Alloy wheel upgrade questions

[Edgarr]

Hi,

I have a 2015 Fiesta 1.2 Zetec with stock 15 inch alloys. I am considering upgrading these to 17 inch.

Would the 17 inch wheels have a large impact on handling and fuel economy? I have read somewhere that I might need to have my speedometer re-calibrated - is this true?

Any advice or suggestions would be massively appreciated. Many thanks in advance...

[m1tch]

You need to run the wheel and tyre combo into a calculator to see if the rolling circumference is the same - larger wheel means a lower profile tyre.

Which wheels are you looking to get? The lower profile tyres would improve handling a bit due to less tyre sidewall flex but the ride comfort will be worse and there is usually more tyre noise, there might also be a weight penalty with the larger wheels.

Don't forget to tell your insurance company as well.

[Titanium]

Interesting comment about informing the insurance company, I purchased my new car in Sept and was supplied with 17inch as requested do I have to inform my insurance.

There is slightly more noise with the 17 inch but improved and positive handling.

 

[isetta]

grey area about insurance on options taken when buying a new car. you need to see how the insurer worded the question. if it asks if the car has been altered from the 'standard' spec for that model then technically you have to tell them - but most people wouldn't. We know that insurance companies can act in stupid ways to anything out of the norm.(and I still say that even though I have worked for a number of insurance companies) gets even more difficult if buying a 2nd hand car as it is harder to know. eg. if someone buys a Fiesta Style (that had 15 inch steel wheels as standard) but has been fitted with genuine ford 15ich alloy wheels that are standard on the zetec can the public really be expected to know that they are not the 'standard' wheels for that car.

don't forget larger wheels with lower profile tyres means much more chance of damage by potholes and scraping on the edge of kerbs when parking.  I wouldn't change them for those reasons.

[Edgarr]

2 hours ago, m1tch said:

You need to run the wheel and tyre combo into a calculator to see if the rolling circumference is the same - larger wheel means a lower profile tyre.

Which wheels are you looking to get? The lower profile tyres would improve handling a bit due to less tyre sidewall flex but the ride comfort will be worse and there is usually more tyre noise, there might also be a weight penalty with the larger wheels.

Don't forget to tell your insurance company as well.

Thanks for your reply.

I haven't fully decided which style to go for but I'm planning on going to a huge alloy wheel dealership located in Manchester (not sure if I'm permitted to give the name on this forum) and have a good look to make sure I get the ones I like the best. Do you think they might check the rolling circumference as part of their service? They offer free fitting so I wonder if they do all that for you at the same time...

I've done quite a bit of Googling on this subject and it would seem that a slight increase in handling coupled with a slight decrease in fuel economy and a bit of extra road noise is what the general consensus seems to be. I guess I won't know precisely what the trade off is until I have them fitted.

Yes, I had fully planned to inform my insurance company. Can't be too careful!

[Edgarr]

4 minutes ago, isetta said:

don't forget larger wheels with lower profile tyres means much more chance of damage by potholes and scraping on the edge of kerbs when parking.  I wouldn't change them for those reasons.

I hadn't really considered that, although I always take care when parking kerbside. There is an excellent wheel repair place not too far from me so I guess I'm not too fussed about this. 

I've considered lowering the springs but it looks like a lot of hassle for little gain - the pictures I've seen online don't really float my boat! I think I might just take the plunge with some 17 inchers and a set of good quality low profile tyres and hope for the best. I guess I could always try and sell them if I'm not happy with the end result...

[opr]

I have a Red Edition with the standard fitment IRL market 16" alloys and the standard fitment UK 17" alloys. I swapped into the 17"s for the summer and drove with them for about three continuous months. The rolling circumference of both sizes with tyres was mostly the same (+/- a few mm). Few things I noticed: the fuel consumption was largely the same, handling largely the same but the ride is much firmer. Consumption with the larger alloys was marginally worse but I think this had a lot to do with my "summer driving" style. I felt a lot more of the bumps and divots in the road on the larger alloys too.

Having switched back into the 16"s for the winter the ride is much smoother, noticeably so. I've ordered some Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 rims in 17x8 with an offset of 38. It'll be interesting to see what sort of tyre combination my fitter can come up with. I'm not into the idea of stretching the tyres at all. What alloys have you been considering?

[mikeyd1]

I had done this to my last fiesta 2013 from 15 inch to 17 Zetec s alloys and it was worth it as above said the mpg slightly only very slightly but the car looked and handled great u might find some of my old posts on here.

[Edgarr]

12 hours ago, opr said:

Having switched back into the 16"s for the winter the ride is much smoother, noticeably so. I've ordered some Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 rims in 17x8 with an offset of 38. It'll be interesting to see what sort of tyre combination my fitter can come up with. I'm not into the idea of stretching the tyres at all. What alloys have you been considering?

I'm also considering Team Dynamics, these in fact...

My car is black and I'm still trying to decide if black alloys really work with a black car, or if I should stick with silver. I know I definitely don't want white/red etc.

If the only trade offs are slightly increased road noise, slight decrease in MPG and a tendency to feel more bumps in the road, then I'm okay with that - especially as the car should look SO much better and, as yourself and mikeyd1 (and others) have said, the handling firms up a bit.

Thanks again for all the responses. Just need to stop faffing about and make up my mind now!