In the past few days my wife and I have taken delivery of two new Ford cars: a Focus Estate and a B-Max; both are to Titanium X specification. Both cars have many attributes with which we are delighted. However, there are two aspects over which I feel somewhat aggrieved. The first is that in both cases we were 'forced' to take the larger 17-inch wheels because, on the Focus, they were part of the Titanium X specification and on the B-Max they were part of an option pack along with part-leather heated seats. In both cases the sales brochure claimed that the larger wheels 'delivered more sporting driving characteristics and a firmer ride quality'.

The "firmer ride" has proved to be a distinctly unwanted characteristic to this pair of OAPs who are both approaching 80 and searching for as much comfort as we can get. Do you think we would notice a significant improvement in ride comfort if we can find a way of swapping these 17-inch wheels for 15-inch or 16-inch wheel and tyres?