The Performance Blue Fiesta ST picture thread

BRGT350 said:

I would not go any bigger than 17" wheels on the Fiesta. I am really close to hitting the inner fenders with P215/40 17 tires. Going lower profile to knock the diameter down would put the wheel at more risk. Plus, 18 and 19 inch wheels add more weight, which I have found to be a performance killer on small cars. I haven't tried heavier wheels on the ST, but going to the 17" wheels on my Fiesta really drags down the performance. The more wheel weight means the more unsprung weight, more rotational mass to accelerate and slow down.

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Probably lower profile tires would degrade the ride too much as well. Hence the comment about needing bigger wheel arches so you can have larger wheels while maintaining the same profile aspect for the tires.

As to wheel weight, no doubt it's important - but as I mentioned in another thread if you are willing to pay the premium I'm sure you can find some super-lightweight forged rims at 18/19" that would not weigh significantly more than the standard OEM 17s. Tires would be a bit heavier though. Of course other aspects of the car's design would also need to be altered to go with a bigger wheel package, such as suspension setup.

I'm surprised that no auto company has realized yet what it could do for its sales of subcompacts in the youth market if it designed its subcompacts to accommodate slightly bigger wheels (Mini is an exception here, but it is more of a premium market car). The ridiculously high side and rear heights of even subcompacts these days call out for larger wheels to maintain visual proportion. A FiST is 57" tall - that is 8" taller than a C7 Corvette for heaven's sake, and even 1" taller than a Cobalt SS. A Honda Prelude from the 90s, a compact class car, was less than 51" high.

I doubt bigger wheels shows up on 99.999% of small car buyers wish lists. It is MPG, then price, then interior room, then cargo room, and way down at the end is performance and image. The only real questions I get concerning the Fiesta (which started back in early 2009 with the EU car) has been all about MPG, price, and interior room. Going with a shorter roof height and larger wheel openings reduces the interior space, which is a prime complaint of small cars. Comparing the height of the Fiesta to a C7 Corvette is a little silly. One is a 2 person sports car and the other is a 5 passenger econobox. The Fiesta needs to be compared to cars in its class, which is the Fit, Sonic, and Versa. They all tend to have high roof lines and smaller wheels. The Mini is more of a niche' car, and not a high volume seller. People buy those for image more than function. The Fiesta ST buyer isn't the typical B-segment person, but it would be too expensive to develop a stand-alone B-segment chassis just for the ST. The Puma was the closest thing to that concept, and it did not last too long. (Sad since it was full of awesomesauce)

I am 100% happy running 17" wheels and would not want to go any bigger. I will be going to a 215/40 tire size to get a little extra sidewall for rim protection and wider foot print. The visual problem with going with bigger wheels is that they make the already little looking brakes look even smaller.

2014 Ford Fiesta ST with Axis Touring Cup Wheels 096 by Bryan Redeker BRGT350, on Flickr


2014 Ford Fiesta ST with Axis Touring Cup Wheels 090 by Bryan Redeker BRGT350, on Flickr


2014 Ford Fiesta ST with Axis Touring Cup Wheels 076 by Bryan Redeker BRGT350, on Flickr


2014 Ford Fiesta ST with Axis Touring Cup Wheels 074 by Bryan Redeker BRGT350, on Flickr


2014 Ford Fiesta ST with Axis Touring Cup Wheels 042 by Bryan Redeker BRGT350, on Flickr


2014 Ford Fiesta ST with Axis Touring Cup Wheels 029 by Bryan Redeker BRGT350, on Flickr

Playing with the @fifteen52 wheel app to see what Tarmacs would look like. Need these in white instead of silver. #fiestamovement #fifteen52 #instarim by Bryan Redeker BRGT350, on Flickr

Played around with the fifteen52 wheel app to see how Tarmacs would look like on the ST.