Ride difference of 17" vs 16" wheels?

[MJNewton]

I was wondering if anyone could comment on any apparent ride differences between the 16" 15-spoke wheel (195/50 tyres) as fitted on the Titanium and the 17" 8-spoke (205/40 tyres) option?

I'm interested in a Fiesta for the wife and I noticed it's got the 17's fitted and when I mentioned to her that this may mean a slightly harsher ride she wasn't at all keen!

I think I prefer the look of the 17's and can accept it'll cost more in tyres but anything else I should be bearing in mind?

[GaryPL]

The overall wheel size is the same. The ride is however harsher because you have less inflated tyre to absorb the bumps.

If you live in an area with poor roads, you may want to think about it.  I have the 17s and yes, it is a bit more bang and crash than the current Zetec courtesy car I have.  You also have a higher chance of buckling the wheels, given that the tyre profile is quite narrow.  They do however look a lot better.

[MJNewton]

Hmm.. I was rather hoping you might say there's not much in it!

I suppose we could always swap/sell them though as they must surely be an appealing upgrade for some and would presumably fetch at least the same as the 16's would cost, if not more.

As you say, they do look good though and I notice that nearly all of the shots in the brochure seem to be of models with the 17's fitted so they must think they go well with the car well themselves! 

[MJNewton]

Incidentally Gary, I note you say you've got the Zetec as a courtesy car. Does that come with 15's (and not 16's as per the Titanium)? 

[Vendee]

Both our Fiesta's have 195/50/16 but I've driven earlier Mk 7s which had 195/45/16 and I could notice the harsher ride. If the car is for the wife..... get the 16" wheels with higher profile tyres. 

[GaryPL]

I think it has 15s.

The ride isn't terrible on the 17s. But there is a notable change in ride quality. I personally don't mind on the whole, although I sometimes go over the odd bump and pull the 'ooooh' face!

[MJNewton]

Okay thanks guys. Not what I was wanting to hear but I can't deny the truth!  

I'll see if there any Titanium 16s on eBay etc at a reasonable price to see if it's a dealbreaker or not.  

[GaryPL]

Should be more on 16s than 17s, as the larger wheels are an optional extra. Good luck :)

[MJNewton]

I meant just wheels on eBay as it's taken a while to find a 2013 black 5-door Titanium at a decent price so was hoping this might be 'the one'! 

[MJNewton]

Just to close the loop on this one; it looks like the Fiesta in question has a large(r) rear spoiler (factory fit) which, when combined with the bigger wheels, is stretching the brief a bit too much so the search continues! Thanks for all the comments though - they were really helpful.

[jbell]

I run 14s during winter and 17s in summer.  There's definitely a noticible difference in ride quality -- smoother on the 14s, though the 17s cope better with accelerating on rough ground. 

[winemart2]

Mine has 16's, wish i'd gone for 15's :)

Not too bothered about the look but I do enjoy keeping my teeth.

[B0D0]

On my Fiesta Titanium I had the 15" 195/50. The 16" should be 195/45 and the 17" 205/40. I didn't want the 16" just because I didn't like the design of the wheels, but the 15"s look small on the car.

As for ride quality Fiesta is a bit of a jumpy car on bad roads and it depends a lot of the tyre brand. Mine it came with Hankook Ventus S1 Evo and after 2.5 years/45.000 km I had to change the front tyres because of wear on the inside. I went with  Goodyear Efficientgrip Performance and those were a better tyre.

[Jeff4155]

My MK7 Titanium came with the 195/45 16" when it was time for new tires I decided to go for 205/50's on my 16" and it was like night and day, the car sits 1/2 inch higher and I could feel the difference, much more comfortable ride, I do think my fuel consumption went up a bit because of the wider 205 tires, but it's worth it.