Changing tire/rim size for winter

[08NovaScotiaSES]

I have an 08 Ford Focus SES with factory 205/50/16 pirelli tires.

Winter in NS Canada is brutal, and I need new rims and tires for the season.

i have a lead on 2002 focus steel rims that match my bolt pattern that are 15's.

My concern is width of the rims...are all focus rims the same width? from 00-09?

also....I have 4 new 205/65/15 tires...hoping to soften the pothole smashes on our low budget roads....but are these gonna be too big for my car?

i know im saving a lil space by taking off the 16' rims....but I just dont know.

help anyone??

thanks

MD

[thenorm]

the 15" steels will fit fine. the 205/65R15 tires are a bit tall. however, if you are not lowered will probably fit without rubbing the fender, although they may rub on the fender line at full turn. also check the clearance between the top of the tire and the bottom of the strut spring seat. And your spedometer will read slow (by a couple %)

OEM size is 205/55/15

Specification Sidewall Radius Diameter Circumference Revs/Mile Difference
205/55-15 4.4in 11.9in 23.9in 75.0in 845 0.0%
205/65-15 5.2in 12.7in 25.5in 80.1in 791 6.8%


i say a test fit is needed before full commital.

[GapBoyPCS]

Actually, the OEM size of the 15's are 195/60R15.

If your car has Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), you will also have to get sensors for your wheels, unless you want the warning light on all the time.

[08NovaScotiaSES]

great info on the possible rubbing....much appreciated.

im gonna try and flip the tires for 195/60/15s if i can....better safe than sorry. i wouldnt wanna pay to have any mounted/balanced just to find out they're a no go.

you think the sensors will still be an issue with the correct tires on there?

i wonder if ppl just rip the old sensors out of the original tires and re-use.

thanks again

[GapBoyPCS]

Originally Posted by 08NovaScotiaSES

great info on the possible rubbing....much appreciated.

im gonna try and flip the tires for 195/60/15s if i can....better safe than sorry. i wouldnt wanna pay to have any mounted/balanced just to find out they're a no go.

you think the sensors will still be an issue with the correct tires on there?

i wonder if ppl just rip the old sensors out of the original tires and re-use.

thanks again

Whenever you buy winter tires, you should go down to the smallest OEM size offered on the car. For a 2005 to current Focus, it's the 195/60R15's. Tire Rack also suggests you could go 185/65R15 as an alternative.

The sensors are not related to what kind of tires are on the car. Each wheel has a sensor that feeds the tire pressure reading back to the car's computer. Without that sensor, your car's computer is going to think something is wrong and trigger the TPMS warning light.

Ripping out the sensors is easier said than done. If I recall correctly, the Focus uses sensors clamped onto the rim by a large metal band. You would have to dismount your current tires, and then have to install them onto your winter wheels, and then have them recalibrated. And, you'd repeat when you go and take off your winter tires. It's better to get new sensors and bands that clamp the sensors to your winter rims, and have them calibrated so it's be a simple swap.

[08NovaScotiaSES]

So I end up losing out on the focus wheels I had my eye on, and picked up a set of used 99 mercury cougar rims as a last minute fit.

the car fits 205/50/16 (as already discussed)
and the rims I got were 15's.

I bought 195/60/15 tires as suggested earlier.

Went today to have them put on, and the lady at the counter of the local repair shop thought having different tire/rim sizes may effect the abs brakes on the car, and the speedometer will be off as well.

Is this just a warning message that they'd give out to everyone flipping wheel sizes to cover their a$$es, or should this be a concern for me?

She said the usual tire change should only give about a half inch, and difference between the old ones and the new ones is about 2 inches. (im assuming tire diameter, but she didnt specify what she was goin on about)


The wheels look fine, and appear to have lots of clearance. It does sit higher, but i think they're great. no tpms light yet, but im sure it'll pick it up soon

[Lancer211]

The speedometer (and odometer) part is true, unless your PCM is tuned for the difference.

Question, since I live somewhere w/o snow... why do you change rims/tires for the winter? I mean, I could see buying snow tires, but why get smaller rims?

