely any time lost.

[Dave Walter]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

We have ETI wheels on our 2013 21. They do not leak and are not pitted
They have never been run on salty roads much either. Only a few times in the west in early spring and then washed shortly after. Still look good and hold air well. Rim and bead are clean.
Iowa Dave

We have ETI aluminum wheels on both our 2013 19' and 2013 15B and like Iowa Dave, they are in very good condition after 10 years of use. We also don't run on salty roads. I washed both trailers and winterized them last weekend, and the wheels still shine like new.

[Iowa Dave]

Camped last weekend, lots of tree sap, leaf debris, some airborne dirt and ashes. Came home, got out the ladder, Rita washed with warm water and Meguairs gold car wash soap that doesn’t remove the Rejex polymer “wax”. May be done for the season, may not. Maintenance takes time and we didn’t start into camping with a fiberglass trailer till we retired. We try not to get too far behind. The building helps immeasurably. Three pics :
Backing the 21 into the Escape Garage.
October sunset. 05/10/22
Boy and dog count squirrels at the Lake McBride State Park primitive campground.
Iowa Dave