• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Bought a Ford Fiesta / what wheels should I get?

Page 5 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
You won't notice having wider vs. narrower tires I'd bet, other than perhaps reduced fuel economy. You've only got 120 raging horse-torques, 195s or 185s would easily suffice.
 
JCH13 said:
You won't notice having wider vs. narrower tires I'd bet, other than perhaps reduced fuel economy. You've only got 120 raging horse-torques, 195s or 185s would easily suffice.
Click to expand...

He can affect the fuel economy though 😛. Unless he ponies up for lightweight rims and light rubbers. Realistically messing with the Fiesta is a waste of time, go stock or go Focus. I am debating Fusion, Focus, Fiesta myself.

Hey, they all start with F!
 
Last edited:
Wider tires = better handling though. The 195 tires on my car are great for fuel economy...not so much for cornering 9 and more importantly BRAKING!)
 
NutBucket said:
No offense JohnP but the current body Focus has only been on the road for about 2 months....vs over a year for the Fiesta. A bit hard to make that comparison, no? Especially given the fact the new Focus is completely different from the outgoing model.
Click to expand...

They are bringing the world model Focus to NA, not building a whole new one.
 
NutBucket said:
Wider tires = better handling though. The 195 tires on my car are great for fuel economy...not so much for cornering 9 and more importantly BRAKING!)
Click to expand...

Tell that to the street prep Turbo eclipse and Cobalt SS (first two cars that come to mind) that I beat in auto-x with a 1990 Miata on 195mm wide S.Drives :awe:

Wider tires don't necessarily mean better handling. They are heavier will not respond as quickly to turns and will numb steering feeling at high speeds because of their gyroscopic effect. Unless you get an appropriately wider wheel the sidewall will be 'stuffed' or bent outwards, which will impact the the tires' response further, particularly on turn-in if memory serves. They might make a small difference in ultimate grip in a race/auto-x environment if the car is power limited rather than traction limited.

As for braking... again, heavier tires/wheels will negatively impact your braking ability. A wider tire could improve it, maybe, but it's not so cut-and-dried.

For street driving you'll never know the difference in handling, what you will notice is the reduced mileage and reduced hydroplaning resistance. Again, this is assuming that the car can't easily spin tires, which a 120hp/112tq Fiesta probably can't.

We can hand-wave this argument all day... my point is that the blanket statement "wider tires are better for handling" that many people make isn't always appropriate, especially if it pertains to a street car.
 
Last edited:
JCH13 said:
Again, this is assuming that the car can't easily spin tires, which a 120hp/112tq Fiesta probably can't.
Click to expand...

I have the UK model and it will wheel spin in 1st gear (it's a very light weight car), but the traction control kicks in a second later and cuts the power. Mine is a 5 speed manual transmission though, the auto might be different.
 
Monster_Munch said:
I have the UK model and it will wheel spin in 1st gear (it's a very light weight car), but the traction control kicks in a second later and cuts the power. Mine is a 5 speed manual transmission though, the auto might be different.
Click to expand...

Will it wheel spin when you rev up the engine and dump the clutch? Or will it break tires loose if you hammer on it from a rolling start?

Edit: also, what tires do you have?
 
It spins the wheels if you floor it at a low speed, or if you dump the clutch at high revs.

It just has the stock tires that came with it. I don't know what they are exactly but they've done 10k miles.
 
Monster_Munch said:
It spins the wheels if you floor it at a low speed, or if you dump the clutch at high revs.

It just has the stock tires that came with it. I don't know what they are exactly but they've done 10k miles.
Click to expand...

Low rolling resistance tires probably, good for mileage, not so good for stopping :biggrin:
 
Coming from a z4, it's a pretty sluggish car. I knew that when I bought it though.

But it's not bad though because the car is all of 2500 pounds. I think it's nearly 500 pounds lighter than my z4.

The thing is, it's tuned for efficiency, so even if the engine has some power, it's not setup to easily get it unless you just slam on the pedal. I'm still getting used to the shift timings.
 
Monster_Munch said:
It spins the wheels if you floor it at a low speed, or if you dump the clutch at high revs.

It just has the stock tires that came with it. I don't know what they are exactly but they've done 10k miles.
Click to expand...

Perhaps we need to differentiate between chirping the tires and continually spinning them...

The OE tires on the Fiesta are some pretty mediocre all-seasons. I would bet you that if you got some real performance tires that you wouldn't notice much tire chirp anymore.

I think the "wider tires" performance gain is mostly a red herring. Wider tires can give you performance benefits, but the benefits will only be realized in high-performance situations like racing. I bet many people think "wider is better" because they went from 195s to 205s and disregard the fact that they went from worn out, cheap, crappy, OE all-seasons to a much better tire where (to rectal-pluck a number) 95% of the benefit was from changing the tire model not the size.
 
ElFenix said:
the focus transmission works well enough that you only screw it up by trying to select gears yourself.
Click to expand...

I'm starting to figure that out about the Fiesta. I had a fairly aggressive lead foot and I'm finding that approach conflicts with the timings of the fiesta's transmission. But I'm starting to adapt and find that if I drive efficiently and try to work with the car, the transmission is buttery smooth.
 
I think I'm going to go test drive one tonight. I'm driving a 2000 infiniti I30 and have been looking at something with better mileage.
 
TechBoyJK said:
I'm starting to figure that out about the Fiesta. I had a fairly aggressive lead foot and I'm finding that approach conflicts with the timings of the fiesta's transmission. But I'm starting to adapt and find that if I drive efficiently and try to work with the car, the transmission is buttery smooth.
Click to expand...

I find it works best if you drive it "normally". If you try to drive it like a mustang, it will just protest at you, but if you drive it for efficiency then its perfectly fine.

In the end, you have to remember what it is and not what it isnt.
 
angry hampster said:
Nothing wrong with having some fun with a lightweight, efficient car. Putting wheels on it just for looks is a bit dumb though. A good set of tires and a thicker RSB would make the Fiesta a lot of fun.
Click to expand...

Unless he gets really light rims and tires, he is just hurting his fuel economy, which happened to be the primary reason to go with Fiesta.
 
Hold onto the cash and put it towards your next real car.

No matter what you do to it it's still a Fiesta (and there's nothing wrong with that). Use it for its intended purpose.

Viper GTS
 
If you people have nothing to contribute keep it to yourselves. Not everyone can afford high end cars. The fiesta was in his budget and it's a sweet little car. It's not like he's trying to pimp out a '01 focus.

I like the konig wheels better.
 
OILFIELDTRASH said:
If you people have nothing to contribute keep it to yourselves. Not everyone can afford high end cars. The fiesta was in his budget and it's a sweet little car. It's not like he's trying to pimp out a '01 focus.

I like the konig wheels better.
Click to expand...

I'm not seeing anybody knocking the Fiesta. I've thought about buying one myself (though I'm leaning towards a CR-Z at the moment).

The OP has expressed a desire to return to another Z4 or similar vehicle. While it may be tempting to address some of the shortcomings of the Fiesta no (reasonable) amount of parts is going to replace what he gave up in the Z4. Grippy tires would be a reasonable improvement, spending 10% of the cars value on wheels is not.

Every now & then I get the urge to do things to my Mustang but I follow a similar logic as I'm advocating here - Hold the cash, buy the car you really want.

If this was going to be his only car I might understand, but if he already plans to buy another Z no amount of wheels, suspension, or tires will scratch the itch in the Fiesta.

Viper GTS
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top