Owners of any cars, like the happy owners of a Ford Focus 3, are always interested in various issues related to the operation of their cars, including the issue of installing tires.
Usually the euphoria from buying a car ends after a few months, and the happy car owner begins to realize that something is not working for him.
Some drivers want a stronger engine, others are not satisfied with the quality of the music, and still others want to change tires for a more comfortable ride. And even with complete idyll, the time will still come to change the tires due to inevitable wear.
What tires are suitable for Ford Focus
There will be no definite answer, since everything depends on several factors:
- Design features of the car - is it a sedan, hatchback or station wagon, diesel engine or gasoline
- Wheel rim type – stamped iron or cast light alloy
- Wheel installation location - front or rear wheel
- Wheel load - normal vehicle load or maximum weight with cargo and passengers
- Using standard sizes recommended by the manufacturer, or tuning, which includes replacing standard disks, and possibly making changes to the suspension design.
These technical features will contribute to the correct choice of tire and wheel sizes, but the work on selecting tires will not end there, since the choice of the manufacturer remains. Here you will have to rely on reviews, brand popularity and the financial capabilities of the buyer.
Car wheels
The third generation of the car, produced since 2011, has become very popular in the vastness of our country. In 2022, it was replaced by a newer, fourth generation, which embodied all the qualities of its predecessor and acquired many new ones.
Original Ford Focus 3 rims
Today, a very wide range of products for cars is presented on the shelves of auto stores. This also applies to the rims on the Focus 3, which are limited by the manufacturer to only one size - 16 inches.
The market offers all sorts of options in different designs, colors and wheel models with different characteristics that will suit even the most demanding car owners. This is due to the great popularity of the car, its attractive exterior and excellent driving performance. You can purchase both the original and products from various manufacturers with various parameters and dimensions.
In the original version, the 16-inch alloy wheel on the “FF3” can only be purchased in company stores or from an official dealer. There is a sports version of the Ford Focus ST, which has a more powerful engine and is equipped with 18-inch wheels.
Important!
Only original wheels will meet all vehicle safety requirements.
Purchasing an original guarantees that the wheels will fit the car perfectly. This will give the owner confidence that all mounting sizes, parameters and characteristics are fully suitable. Also, this will not affect handling and other driving characteristics, since the wheels created by the car manufacturer will meet all the necessary requirements.
If you need to save money, it is possible to buy replicas or used products. Such offers are often found on the Internet. As for used ones, you can find goods in fairly good condition and without much wear and tear. Regarding replicas, experts have a definite opinion that it is better to refuse such a purchase. This will not add any savings, since most often the replicas are of much lower quality compared to the original wheels. They wear out much faster, negatively affecting the condition of the chassis.
Note!
Before purchasing used disks, it is recommended to carefully check them at a service station.
Tuning enthusiasts often install larger rims than those recommended by the manufacturer. If the car is under warranty, then this must be done with caution, since the dealer may void it. If the warranty period has expired, there are no restrictions on the operation of the wheels. The choice of size in this case depends only on the personal preferences of the car owner. It is worth remembering that the smoothness of the ride and handling directly depend on the size of the tires and wheels. Therefore, you should first weigh all the pros and cons of installing products with large radii.
Wheels for 16, for Ford Focus 3rd generation
In addition to the original and replicas, Ford Focus 3 can be equipped with wheels from many different global brands, which are widely represented in the country. This allows you to give your car an individual design and stand out in the crowd.
Note!
In the cold season, it is better to purchase smaller wheels.
Before choosing and purchasing, it is advisable to consider all possible positive and negative aspects of the proposed options:
- Original wheels. Often produced by the manufacturer himself. Sold through authorized dealers or various other stores. By purchasing original wheels, you don’t have to worry about their level of safety, quality and durability. However, you will have to spend more money.
- Used. It is advisable to refrain from such a purchase, since there is a high risk of getting unusable wheels.
- You can buy products from well-known and trusted global brands if you have complete confidence that the wheels will ideally fit the Focus in all sizes and characteristics.
- Replica. Often found when purchasing online or in a regular store. With a relatively small investment you can get an original machine design. The downside is often the poor or average quality of such a product. It may not have the same characteristics as the original, and this directly affects traffic safety, controllability and comfort.
Third generation Ford Focus ST version
Standard sizes of wheels of the third Focus
When purchasing a car at a dealership, a potential car owner will be faced with a minimum of options for installing wheels. This is due to the fact that car dealers do not specialize in selling tires, and the main task facing them is selling a car!
