bboytails

I have a 2011 Edge Sport with the 22's and I'm looking for winter/road trip wheels. Does anyone know if 2015 18" OEM Explorer wheels will fit? The Explorer wheels measure the same as 18" SE and SEL wheels (18x8, Bolt pattern is 5x4.5" [5x114.3mm], Tires are P245/60R18). I'm just not sure if the Sport's calipers or anything like that will be a hindrance.

Just thought I'd chime in a bit on the subject since it looks like there will be a few of you purchasing the kit. As far as price is concerned, it's a good deal, especially if you're not an installer. Of course it's assuming that the seller is in fact selling genuine 3M material. The seller has great ratings so I'm assuming he is. The thing I would be concerned with though is not price, but it's with the installation. I was like most people and thought that installing a clear bra was basically the same process as installing tint so it shouldn't be too difficult. I also thought that if I watched enough videos online, that I could learn it myself. After all, there are a lot of videos out there and they make it look EASY! Long story short I was wrong so I ended up attending an actual 3M course and became a certified 3M PPF installer. Let me just say that before I went to the course, I've installed tint, so I thought I had at least a little experience installing film like a clear bra. It kind of helps but the 3M material is a different beast, as a matter of fact, you can't even install it the same way you would other brands such as Venture Shield, which is also owned by 3M. Even after the training course, I had to do a few cars before I was good at it. Even the instructor admits that you won't know everything after the course and that additional practice is necessary to become decent at it. What the videos and tutorials you can find online (or order) don't tell you is the advance techniques that instructors picked up on such as getting rid of stretch marks, bulldozing, veins, and excessive fingers. I know the videos make the install look easy but that's because they're pros. I was literally working one section of a hood/emblem for 15 minutes trying to get rid of a vein and my instructor came by and fixed it in under 20 seconds. The reason I'm mentioning all of this is because of the price of the film and what you would have to put up with if you install it yourself. For the kit you guys are mentioning, it will take a new beginner about 8 or more hours to install from start to finish, not including the time you spend researching. A lot of the time will be spent on small areas, getting a headache trying to make it perfect, and in the end you might give up and leave it as is. What you're left with is 180 dollars worth of film that you hate looking at because of all the blemishes. The good news is that 3M PPF can be removed and reapplied if it hasn't been installed too long. So for the DIY's that want to save money and learn a new skill, you can order the film and try to install it yourself, then worse case scenario you can always contact an installer to come by and fix it for only the cost of labor. Chances are most won't do it, but you never know. I'd try contacting an installer and ask them if they fix bad installations then go from there. Sorry for making the post long, I'm just trying to put my personal experience out there and maybe save you guys some money or headaches. Other people on forums have tried to do a first-time install on their own car and were just left with a bad taste in their mouth. As a matter of fact, there's even a lot of people that went to an installer only to get a hack job. Beware of low prices for installs, such as those on craigslist. Chances are they learned in their garage with only one kit and are trying to make a quick buck with cheap film and techniques. I'm sure there's good installers out there that charge low prices, but I haven't met or heard of any. If you guys need help with the install or have questions about fixing problems, I'll be glad to help. Just be sure to post pics or problem areas and I'll try my best to tell you how to fix them.

I haven't had an issue either. Any loss of pressure I had would be considered normal. Is it all 4 wheels that have this problem or just one or two?

How long it lasts depends on the maker/brand and of course wear/tear. I use 3M on my installs and they are warranted 5 years from the manufacturer and have an average life span of 7 years. Other brands will vary in price and film thickness. It sticks by an adhesive that is safe on paint.

really hard to tell without actually hearing it. when does it usually happen? while driving? while warming up? does it sounds like popping or bubbling?

Well I'm only saying subpar because a lot of people online like to knock on its filtration ability compared to traditional paper filters. There is write-up here (http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/airfilter/airtest1.htm) comparing high-flow filters (k&n) to traditional paper filters and others. The write-up is a couple years old but very detailed. In conclusion, the reviewer stated that k&n filters do flow better, but result in less filtration. Even k&n states that their filters filter within 99% of OEM filters, which is kind of like admitting that they aren't as good OEM paper filters when it comes to filtration. The reviewer stated that the 1% may not seem like a lot, but over the course of a few thousand miles, it can add up. The topic can be debated for a while but If I was able to get a drop-in k&n and the cleaner for cheap, I think it would be worth it.

I'm interested in the results. I'm sure there's going to be a debate on it's effectiveness in increasing power/mpg and if it's "subpar" filteration is even worth it, but I was thinking about getting one myself. Do you happen to know where it was purchased?

Anyone who is a member of other car forums knows that something like this is a common mod. I see you're a moderator but are a member on any other car forums? Maybe any that have to do with "sportier" cars? Smoking reflectors a safety issue??? Wow how old are you? That's like saying mounting a GPS on your windshield is "against the law for your personal safety so don't do it." The guy was just posting a how-to thread with pics, which is usually useful in a forum no matter how good or bad the mod is. "Being cool" obviously isn't for you and that's okay, but you don't have to rag on others for modding their car. As if you didn't feel "cool" when you bought your edge that's rollin on faddish "chrome 20's." What the heck is the point of this forum if we act snobby about what people do to their own vehicles. Have you had the guts to do anything that personalizes your edge? Or even posted pics on how you did it? It's like in order to be a member on this forum you either have to keep your edge completely stock, complain about sync, think the sport is a waste of money, be old, have others do your car maintenance for you, or know nothing about cars that's not covered in the manual. No wonder this forum lacks threads, especially DIY's.

