One of a kind off-road '12 Focus

[NickCornell]

Put some big ol' swampers, but really, maybe new tires would be a good idea

[VH5150]

Tires were checked over by my local Bridgestone dealer before I had them mounted--this shop does all of my tire work, and has for years. Rubber is in very good condition, zero signs of dry rot, still plenty of tread life left, wearing very evenly. Thanks for your concerns, but I trust my tire guy.

[NickCornell]

In that case, ride on!

[frinesi2]

I came here expecting this car:

[mikebontoft]

too many people watched that tire video

[Chaddz3]

Originally Posted by Joey D

Why would you get something so vastly different over the OEM size? It's really going to mess with your suspension geometry not to mention your transmission, odometer, and speedometer.

A 195/55/15 would make your speedometer read 8% to fast.

the S model came factory with a 195/65/15... when i went to my 215/50/17's the overall tire diameter was only half inch in difference... at 30MPH difference between the two tires is about 1 MPH... in my case fast.. when i show 30MPH on the speedo.. my actual speed is 31 MPH....

Comparing the 195/55/15 to the 195/65/15 the difference is 3/4 inch overall tire diameter.. which at 30 MPH is about 1.2MPH difference...

As far as being 8 year old tires... that is getting kinda old, but as long as they were stored correctly, out of the sun and the elements, they should be ok..

For reference..

195 x 55% = 107.25mm
107.25mm divided by 25.4mm = 4.22 inches + 15 inch rim = 19.22 inches

19.22inches x 3.14 gives you a rollout of 60.35 inches per tire revolution

for the 5 speed cars... (if i remember right in 5th gear with a 3.85:1 axle ratio at 30 MPH indicated on the speedometer is 506 axle revolutions per minute..)

so 60.35 inches x 506 = 30541 inches divided by 12 = 2545 feet per minute
2545 divided by 5280 = 0.48 Miles per minute x 60 = 28.92 MPH meaning with these tires over his stock tires his speedo will read about 1.5 to 2 MPH fast.. which is negligable...
as far as suspension geometry and handling... it shouldn't handle any differently than an S model with 15 inch factory wheels/tires.. it wont handle as well as his 17's.. but.. still should be quite drivable.

and with the narrower treadface.. they'll handle snow better than the 17's..

[RonMaiden]

Originally Posted by Chaddz3

As far as being 8 year old tires... that is getting kinda old, but as long as they were stored correctly, out of the sun and the elements, they should be ok..

Actually tires stored suffer from dry rot which usually occurs ironically in moister climates. All rubber isn't created equal and it's a risk using old tires so if you're willing to take that risk so be it. I personally wouldn't since I drive very pretty hard and ask alot from my tires.

[sprcoop]

I have a 66' Mustang that when tires were new could take left turns at 35+ miles an hour and only chirped when hitting the tape stripe at crosswalk (modified suspension).

After 10 years of VERY low miles and ALWAYS garaged the tires LOOKED perfect but had the traction capabilities of wet ice. I would still take it out and do some safe panic stops to test. Can't hurt. Just sayin'.