[GapBoyPCS]

Originally Posted by 08NovaScotiaSES

So I end up losing out on the focus wheels I had my eye on, and picked up a set of used 99 mercury cougar rims as a last minute fit.

the car fits 205/50/16 (as already discussed)
and the rims I got were 15's.

I bought 195/60/15 tires as suggested earlier.

Went today to have them put on, and the lady at the counter of the local repair shop thought having different tire/rim sizes may effect the abs brakes on the car, and the speedometer will be off as well.

Is this just a warning message that they'd give out to everyone flipping wheel sizes to cover their a$$es, or should this be a concern for me?

She said the usual tire change should only give about a half inch, and difference between the old ones and the new ones is about 2 inches. (im assuming tire diameter, but she didnt specify what she was goin on about)
The wheels look fine, and appear to have lots of clearance. It does sit higher, but i think they're great. no tpms light yet, but im sure it'll pick it up soon

I guess the lady at the counter wanted to sell you more expensive 16-inch winter wheels She was technically correct, but I guess she has never heard of "minus sizing". If she was THAT concerned about your sizing, she would have stopped the sale and tried to educate you . Going from 205/50R16 to 195/60R15 is simply following "minus sizing". Click here for reading from Tire Rack's Winter Tech section on Size Selection.

Winter tire sizes should be based on [one of] the following:
The Optional Tire and Wheel Size from Your Vehicle's Base Model

This is often the easiest way to select an appropriate narrow tire for your car or truck...

The 2008 Focus base model comes with 195/60R15 tires. Unless you have significantly modified your car (such as significantly lowered the car or fitting larger brakes), this method works and you'll be fine.

Originally Posted by Lancer211

Question, since I live somewhere w/o snow... why do you change rims/tires for the winter? I mean, I could see buying snow tires, but why get smaller rims?

I hope you're kidding because I hope you see that sticky at the top of this subforum. Plus, the Tire Rack's Tech Centre has an EXCELLENT series of tire tech articles, including Winter Tires.

[08NovaScotiaSES]

ahhh thats incredible to hear.

thanks a lot for the advice, turns out you CAN trust the internet!

focaljet is money.

Cheers

MD

[Lancer211]

Originally Posted by GapBoyPCS

I guess the lady at the counter wanted to sell you more expensive 16-inch winter wheels She was technically correct, but I guess she has never heard of "minus sizing". If she was THAT concerned about your sizing, she would have stopped the sale and tried to educate you . Going from 205/50R16 to 195/60R15 is simply following "minus sizing". Click here for reading from Tire Rack's Winter Tech section on Size Selection.



The 2008 Focus base model comes with 195/60R15 tires. Unless you have significantly modified your car (such as significantly lowered the car or fitting larger brakes), this method works and you'll be fine.



I hope you're kidding because I hope you see that sticky at the top of this subforum. Plus, the Tire Rack's Tech Centre has an EXCELLENT series of tire tech articles, including Winter Tires.

I've seen it, including the tech center, and like I said, I can see buying snow tires, but I still haven't read a straight reason to buy smaller rims.

Unless it's specifically so one can mount a larger tire?

[Zoomer69]

Here's your straight answer: skinny tires have better grip in the snow. Go check out pictures from winter rally racing - they ALL run skinny tires.

http://images.google.com/images?q=wi...N&hl=en&tab=wi

When you get skinnier tires, you have to get skinnier rims to match. And, inevitably, those skinnier rims will also be smaller in diameter. The tire needs to have enough air volume and sidewall height to hold up the weight of the car, and to deal with potholes and other pavement irregularities.

The 195/60-15 tires 08NovaScotiaSES picked up will work perfectly. It matches the height of his original 205/50-16 tires, and are narrower for better snow traction. I went a step farther and got 185/65-15 tires, which were only marginally taller than stock but skinnier yet.

The only reason 08NovaScotiaSES couldn't go with 14" rims or smaller is the rims wouldn't fit over the front brakes. The front brakes on 2000-2004 Focuses (exc. SVT) were smaller, so 14" rims would fit. 14" rims were standard on the LX models.

[Lancer211]

Makes sense. Thanks for edjumicating me.