Retrosolutions modded my original kit to make it fit and is mailing it back to me. I should be getting it sometime by the end of this week. I'll post my final review with pics after the installation...

Since I've seen a few posts from people asking about the 9012 (2011 Ford Edge Sport) HID kit currently offered from Retrosolutions.com, I'll go ahead and give my experience: Quick facts: - I have a 2011 Ford Edge Sport - I bought the following kit that was recommended by Retrosolutions: http://www.retrosolutionsllc.com/servlet/the-480/DIGITAL-HID-XENON-CONVERSION/Detail - I have installed 9 different HID Kits in the past that include a Mazda3, Cobalt, Escape, Camaro, and Civic. - Take a look at the photos and compare the tab pattern of Retrosolution's bulb(diagram picture) and the tab pattern of my bulb. Installation: I couldn't get the kit's bulb to fit perfect, flush, or reasonably secure into the housing/socket. Retrosolution's tab pattern simply doesn't match my sport's tab pattern. I would accept two tabs fitting, but for the price they charge, only one tab being able to fit doesn't make sense. When securing only one tab into the socket, it results in the bulb to sit slightly crooked, which can possibly lead to aiming issues. Conclusion: I'm currently discussing the issue with their customer service, but it seems that I'm the only one to report the issue with the 2011 Sport's. I could have made a mistake on my part as far as installation is concerned, but I doubt it since I've installed a few kits on different vehicles. In my opinion, their kit requires cutting to make it fit, which is what they advertise as "not needed." Like I mentioned, I'm still discussing the issue with them, but I'll provide updates as soon as I get them. I'm just trying to save members from possible headaches, unless they want to try give it a try and make it fit. I'm hoping someone does, just for my sake. As a side note, the kit does seem to be good quality, and their customer service reply's have been within a reasonable time frame. I'm not putting down the company or their kit's, but I would hold off before purchasing their 9012 kit for a 2011 Sport model. I can't speak for any other models.

Was that $2940 for a set of 4 wheels/tires/tpms or for just one wheel/tire/tpms combo?

Its hard to determine an exact price because I cant find the cost of an OEM wheel and nobody else is selling them. I was hoping any offers would help me determine what they would go for or if anyone found a link that is selling OEM wheels would also help. I know a set of tires go for 988 at tirerack.com. Someone else post that a single wheel cost about 1340 or so, but that sounds steep. I was thinking 1000 for each wheel/tire combo unless 1340 is the true value just for the wheels alone. I am located in Northern California.

I took off the 22" wheels off my new Edge Sport and replaced them with 20" wheels. I figured the 22's are too much for my wife's daily driver. The wheels and tires are in great condition with less than 200 miles on them but I took off the TPMS. I'm sure nobody wants them as of this moment but I figured I'd make this post because the wheels and tires will just be sitting in my shed indefinitely. If anyone is interested just let me know.

Yea I'll admit the sport not having the adaptive cruise control was also a let down. Not a big one for me but I can understand why a lot of people would miss it, especially the ones with a long commute that live in places with not a lot of traffic. It's a nice feature but the only time I use cruise control is on drives longer than 5 hours so I don't think I would miss the adaptive feature too much as long as cruise is still equipped. I'd still shell out money for it if it was an option though because I'd really like to try it out. When reading the reviews and seeing pictures, I didn't want the 22" wheels either. I thought the ride would be too harsh and the looks would be to ghetto or tacky. I actually thought about selling them and replacing them with Audi wheels. After a test drive, I realized the difference in both comfort and handles between the other wheels, but I guess its apples and oranges. As far as the looks, I thought the shiny chrome wheels looked more out of place than the shiny forged aluminum (which look a lot better in person), but I'm not a fan of chrome. To GoneCruzan, I have these monitor headrests (http://www.crutchfield.com/p_435ESS71RB/ESS-Headrest-Video-Package-Black.html?tp=80). I opted out of the model that had a DVD player built in because I'll have the monitors wired to a WD Live Media Player instead. The headrests are good quality and the screens have decent resolution with LED backlighting. If you're interested in the model with DVD players built in, you can find it here (http://www.crutchfield.com/p_435ESS9IRB/ESS-Headrest-Video-Package-Black.html?tp=80), it is also upgraded to a 9" in. screen.

Seems like there's a lot of hate on the sport. I bought a sport myself but it still hasn't been delivered. I think the biggest difference is price... but there are still a lot of differences. PROS for the sport: better looks (grille, body kit, rims, smoked headlights), more powerful engine, better handling, paddle shifters, myford touch standard. CONS for the sport: no adaptive cruise control, no HID's, firmer ride, price, tow package. The one thing that really bugged me with the sport is the absence of an HID option, however, even if it was an option for the sport I still would have purchased aftermarket HID's and save a couple hundred. To be honest, the reason I chose the sport is for the overall looks and performance, but thats probably because I'm in my mid-twenties. I saw a limited and sport side-by-side and there was just a big difference in looks in my opinion. Plus, the sport isn't too much more if you decide to get a Limited with a lot of options. It already comes with leather, myfordtouch, etc. The only options I ordered was the vista roof and red paint. I decided to buy aftermarket HID's and dual headrest DVD players saving at least $2000.