[_spyder]

Alright, here's what going on.
I found a guy who was looking for stock Focus wheels, and he was offering a set of 4 silver 17" Motegi FF5 rims with 205/40/r17 tires. So I contacted him since I wanted something better looking that my stock wheels.

Here is what I would be trading him:
Four 16" alloy 2002 stock Focus rims wrapped in 205/50/R16 Bridgestone Potenza tires. 3 of the 4 rims are in great shape, and 1 of the four has some decent curb rash on it. The tires are pretty new, they've been through about 5,000 miles, and have a good amount of tread left. However, there is a nail in one of the tires, but it is in there really good, and has never gave me any problems.

Here is what he is trading me:
Four silver 17" Motegi FF5 rims. The rims are all in great condition, only 1 has a slight curb rash (I mean slight) on the rim. The center caps are all intact, but two of them are faded in the place where they would say FF5. Overall these things are perfect. The tires are all 205/40/R17 size tires, with about 70% tread left on them. Two of them are Continental, and the other two I can't remember the brand off the top of my head. All the tires are in good condition, no leaks. These wheels are good for winter. They are not too wide and they still offer a great grip to the road since they are a 40 series tire. I am only wanting to trade because I want to return my car to stock to possibly sell in the near future.


Now, what I am trying to figure out, is it worth it? I don't know much about these things at all, and the wheels that are on my car now, are the ones that were on there what I purchased it. I will be driving through Wisconsin snow and weather, so I wanna make sure they are safe. But, what do you think I should do? I don't wanna be getting ripped off here, and I wanna make sure that I'm getting my stock wheels worth.

Can anyone here give me some honest opinions?
I will definitely give out +Rep to helpful answers!

- S p y d e r

 

[zx5Ye]

yup.. trade it..those are better then stock anyway.. if it came off of another focus then it should be ok...if not then go there and try them on.. and see for any rubbing and stuff.. just noticed those are a pretty low profile tires.. but if they are all seasons the go for it..if not.. lol id still go for it []

 

[02ZX3inPA]

^ Agreed, especially if your brakes are unmodified. Gen 1 zx3 (non svt) brakes will accept a 14" wheel, so you can use steelies for winter if you don't like the 17's in the snow. (I have a set of 14" steelies on mine right now) As far as value is concerned, I think you're coming out on top.

 

[Master-Baits]

If you like the rims better than your stockers... then yea... Keep in mind those rims may be more prone to piting from the salt during winter driving. If it were me I would probably do it as long as the rubber is good.

 

[jmiller_1974]

I think the big question is whether or not the bolt pattern is compatible? If so, do it. Trade now. 4x108 if I remember correctly, I know very little about the Motegi FF5...

 

[Waffles ZX3 Kona Sport]

The FF5's are a nice looking wheel, and if you're trading four 16" stock wheels for four 17" aftermarket wheels, you're comming out on top IMO. But heres the kicker...do want to run those wheels in the winter? I wouldn't, just because I'd rather have a nice set of wheels for summer and a bleak set for winter. You could always pick up a set of steelies too.

I say do it...considering the wheels are in good condition - check them out yourself before you say yes! [thumb]

 

[_spyder]

Alright guys, thanks so much for the help.

And to answer a few of your questions, yes, the 17" Motegi FF5's were previously on a Focus. And yes, the bolt on pattern is compatible.

I will probably meet up with him and check them out, and if they meet my expectations, I'll probably take 'em.

But I do have another question:
When you guys are talking about steelies for the winter, do you mean like getting 4 spare tires? Because those wheels are pretty thin. Or are you guys talking about just getting a normal set of wheels just without hubcaps? Do you know where I should look for these 'steelies'?

Thanks! And +Rep has been given to each of you [ffrocks]

 

[Master-Baits]

steel wheels meaning just a steel rims, plain jane, with snow tired on them strictly for winter use. This way you could run summer tires on the motegi's and keep them nicer. Then you also have the benefit of not having to run all-seasons because they're not particularly excellent for summer nor winter.

 

[_spyder]

Okay... thank you :]

 

[_spyder]

Alright guys, we'll I'm only a teenager and I told me dad about the situation, and he doesn't know much about this stuff. He is kinda iffy because he thinks that having different tires on the wheels might not be the best thing. Is this true? And he also is also kinda iffy because he doesn't know why the guy would be wanting stock rims over these 17" aftermarket ones. Anyone else think that its weird? Or is having different tires on half the wheels is a bad thing?

 

[Geezer]

You still haven't answered my question from your previous post and it is a critical question. Are the tires on the Motegi's summer tires or all season tires? Summer tires have special compounds that only work in warmer temps. They turn into rocks in cold temps and won't grip a dry cold road let alone a wet snowy one. They are dangerous to use in the winter!!! An all season tire has a compound that tends to remain a little more pliable in colder temps and will get you thru a reasonable winter. They are not the greatest in snow but a whole lot better ( really not even comparable) than a summer compound tire. I cannot over emphasize how important it is to verify what kind of tires are on the wheels as you could end up regretting this decision in a big way.

 

[benc323]

I don't necessarily think that having different kinds of tires is bad. As long as both types are the same, i.e. winter, all season, summer. And if all the wear is consistent. Or even if two are worn more or less than the other two, just put the two with more tread on the front and the ones with a little less on the back. I thought it was kind of strange that he wants to straight trade motegis for stockers, but to each his own. If it were me, I would do it, I don't particularly like those rims, but I would still do it, and just try to sell them. I mean...they're free, and you can sell them for more than the stockers. But if you like the look of them, then I think you should definitely do it. As long as all his tires are in good shape, and the two kinds aren't extremely different, like a summer and a winter, then you should be fine.

 

[_spyder]

Okay guys, thanks.

And for Geezer, I will be meeting up with him soon to check out each others wheels. I will findout then if they are summer, winter, or all-season. Thank you very much for the forewarning... I never knew that summer tires could be that bad in the winter. And if they are summer, I will look into getting some steelies.

Thanks!

 

[thenorm]

what offset are these wheels? that would be my first question.

maybe he is trying to unload them because the offset is too low (<45mm) and he has rubbing problems.

i've had wheels that rub in the past, and had to get rid of them. it was an expensive lesson.

 

[benc323]

...spacers?

 

[Focus112]

absolutly trade, its a great improvement

 

[Geezer]

...spacers?

Spacers reduce the offset even more and push the tire/wheel combo closer to the fender lip. That's where the majority of rubbing occurs. Therefore, they won't help you unless you have too much offset which is rarely a Focus wheel problem.

 

[_spyder]

Alright, well how would I know if he had rubbing issues? I do believe that the offset is 40. If I put them on my car, would I be able to notice when they rub? Could I find out by putting them on, and then turning the wheels all the way to the left, and then see if the right front tire is rubbing? I don't want to have rubbing problems because I will be trading him my stock wheels, and if these rub, I will have nothing else to turn to. Advice anyone? +Rep!

 

[benc323]

Spacers reduce the offset even more and push the tire/wheel combo closer to the fender lip. That's where the majority of rubbing occurs. Therefore, they won't help you unless you have too much offset which is rarely a Focus wheel problem.

when you said rubbing, and said too little offset, i assumed you meant rubbing on the inside, i guess i didn't know that too little offset means rubbing outside, and too much offset is rubbing on the inside....

 

[benc323]

when you check out the tires, ask him if he's had rubbing problems, he might just say yes. or if he is trying to get rid of them then he might say no, just see how you feel about him. and you can also check the top outside corner of all the tires to see if there's signs of rubbing. and he might say no and be telling the truth. if the wheel is short enough it shouldn't have any rubbing problems.