22 replies to this topic

[iNath]

Afternoon all,

I'm looking in to getting some winter tyres for the coming months (just getting prices atm to see if it's feasible).
My Zetec-S is currently on the 16" standard alloys. It's almost impossible to get winter tyres in 195/45/16 so one of the tyre places recommend getting a set of 15 steel wheels from a scrappy and fitting some 195/50/15s (he's getting prices now - for the tyres, I need to source the wheels)

2 questions:
1) Best place to get them? Tried partsgateway.com which emails about 6 Ford breakers, all came back with no stock. (I'm in Northampton but willing to travel)
2) Is it ok to stick the 15" on? Will it affect the speedo reading or anything like that?

All opinions welcome

[johnH]

hi, aslong as your wheel diameter doesnt change ie. 195. then it is all good, shouldnt effect your speedo reading, its when you change the diameter you will need to get it programmed etc.

have you tried black circles? they can list all available tires inc winter tires in your local area, and include fitting with their costs. i used KUMHO on my last car, drove through the yorkshire moors no probs (even in all the snow), no sliding etc and kept traction, the wear was really good aswell, but that is down to how you drive etc.

[iNath]

hi, aslong as your wheel diameter doesnt change ie. 195. then it is all good, shouldnt effect your speedo reading, its when you change the diameter you will need to get it programmed etc.

have you tried black circles? they can list all available tires inc winter tires in your local area, and include fitting with their costs. i used KUMHO on my last car, drove through the yorkshire moors no probs (even in all the snow), no sliding etc and kept traction, the wear was really good aswell, but that is down to how you drive etc.

Thanks for the advice regarding wheel size.

Just to confirm, I'm looking for best place to get 2nd hand 15" steel wheels. Can anyone recommend a good scrapyard?
For the tyres, blackcircles don't allow you to search for winter tyres only. mytyres.co.uk does have this option and thrown up a few results.

[Mk7_Rbj]

the '195' is not the diameter but the width of the tyre, the '45' is the ercentage of teh width that makes up the tyre wall.

However, as said, there are no problems as long as the diameter is the same

If you are currently running 195/45/16 i think you will need 195/55/15's

Im sure there are websites which allow you to see the cahnge in overall diameter

Cant be much help with the scrappy sorry. Would love to know where there was a decent ford breakers myself

Hope this helps

RBJ

[Mk7_Rbj]

the '195' is not the diameter but the width of the tyre, the '45' is the percentage of teh width that makes up the tyre wall.

However, as said, there are no problems as long as the diameter is the same

If you are currently running 195/45/16 i think you will need 195/55/15's

Im sure there are websites which allow you to see the cahnge in overall diameter

Cant be much help with the scrappy sorry. Would love to know where there was a decent ford breakers myself

Hope this helps

RBJ

[iNath]

Best price I've found is £253.60 for 4 x Continental Winter Contact TS800 195/50T15 @ Kwik Fit (I know what Kwik Fit is like, but I'd love to see them tell me that my brakes & exhaust need doing on a 10 week old Fiesta!)

Still trying to find some 15" steel rims. Gonna email http://motorhog.co.uk/parts/ as they've got some 08/09 Fiesta's they're breaking for parts, check out the pics, quite sad to see

If anyone knows a good, cheap scrappy for these wheels I'd love to hear from you!

[iNath]

Looking on eBay for the wheels but how do I know if they'll fit? Obviously it needs to have 4 holes in it, are they are standard on all wheels or do different companies put the studs in different places?

E.g. will these fit?

[fordpartsman]

can i just ask why you want winter tyres nath, for the amount of time that it MAY snow in northampton, its not worth it, you can just turn off the esp if its snowwy

[iNath]

Because they'e winter tyres, not snow tyres
From what I've read they're much more effective at below +7C than summer tyres and last longer during winter than summer tyres will. Doing 24,000 miles a year that works to my benefit having these tyres from Nov-Mar as they will last longer and I'll have much better grip.

Most people seem to think I'm wasting money, but remember whilst I'm on winter tyres I'm not using the summer tyres! They come with storage bags so I can keep the summer ones in the shed (dark & dry)

[Nay ZS]

Interesting choice. Most of the Fiesta's I have seen come with alloy wheels so to see a Zetec S with 15 inch wheel trims just won't look right imo.

[Amie07]

Hey if they make u feel safer driving when its cold and icy go for it. The guy who does the car page in the sunday mirror (quentin somethin) recommended them 2 someone just this week, something 2 do with improved stoppin distances I think.

[harweyko]

When you want to buy wheels (alloy or steel) you`ll need 4x108 (4 holes, 108 is in milimetre - it is diameter of circle "running though" the centers of all 4 holes, there are also wheels with 4x100 and 4x98 so look carefully what you`re buying ),
inner/centre circle should be 63,4mm,
for 15 inch wheel you need ET 47.5 (offset in milimetres, also 42 will be OK, but check with your insurance company if it is ok in your country),
and wheel should be 6 inches wide.

Tyre as you mentioned 195/50 R15.

Speedo should not be affected that much (when speedo reads 60mph on 16" your actual speed will be 59.5mph on 15")

The most noticeable difference between summer and winter tire is on fresh snow, summer tire is just sliding, winter tire has best conditions for its work, both to accelerate and brake. On wet road it is 50/50, on dry road is summer tire much better also if it is around zero (Celsius degrees = 32°F), under this temperature just winter tires. (tested personally in last 7 years of my fast daily driving where year conditions vary from +30°C to -30°C (86F - -22F))

[iNath]

Hey if they make u feel safer driving when its cold and icy go for it. The guy who does the car page in the sunday mirror (quentin somethin) recommended them 2 someone just this week, something 2 do with improved stoppin distances I think.

Yeah should reduce stoppping distance by quite a bit, interesting reading here and here.

British cars normally drive on 'summer' tyres but below temperatures of 7 degrees C - the winter tyre gives significant safety advantages in wet and icy conditions - up to a bus length and a half shorter stopping distance! Their superior grip helps you keep control.

When you want to buy wheels (alloy or steel) you`ll need 4x108 (4 holes, 108 is in milimetre - it is diameter of circle "running though" the centers of all 4 holes, there are also wheels with 4x100 and 4x98 so look carefully what you`re buying ),
inner/centre circle should be 63,4mm,
for 15 inch wheel you need ET 47.5 (offset in milimetres, also 42 will be OK, but check with your insurance company if it is ok in your country),
and wheel should be 6 inches wide.

Tyre as you mentioned 195/50 R15.

Speedo should not be affected that much (when speedo reads 60mph on 16" your actual speed will be 59.5mph on 15")

The most noticeable difference between summer and winter tire is on fresh snow, summer tire is just sliding, winter tire has best conditions for its work, both to accelerate and brake. On wet road it is 50/50, on dry road is summer tire much better also if it is around zero (Celsius degrees = 32°F), under this temperature just winter tires. (tested personally in last 7 years of my fast daily driving where year conditions vary from +30°C to -30°C (86F - -22F))

You are 'da man'! Thanks very much

[iNath]

Right, finally got some 15" wheels and the tyres are booked to be fitted on Thursday.

Can anyone recommend some wheel trims? What do people think will look good on a white Zetec-S? Should I go for silver or black (as the black steel wheels will be seen behind the trims)
Any opinions or pics appreciated!

[mitch84]

why do people bother with winter tyres , i never changed tyres apart from when they are due for a normal change , i find it a big waste of money , thats just my oppinion