You wouldn't happen to have the offset values for the OEM wheels, would you?
It'd be nice to put together a sticky where people can report on the aftermarket wheels they've tried/bought and what exactly will fit. These days it's much harder to get a wheel that'll fit with the ludicrously high offsets they're requiring. I'd love to know how much backspacing we have to work with, and how much space outward of the hub we have.
Thankfully the relative rarity (as if that's anything to be happy with) of the 5x108 bolt pattern means that nearly every wheel built with it has a very high positive offset.
Also, can we please, please keep this thread here instead of damning it to Wheels, Tires, Brakes & Suspension purgatory, where no 3rd Gen owners will ever look?
I was thinking offset myself...depending on my money situation I may buy wheels in Spring, and I've seen some very nice ones but I noticed a 40mm offset
I think the 15 X 6 is wrong. I think it is 15 X 6-1/2.
Also, it might be that the 16 X 6-1/2 is actually a 16 X 6, strange as that may be. I certainly could be wrong, here. I say this 'cause the 215/55-16 tires that are on an SE, versus the 195/65-15 tires that are on an S -- stick out a whole lot more than a section size difference of 10mm per side!
Note that all of these wheels are about 63.9mm hub bore I think. They are all hub-centric.
The Volvo rims which are 5 X 108 Bolt Circle Diameter (BCD) are 65.1mm hub bore. You need those special hub spacer rings to make up this difference. Those would be pretty darned thin hub spacers! You must have the wheels properly fixed on the hubs!
.6mm (.023") of play isn't going to make a difference. 28HopUp was successful with Volvo Wheels without spacers. But for the "professional" wheel and tire people will say you will need spacers.
The Volvo hub bore IS slightly larger, but the 5x108 lug pattern allows the wheels to be centered once the lug nuts are properly secured. I have had no issues with vibration. But here's the caveot - this car is a commuter vehicle only and isn't driven agressively at all. So I am not putting undo strain on the wheel lugs (IMO) through normal driving. If I was autocrossing the car, then I would use wheels with the correct bore size so the wheel hub bares the corrnering load force.
In terms of determining wheel options, offset is very important, along with bore size (you cannot use a non-factory wheel with a bore size smaller than that on a Focus). But another consideration is maintaining sufficient clearance around your brake calipers. Stock OEM brakes are not massive, but you need to ensure that the spokes of the new wheel will clear the calipers (in most cases you'll be fine I think, but it's still something to consider).
The Volvo hub bore IS slightly larger, but the 5x108 lug pattern allows the wheels to be centered once the lug nuts are properly secured. I have had no issues with vibration. But here's the caveot - this car is a commuter vehicle only and isn't driven agressively at all. So I am not putting undo strain on the wheel lugs (IMO) through normal driving. If I was autocrossing the car, then I would use wheels with the correct bore size so the wheel hub bares the corrnering load force.
In terms of determining wheel options, offset is very important, along with bore size (you cannot use a non-factory wheel with a bore size smaller than that on a Focus). But another consideration is maintaining sufficient clearance around your brake calipers. Stock OEM brakes are not massive, but you need to ensure that the spokes of the new wheel will clear the calipers (in most cases you'll be fine I think, but it's still something to consider).
In talking with a professional wheel / tire shop -- and the principal who I consider to be a pretty decent source of accurate info -- he said go out of your way to stay with the stock ET value. He had had direct experience, decreasing the ET value (i.e. decreasing the back-set) on his shop vehicle. It went from tracking really well, to a circumstance of very poor steering.
In my direct experience on my own cars, it only makes a huge difference in steering feel and tracking if you change the offset drastically. like changing your offset by 2 inches to get that hellaflush look.
Most folks would not even notice a difference if the offset changed 10-15mm. I havent done the math but im guessing the track width alone on all the new 2012 focus tire options varies by at least that much or more.
a little lower offset if you are upgrading wheels is not a big deal. You get a wider track width. If you are having tracking issues, check your alignment, it may be within spec but that hardly means its accurate or straight.
Correct. I sell wheels for a living (I work for Enkei). I deal with all sorts of people that want all sorts of results from their wheel/tire setup. As long as you're keeping width reasonable and offset stays relatively high, you will be just fine. You'll start running in to handling problems if you get to a point that you're having to stretch a tire on to get it to sit under the fender or if you're having to add 3 or 4 degrees or negative camber to get the wheels/tires to stay under the fender.
Hey, is it just me who see's a number of non sport-package equipped / steel wheel equipped SE sedans, which have a much more bulbous sidewall, with their 16" steelies, than the S cars (they are all sedans), with their 15" steelies?
The tire section width increase -- 20 mm (over the 195's on the 15" wheels) gives a hell of a lot more sidewall bulge than the 195's on 15.
There's 20mm more tire section width, on supposedly 12.7mm more rim width. That's 7.3 mm more bulge... i.e. 3.65mm more bulge per side.
I don't see that as even visible, noticeable. That's just over 1/8th of an inch.
Therefore, I think the 15" steelies are 6.5" wide.
Y'all may not care.... but I would conclude that the 15" steelie equipped S sedan, handles more tautly than a non-Sport Package SE sedan.... As for the Hatches, I would bet that they get slightly wider wheels, in steel...
Hey whatever happened to this stock rim? I think these were on the Focus I rented last summer. Maybe they were only used on fleet units? Not sure if they're 16s or 17s but I like them better than the standard rims on the SEL and Ti.
Hey whatever happened to this stock rim? I think these were on the Focus I rented last summer. Maybe they were only used on fleet units? Not sure if they're 16s or 17s but I like them better than the standard rims on the SEL and Ti.
Can anyone verify the offset on the 18x8 wheels is 45mm? I know Ford limits the steering range on the 18s because of issues with the size of these wheels in the wells.
I may be looking into getting a set of 18x8s with a 49mm offset, and with a higher offset I feel like it'd be even more of an issue with the wheels/tires hitting suspension parts or the fender liner. I'd be running 225/40 tires, though, so maybe that'd help. If this turns out to be a headache then I'll stick with 17s, but with the ST getting 18s from the factory I wonder how they're gonna do it.
well the Ti pkg has 18x8 with 235 40's. i believe the offset is 40. so you should be safe. this is the route i went. i will also be installing Eibach pro kit.
I went with 17x7 and a 45 offset. I'm running 235x40's. I also lowered the car on coil overs and have no problems. I dropped it around 2 inches. I have full lock to lock turning with no rubbing. I have the rear set at -2 degree camber so they will fit under the fenders.
I just wanted to point out that the stock 18" Titanium Handling Package wheels do, in fact, have a 55mm offset. Photo for verification, from InsideLine's Titanium Suspension Walkaround:
I did a search but couldn't find an answer to this question: does anybody know the paint code for 16" sport package wheels on the 2012?
My wheels sustained some curb rash, and after a little sanding job they went from looking like this:
to this:
Obviously they need a little touch-up paint job now. I don't care about making it look perfect, since I'll hopefully be upgrading to 17's soon and need them just in good enough shape for somebody looking to buy a set of winter wheels.
Hello, 1st post... I did a search but couldn't find an answer to this question: does anybody know the paint code for 16" sport package wheels on the 2012?
When you get a wider wheel, you want a lower offset and a narrower tire to push the wheels out further from the hub and make sure you clear the inner fender.
I plan on running a conservative set-up: 18x8 +45 with 225/45/18's. No drop til warranty expires.
We can run 235's (Titanium factory width) but I want to keep my gas mileage close to where it's at.
Anyone know what the stud length is on our cars? I can't exactly tell from this pic and I don't have the time or patience to go out to my car and check. []
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