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What are the best winter tyres for a Ford Focus?

We have bought a 2010 Ford Focus Hatchback 1.8 Zetec petrol. It will be used to take us to the French Alps where we live during the winter. While there it will be kept in an underground car park but used every two or three weeks for shopping trips. As we intend to keep the car for many years, we are thinking of buying a spare set of wheels and winter tyres. At the moment the car has 205/50 R17 93W tyres and the alloy wheels are fastened with five studs. Would it be possible to buy 16-inch rims for the winter tyres, in which case what tyre size should we buy?

Asked on 8 November 2012 by BM, via email

Answered by Honest John
You could buy 205/50 winter tyres, but it's better to buy a set of 15-inch steel rims and a set of 195/65 R15 winter tyres. They will work slightly better in winter and will be cheaper than a fresh set of 16-inch alloys with winter tyres to suit. If you go for the smaller wheels, that counts as a modification and needs to be declared to your insurer.

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