Which wheel size have you found best suits the Focus II ?
Comparing wheel sizes 205/55/16 and 205/50/17 with any given tyre what differences have you noticed ?
Is there a noticable difference in noise and comfort levels between the above wheel sizes for any given tyre ?
Which tyres have you found to be worse or best for noise, comfort, wear, handling, braking in wet & dry ?
Thanks.
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How about other car makes/models, have you noticed any differences between wheel/tyre sizes 205/55/16 and 205/50/17 for any given tyre and what differences have you noticed ?
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I drive a Leon with sports suspension and 225/45/17 and its borderline uncomfortable a lot of the time. The same suspension on one with 205/50/16 I drove recently was a revelation. Firm, but not uncomfortable, smothered bumps better and slightly quieter.
My dad's got a Focus Ghia on 205/55/16 and its generally very good riding. A friend has an LX with 205/50/17 (was some sort of cheap extra pack in 06 over here) and there isn't a huge difference in ride quality to be honest. There is a bigger difference in road noise though compared to a similar swap in the Leon though.
Usually the larger the tyre wall the smoother it'll be as it can absorb more. I wouldn't go for large wheels and sports suspension again though, but normal suspension and alrger wheels can be a good compromise between looks and comfort
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Do you know what make and type of tyres are on your dad's Focus Ghia with 205/55/16 and yours friends LX with 205/50/17 ? They could well be a significant factor on noise levels.
Similarly what make and type of tyres are on the two Leon's ?
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MT > I had a Focus 2 1.6 tdci for around 4 years. It was on the 17" wheels.
The ride I considered was a little hard on poor roads, but it did handle well.
The tyres fitted were Dunlops which lasted about 25k. Curiously the rear tyres wore at about the same rate as the fronts, which must say something about the suspension balance.
I've hired petrol Focii which did have a softer ride, but the difference is not large.
One thing though; the 17" wheels had a machined edge, which caused serious corrosion under the lacquar after about 2 years. the wheels were replaced under warranty but the replacements were just as bad when I sold the car at 4 years, so not recommended for this reason.
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That's interesting to know, did any of the hired petrol Focus cars have 17" wheels or were they all standard 16" ? Which type of Dunlop tyres were fitted ?
It's likely the extra weight of a diesel over the front wheels may impact a little on ride & comfort levels, whereas a petrol engine offers less weight over the front wheels.
I'm not sure but does anyone know if the springs/suspension setup for a diesel Focus is different to that of a petrol engine Focus ?
I know Ford has slightly changed the suspension setup for the Focus II upgrade from 2008 onwards and it has helped improve the ride quality and reduced road noise.
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