[Zoomer]

I'll probably get laughed at for making a mountain out of a molehill, but here goes.

The stock pirellis - at least the rear pair - need to be changed (less than 3/32"). I'm totally not getting identical replacements: they are noisy, squealy, and totally slides when it snows. After some research, I narrowed my choices down to the Conti ExtremeContacts or the Sumitomo HTR+; they seem to be the best choices given my conditions (NE, it snows!) and price: the HTR+ is $70!

Unfortunately, the closest size I could find are 205/55/16. The stocks should be 205/50/16. The tire size calculator on 1010tires alerted me of the possibility of brake failure when tires with diameters exceeding 3% of stock. That's, uh, not good. Question is, how real is that warning? Is it a real warning, or a super conservative 'cover my butt from being sued' warning?

Okay, you can laugh now.

 

[WD40]

That size is fine.
Many of us with SVTFs use that size for our winter tires.
The only drawback I can see is that your speedometer "may" read a little slower than actual speed.
Note...I said "may" read slower.
Most speedos read fast, and with the taller tire you'll probably find it's right on the money for a change.

That extra sidewall height will also make the car ride a bit smoother. []

 

[Zoomer]

Wow that was fast! Thanks!
I'm not so concerned about the speedometer issue.

Now, I have to decide on which to get. ExtremeContacts at $87, or HTR+ for $68. (Both at tirerack, strangely discounttire doesn't sell them)

 

[SamInFocus]

Thread Invader

Hello everyone, instead of starting a new thread I thought I might invade this one as it applies to my situation perfectly. I have not read the forum rules, so if I am in violation someone can drive over me with a smart car.[cheers]

My son owns... rather I own but he drives it, a 2005 ZX4 SES. I've been shopping for winter tires for this car and have run into the same situation. That is can a person install a taller tire on the factory 16" mags? Shopping at our local Canadian Tire store they have the Goodyear Nordic on sale this week but they do not make this tire in the 50 series only the 55 series.
I talked with the guy behind the counter and he asked if the car had ABS, thats a yes I replied. Then he mentioned the speedometer thing and that was not really an issue. Lastly, the main concern was the clearance between the tire and the strut tower. With the proper tires on right now I can just fit my hand between the tire and the tower.

I then spoke with a parts guy at Ford and he pretty much mentioned these three things. Uncertainty about the tire diameter and ABS functionality, like whether or not it will pulse properly. This can't really be that big of a deal I said because the diameter has only increased approximately 1/2". He didn't sound to sure himself on this issue. The spedo thing again is no biggy.

To keep this short and sweet I feel the only issue would in fact be the clearance.
Perhaps I can hear back from more knowledgeable people that have installed the
205/55R16 rubber on there focus kinda car so I can carry on with my favorite pastime,
shopping for tires. [screwy]

Thanks in Advance
Ricky

 

[Geezer]

^^^^As WD40 mentioned, there are quite a few of us that use 205/55-16's for snow tires. I guessing that most of us also use stock wheels to mount them. I don't have any clearance issues except at full steering lock (how often does this occur...not much) the tread slightly rubs on the fender. Not much of an issue at all and my car is lowered 1.5". If your car is at stock ride height I don't see any problems whatsoever. I can 't comment on the use of aftermarket wheels with smaller offsets than stock with this tire size.

 

[WD40]

I have 205/55/16 snow tires on [email protected] offset wheels:
http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?p=373612&#post373612

No clearance issues at all.
Well, I had a very slight rub on the outside of the fender,
but that was remedied by bending the upper fender liner mounting tab (by hand) just a little bit.
Your narrower wheels with higher offset will be nowhere near the outside of the fender.

According to this site:
http://www.1010tires.com/WheelOffsetCalculator.asp
My wheels are 6mm closer to the strut than your stock 6" wheels at 52mm offset.
You should have no problem at all with the 6" wheel.

 

[SamInFocus]

^^^^As WD40 mentioned, there are quite a few of us that use 205/55-16's for snow tires. I guessing that most of us
also use stock wheels to mount them. I don't have any clearance issues except at full steering lock

Thanks for that reply Geezer, This takes the guess work out of my query.[]

No clearance issues at all.
Your narrower wheels with higher offset will be nowhere near the outside of the fender.
You should have no problem at all with the 6" wheel.

Thanks WD40 for taking the time to help out with this situation, your added information
has been noted and now I can shop for winter tires with confidence. [wave]

Take Care Gentlemen [thumb]