Most often, the salon will offer only two options:
- 205/55R16, if the wheels are stamped steel
- 215/55R16, if the buyer agreed to fork out for light alloy wheels
At the same time, the manufacturer allows the installation of alloy wheels with 215/50/17 tires. However, for each type of model there are specific dimensions, a table with which is usually glued to the driver’s door pillar.
But drivers may get different tires depending on the time of purchase. Apparently car factories buy large quantities of tires, and therefore cars roll off the assembly line for a long time on the same tires. Then, for some reason, for example, due to an increase in the cost of the usual rubber, the plant switches to another! So you can buy a Ford Focus 3 with both Continental tires and Bridgestone tires.
Custom Ford Focus 3 tire sizes
The possibility of installing non-standard tires and wheels depends entirely on technical conditions. The discs should not touch the brake discs and calipers, the bolt pattern should remain standard 5x108, the central hole with a diameter of 63.3 mm. And the holes for the studs should be 14.5 mm in diameter. The rubber should not touch the car body even when the strut is fully rotated or fully compressed.
What non-standard tire size do Focus owners usually choose?
If size 16, then it is 205/60/16, so that due to the higher profile there is no breakdown in the pits.
If the diameter is 17, put 215/55/17
On 18 wheels you can put 235/40/18, although on most bad roads with such tires it is easy to break a cast wheel!
Disc bolt pattern: what is it?
Let us recall that the concept of “bolt pattern” means the ratio of the number of fastening bolts to the diameter of the circle on which they are located. The standard safe ratio is 5/112. In this proportion, the first number reflects the number of bolts, the second - the diameter of the circle.
The diameter of the circle on which the bolt points are located is designated PCD and is a standard value that meets international criteria. Any change to the car must take into account safety and reliability parameters when driving, so we will consider all acceptable bolt patterns for the Ford Focus. Focuses of three generations have almost the same bolt pattern, although there are small but important differences.
The model has received so much attention due to its high popularity in Russia since the appearance of the second generation Focus in 2005. After 5 years, this model earned the title of the most popular car of the year. Therefore, American cars are still in demand, and most serious service stations do the bolt pattern for all three Ford Focus variations. Moreover, replacing disks is an affordable, simple and bright way to make tuning and stand out on the road.
Tire pressure Ford Focus 3
On the door pillar, in the same place as the wheel sizes, the manufacturer indicates the nominal pressure that should be in the front and rear wheels. These values may differ depending on the model type, as well as the wheel size recommended for use on this vehicle.
But often car enthusiasts deviate from these standards more when fully loaded or less for a softer ride.
For those who don’t like to bother, we can recommend setting the tire pressure to around 2.2 atmospheres, and this will be fine.
For particularly scrupulous drivers, there is more accurate data, such as in this table:
Although it is best to use the data that is pasted on the car itself.
The characteristics of the rims and wheel sizes are set by the factory, taking into account the technical features of the car, while the choice of tires based on the manufacturer will still have to be made by the car owner himself! And this can be influenced by price, reviews from car enthusiasts, your experience or someone else’s recommendations! And you also have to use different tires in winter and summer!
Marking
- 6.5 is the width of the wheel, measured in inches.
- (B)17 – disc diameter, also indicated in inches.
- 5/116 - this indicator is called bolt pattern, that is, it shows the number of bolts securing the wheel to the hub - in our example, 5, respectively - and the diameter of the area and placement (in English Pitchcirclediameter, or PCD), which in our case has an indicator of 116 mm.
- ET 40 is the wheel offset, which is measured in millimeters. As you can see, our example has this indicator at 40 mm.
I would especially like to dwell on the last indicator. In other words, wheel offset is the gap between the circle around which the disc contacts the hub and the middle of its width. If the planes coincide, then they say that the offset is zero. If the first plane extends beyond the second, then there is a positive overhang. Negative offset, as you might have guessed, occurs when the hub intersects the boundaries of the plane of the middle of the wheel width.
The ET designation is used by manufacturers from Germany. At the same time, factories in France use the word Deport to indicate departure, and in England - Offset. By the way, it is the last option that is the most popular, and it is used by manufacturers from many countries.
It should be noted that if you ignore these indicators (offset, width, bolt pattern) when choosing wheels for the third generation Ford Focus, then you will not be able to install it in its original place, since the suspension will interfere. We'll have to widen the arches, modify the chassis, etc.
