Ford Fiesta ST Forum banner

Driving impressions on 16" rims

13K views 17 replies 10 participants last post by  stuntdoogie 
#1 ·
Oh what a difference an inch can make. (Take that statement as you will.) ;)

I made this poll a year ago when my ST was on order, because I was wary about the reviews that talked of how harsh the ride was. Having driven the car for a year now (on the stock 17" wheels), I wouldn't describe the suspension as harsh, but rather taught and tight.

This past weekend, I put on my "winter" wheels. Snow tires would have been overkill for me since I don't plan on driving in the snow, but I needed something to handle the colder temps, so I put some Kumho Ecsta PA31 high performance all-seasons on a set of OEM Focus 16" alloys.

They're 205/50 16s, so the wheel diameter is half an inch taller, but the sidewall height is a 25% increase, and I noticed a definite change in ride quality. It's considerable smoother and more comfortable, especially as the road quality worsens, and for a car that'll be used primarily for long freeway driving and/or on questionable roads, I'd strongly recommend this as a permanent swap.

The downside for me, though, is just how much it numbs the ride. It seems to take away a lot of the raw fun factor and makes the ST feel like more of a "regular" car. I was surprised at how floaty and disconnected it feels now, and I guess I got used to (possibly addicted to?) the feel of the 17s. I appreciate the added comfort, especially with the potholes that the winter will inevitably bring, but I'm already looking forward to the spring when I can put my stock wheels back on. (I also notice a lack of relative cornering confidence, but that may have as much to do with the downgrade in the class of tires as it does with the added sidewall height flex.)

For those who have downsized your wheels, either for the winter or permanently, what do you think?
 
See less See more
Discussion starter · #11 ·
Thanks for the comments, everyone! I think the "pothole peace of mind" is shared by all of us, which is partly why we downsized for the winter, since the stock setup doesn't really offer much cushion or rim protection. I knew that I'd be taking a hit in responsiveness with my wheel swap, but I didn't expect to miss the feedback from the tires as much as I do. The stock wheels were just more visceral and felt more connected to the road, and for me, that tactile feedback seems to have added quite a bit of excitement to driving this car. Don't get me wrong, for the winter, I'll gladly take the added comfort, smoothness and peace of mind, but I'm already longing for spring. ;)

Those PA31s are getting great reviews. Had my eye on them for a while. Thinking about switching my snow tires for those on steelies. Do they have soft sidewalls?
Hey doogie. I've only had them on the car for 2 1/2 weeks, but so far, I like them. I'm certainly not a tire expert and haven't driven on other 16"s to compare these to, but the sidewalls feel fairly soft and comfortable to me. I remember that you have experience with the Ecsta 4X tires from a previous car, so this quote from another forum should help: "We recently switched from the Ecsta 4x (Ultra High Performance A/S) to the Ecsta PA1 (High Performance A/S) on the Mazda 3. The sidewall is noticeably softer, both visually and steering feel wise. But as a commuter car, it was worth the trade, and they should last a bit longer. You could try the Ecsta 4x if you wanted a bit more 'sportiness'..."

I run 16" Pirelli SnowSports in the winter and 16" Direzza ZII's in summer on the same wheels. I can tell you that tire compound and tread design play a very big part in the responsiveness of the tires...
Going from a max performance summer tire to a high performance all-season, I was expecting a downgrade in grip and steering response, but I think the lack of feedback probably has more to do with the sidewall stiffness in this case. I'd guess that your extreme performance Direzzas are fairly stiff, and may even give the same feel as the stock tires, despite the difference in sidewall height. :)
 
Discussion starter · #17 ·
Put my order yesterday for 16x7 Gloss Bkack Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 wheels. Now to decide if I wanna do 205/45/16 UHP summer or 195/50/16 DWS all season.
Why limit yourself? Order up another set of those rims and go crazy. ;)
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top