Thinking of ditching my 17's for original 15's - benefits?

Lisapete

Lisapete

Lisapete

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Focus 1.6 Zetec 2003 MK 1.5, currently has ST170 Alloys (17''). I only had the car 2 hours before i fitted them and this was some time ago so forget how it was.

I drive longer distance now and have to fill up lots more, the car is not as quick as some other 1.6's.

Whats the benefit of going back to 15's?
 
better acceleration... lower top end.... bar that... same as above, cheaper and the handling will probably be better... what was the profile on the 15's compared to the 17's?
 
There were some silly 17s on my mx5 when I bought it which were like having big stone wheels on each corner.

Changed back to 15s (non factory) and it was much better since that was what the car was designed and set up around. Better ride, lighter wheels, cheaper tyres.
 
Hankook Ventus Prime 2 K115 215/45 R17 W (91), Reinforcedis what i have currently have all round

Ride on the 17's is ok.

Oh the car sticks to the road with the 17's. I really can throw it about.

Lower top end, umm how much we talking?

195/60R15 is what Black Circles suggests from the rim size. I've got the wheels, think the tyres are okay but tempted to just put a full new set of 4 on there with the best fuel and grip rating.
 
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Surely the lower top end vs better acceleration only comes in if you fit tyres of a different diameter and profile?

Been considering a similar move, currently have 18s but am considering 17s instead.
 
Better MPG, cheaper tyres, softer ride, less noise.

I changed my MK1.5 Focus Zetec 15" rims for 17" ST170 wheels. The handling improved significantly, also it looks much nicer! The ST170 tyres are fairly cheap too for their size. I used to get F1 Eagles for ~£80 a corner. They were, and still are the best tyre to car I have ever used, the lack of power in the 1.6 meant you could never push them to their limits, just unlimited grip all the time!

GTckIea.jpg.png
 
Django x2 said:
Lower top speed per gear though....obvs ;)
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Sorry that's what I meant in my post... was in a rush. Also, like said, depends what the true radius is... otherwise won't make any difference...

I've driven an RX8 with 20's on and tbh it was awful... and mine got coilovers as well and lowered... but running a 30 profile tyre jesus... personally for my car, I'd not change the wheels... as it gives a perfect blend of handling BUT day to day use... 225/45/18

The missus has 19" Rage Alloys on her Type R... blimey that's a harsh ride in the UK lol... 225/35/19... bumpy bumpy...

It's the profile that kills a car off big time... depends what you want in the end...
 
Don't you have to get the speedometer changed? If I went from 185/65 R15 to a bigger wheel size, the speed will be out a percentage of what the speedo says :p
 
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Greg0986 said:
Don't you have to get the speedometer changed? If you went from 15" to 17" on 185/65, the speed will be about 5mph faster than what the speedo says :p
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At 60mph, 0.37 mph difference from that rolling radius... 1mph going by the OP's earlier size quotes;

http://willtheyfit.com/index.php?wi...60&diameter2=15&wheelwidth2=&offset2=#content

So pretty much no difference in top speed or acceleration or anything like that (wouldn't expect too much difference from weight of wheels, esp once include tyres), but comfier as you'd be trading some solid metal for a bit more tyre :)
 
Yeah, I calculated mine when I changed from 15" to 17", and it was tiny the difference, but on different heights, widths and diameters, the different could be big, so I always check :)
 
Greg0986 said:
Yeah, I calculated mine when I changed from 15" to 17", and it was tiny the difference, but on different heights, widths and diameters, the different could be big, so I always check :)
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Ninja edit ;) But yeah always worth keeping in mind when changing wheel sizes etc :) willtheyfit is usually used to calculate offset changes etc but it does the tyre profile side of things well also :)
 
rossk26 said:
Better MPG, cheaper tyres, softer ride, less noise.

I changed my MK1.5 Focus Zetec 15" rims for 17" ST170 wheels. The handling improved significantly, also it looks much nicer! The ST170 tyres are fairly cheap too for their size. I used to get F1 Eagles for ~£80 a corner. They were, and still are the best tyre to car I have ever used, the lack of power in the 1.6 meant you could never push them to their limits, just unlimited grip all the time
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Have to agree with you on the looks and how silly they grip. I recently replaced the fronts with Hankook Ventus Prime 2 K115 215/45 R17 and i can really throw it about the place something silly. They cost me £208 for the pair fitted which wasn't bad!

Noise is always good, better mpg defo a must!

Now to find the best rubber for them
 
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