Which tyres for a Focus?

OpenToSuggestions

OpenToSuggestions

OpenToSuggestions

Soldato
Joined
5 Aug 2006
Posts
11,431
Location
Derbyshire
My 2007 Focus Ghia has 205 55 R16 Michelin Primacy HPs all round.

Why?
Well I bought the car from my Dad just after he had put new Primacy HPs on the back, so six months later when the fronts needed doing I put the same on the front.

The fronts need replacing ASAP. The rears are probably 40-50% worn.

The tyre has been pretty good but not outstanding.

Do I put new Primacy HPs on the front to keep the same tyre all round?
Do I go with a better tyre for the price? Looking to spend up to £80. I do lots of motorway miles in all weather so I have no interest in cheap rubbish.

I will most likely be using Black Circles.
EDIT: Kwikfit are £141.20- for two Efficient Grip Performance tyres fitted plus £20 cash back.
 
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Thanks all. The Goodyear tyre it is.

Do I bother with a wheel alignment? It is important but it is a high mark up item garages love to tag onto the back of a tyre sale.

I have had new lower wishbones both sides at the front and also new wheel bearings (both separate jobs). The current tyres have worn evenly though.
 
If the current tyres have worn evenly and the suspension was refreshed a little while ago I wouldn't bother with the alignment unless you really care.
The other tyres to consider in this size are the Continental Sport Contact 2 or Premium Contact 5. Although an old tyre the CSC2 performs well and was the one I went for when replacing all four on my Golf a couple of years ago and it was far better than the rubbish on there before, handled rapid acceleration out of junctions well in the wet (it didn't have to engage the 4wd so quickly :p)
 
miniyazz said:
If the current tyres have worn evenly and the suspension was refreshed a little while ago I wouldn't bother with the alignment unless you really care.
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At £45 I really do not think it to be worth it. I took my MX5 to Blink Motorsport (proper MX5 racing place) for a Hunter Elite alignment and they did a good job, but it was way more than £45 as he did caster, camber, toe.
The Kwikfit man probably won't use it right and most cars can't have the caster angle changed anyway.



The wheel repair jobs were done in stages as the faults appeared.

First the right hand front wheel bearing in around April time, then a few months later the front left one (I suppose them failing so close together is a sign of good overall car wear).

Then in August the MOT said that where the ball joint had been separated the boot was damaged, and Ford being Ford they did not sell the boot, but only as whole new wishbone. One side was an MOT failure, one advisory, so I just got both done. The tyres do seem to be pretty evenly worn as of today.

I am a little ashamed of myself for letting them become so low as I am usually really hot on these sort of things, but am I right in saying that at the legal limit even a slight misalignment would have caused one side to go bald?
The tread is pretty evenly worn and the tyres were put on 2.5 years/13,000 miles ago.
 
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Buy new tyres for fronts, but move current rears to the front and put the new tyres on the rear.

This will prevent fishtailing if you need to break hard.

Also stops your largely unused rears from getting really old.
 
I work in the tyre business. Either Goodyear efficient grip or Dunlop blueresponse are without doubt the best tyre in that size. They are pretty much the same tyre.
 
Just wanted to thank those who responded to this, saves me posting an identical thread in a few months when my Focus needs its tyres replacing. The Goodyears sounds decent, I'll probably go for those.
 
Try and rotate your tyres next time, so that you get even wear, and can replace all 4 at once. At least that's what I do.
 
EliotG said:
Try and rotate your tyres next time, so that you get even wear, and can replace all 4 at once. At least that's what I do.
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Some tyres are rotational so swapping side to side is actually physically turning the tyres on the rim. The cheap tyres don't last long because they are a soft compound. I used to use the cheapest tyre possible almost bald when banger racing they grip better than michelins etc.

Also becoming more common place on cars but we used in karts 15 years ago is using nitrogen to inflate tyres because nitrogen doesn't expand so if you set it at 30 psi and do a burnout then recheck it it will still be 30 psi whereas air would be more like 35 psi. For Motorsport thats relevant in that you can set your pressures for optimum grip all race not low grip at the start, optimum middle and then go off at the end.

Kwik fit are crooks I have to go there because my cars motability. I've been there twice for tyres and one time a guy brought his 4x4 for a new battery. 5m under the bonnet 'mechanic' comes out 'got some bad news sir. The battery retention bracket was severely corroded and broke off it will be £x for a new one plus battery. Or you could just leave the battery loose.' I'm a fully trained scania mechanic with years of truck and car experience. Battery brackets don't corrode to the point of the bolt snapping, unless the cars been stood outside for years. I should know I did banger racing for 5 years.
 
I've had Continental Premium Contact 2's on my Focus for over 2 years. Good levels of grip, very good level of wear too.

These tyres I believe have been superseded by Premium Contact 5 which also have favourable reviews although there seems to be a common theme of people complaining about poor wear rate.

Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance look good on paper too but I have no experience of them.
 
Damo667 said:
Some tyres are rotational so swapping side to side is actually physically turning the tyres on the rim. The cheap tyres don't last long because they are a soft compound. I used to use the cheapest tyre possible almost bald when banger racing they grip better than michelins etc.
Click to expand...

Nobody rotates tyres from side to side :confused:
 
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