It is much easier to initially pay attention to all the nuances and not have any problems in the future. Moreover, incorrect selection of disks leads to increased load on the suspension and steering mechanism of FordFocus 3
The least dangerous thing that can happen is that these parts will quickly become unusable, and in the worst case scenario, the wheels may come loose while driving. This, as you understand, can cause serious trouble.
Summer tires for Ford Focus 3
- Continental Conti Premium Contact Run Flat 205/55 R16 belongs to the premium class and is distinguished by a special rubber composition and design features of the frame, which allow you to get to a car service station even with a flat tire without destroying the cord and maintaining the tread. Its pattern is also special, which increases the contact area with the road surface and prevents hydroplaning.
- Michelin Pilot Sport 4 205/55 R16 - this premium tire is distinguished not only by an improved tread pattern and the quality of the rubber compound, but also by the presence of an additional nylon layer that strengthens the working part of the tire against breaking. That is why such tires are suitable for sports cars with strong engines and good dynamics. At the level of an ordinary car owner, this is a reliable tire with strong position fixation on the track. An excellent option for those who value safety.
- Bridgestone Potenza S001 205/55 R16 are a symbiosis of a special rubber compound and asymmetrical projector design, providing amazing braking performance, giving confidence in safety even in the most extreme situations, where the Bridgestone Potenza tread copes well with critical loads.
- Goodyear Eagle Sport 205/55 R16, also presented on the market as a sports tire option, is actually a budget analogue of the premium models discussed above. Excellent tires with an excellent tread pattern that provides reliable grip on the road and at the same time is 2-3 thousand rubles cheaper than Michelin, Bridgestone or Continental.
- Tunga Zodiak 2 205/55 R16 is the most budget option produced at the Omsk Tire Plant. In its new condition it does a pretty good job of keeping the car on the road. It makes relatively little noise, but with prolonged use, hernias and loss of balance may occur. This is due to the poor quality of rubber. And this is expected, since the price reduction does not happen just like that, because this tire costs three times less than a similar Michelin tire.
Winter tires for Ford Focus 3
- Nokian Hakkapeliitta 9 Run Flat 205/55 R16 is one of the most expensive tires in its segment. The high-quality rubber compound is called Special Clinch and actually ensures perfect contact with the road. The V-shaped tread and well-designed studs allow you to keep the car in a given direction even under the most unfavorable conditions of ice and wet asphalt.
- The Nokian Nordman 7 205/55 R16 is positioned as a budget analogue of the Hakkapeliitta, and this is actually true, because the cost of this tire is 2.5 times lower than that of the Nokian Hakkapeliitta, which allows us to call this model truly the tire of the people's choice, combining excellent qualities with a relatively low price.
- Yokohama IG55 205/55 R16 is truly a Siberian tire, if you believe the description from the manufacturer, since it is positioned as rubber for severe frosts. The cost is comparable to the Nordman price, so the choice is not made by price, but only by reviews and experience of use. There is a soft ride and low noise on open asphalt.
- Michelin X-Ice North 4 205/55 R16 Like all other Michelin representatives, this tire can be called a reference product in the tire industry. The increased number of studs, which has reached 250, along with a well-designed tread and soft adaptive rubber, make this product one of the most popular on the market.
- Cordiant Snow Cross 205/55 R16 is the most budget option for winter tires, its characteristics are suitable for the Ford Focus 3. When creating the tread, SNOW-COR technology was used, which allows the pattern to independently clear itself of snow when driving. When studding, a double-flange stud of a special design was used, which provides good grip on icy roads.
Parameters of standard nuts
The Focus 3 kit includes fastening parts (nuts) made of stainless steel. The top of the nut is closed with a special cap, which falls off during operation. The article number of the nuts is 5 114 407, they can be purchased at any Ford dealership. The cost of one element is approximately 250 - 350 rubles.
Considering the total number of nuts, which is 20 pieces, the average amount for the entire set for four wheels will be an average of 6,000 rubles. Many drivers save on original spare parts and purchase their analogues. In the case of nuts, it is not recommended to do this; it is better to spend this amount once and be sure that the wheel is securely fastened.
If things are that bad, then from the experience of car owners, taking into account numerous reviews, Febi Bilstein (article 29463) is considered the most acceptable and safe analogue, costing from 70 to 100 rubles apiece. It is worth noting that if you need to install such nuts, it is not at all necessary to tighten all 20 of them; it is enough to have at least two for each wheel in stock just in case.
Advice. Use equivalent M12 nuts with a one-piece design. Never use cone-type fasteners, since such nuts may become unscrewed during movement.
