Fitting 15" wheels to a TitaniumX

[srcollins]

Hello

Just test driven a 2016 Fiesta Titanium X 100PS ecoboost fitted with 16" wheels and  Continental 195/45 tyres and found the ride very firm. Liked everything else about the car.

May be a downgrade to some people but could I fit 15" wheels (55 or 60 profile tyres), that you typically get on a Zetec variant  to gain a  more comfortable ride?

Alternatively does anyone know if you can fit 50 profile tyres onto the 16" rims that the car is currently fitted with, rather than the 45s currently fitted. Would it make any noticeable difference?

Regards 

[TomsFocus]

The lack of ride comfort on the Titanium X is such a shame because of those wheels!  You can drop to 195/55/15 instead. 

Maybe try a test drive of a Zetec with that tyre size to see how you find it.

[srcollins]

Thanks for that advice Tom. I want all the  high spec features of the X (leather seats, rear camera etc) but prefer the comfort that you normally get from higher profile tyres. Car would be  used mainly for commuting, everyday short journeys. 

[isetta]

Not sure if car is mk7.5 or mk8. I have mk7.5 with 175/65/14 on it. These are standard on ‘ECONetic’ diesel models. Steel wheels on Style spec. Alloy wheels on higher spec . Some people will think that the smaller wheels don’t look so good. But taller rubber means not so harsh and less likely to scrape wheels on kerbs and bend them on potholes. Also narrower is better on snow. They tend to cut in more rather than slither about on the surface.(mine are steel with plastic trims, they don’t look that good but the alloys of same size would look a lot better.

[TomsFocus]

2 hours ago, srcollins said:

Thanks for that advice Tom. I want all the  high spec features of the X (leather seats, rear camera etc) but prefer the comfort that you normally get from higher profile tyres. Car would be  used mainly for commuting, everyday short journeys. 

I'm not suggesting you buy the Zetec, just a test drive to get an idea of ride comfort.  

[srcollins]

I fully understand that your suggestion was to try out a Zetec  for ride comfort, and not necessarily buy a Zetec.

Also yesterday I test drove a Titanium (123 PS) that had 16" wheels with 50 profile tyres and the ride  was a bit better than the 45's.

I went to drive the Titanium X knowing it had 16" wheels but expecting 50 profile tyres not 45s.  Do you know if  45s are standard factory fit on the Titanium X and can they be substituted with 50 profiles on the same rims without any problems?

If anyone has a handbook for a Titanium X what are the tyre options please?

[TomsFocus]

42 minutes ago, srcollins said:

I fully understand that your suggestion was to try out a Zetec  for ride comfort, and not necessarily buy a Zetec.

Also yesterday I test drove a Titanium (123 PS) that had 16" wheels with 50 profile tyres and the ride  was a bit better than the 45's.

I went to drive the Titanium X knowing it had 16" wheels but expecting 50 profile tyres not 45s.  Do you know if  45s are standard factory fit on the Titanium X and can they be substituted with 50 profiles on the same rims without any problems?

If anyone has a handbook for a Titanium X what are the tyre options please?

I'm confusing myself now!  I had only seen the Titanium X's on 45 profiles, but the handbook suggests they should be 50 profiles.  Tyre sizes were changed for other models throughout production so I'd assume that's the same here.  They did also offer a 17" alloy as an optional extra...presumably for those people that don't like their spine!

https://www.warsopford.co.uk/pdfs/brochures/fiesta.pdf

As for swapping 45s for 50s, that should be absolutely fine.  I hadn't noticed a big enough difference between them myself, but obviously comfort is a very personal thing.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

1 hour ago, TomsFocus said:

I'm confusing myself now!  I had only seen the Titanium X's on 45 profiles, but the handbook suggests they should be 50 profiles.  Tyre sizes were changed for other models throughout production so I'd assume that's the same here.  They did also offer a 17" alloy as an optional extra...presumably for those people that don't like their spine!

https://www.warsopford.co.uk/pdfs/brochures/fiesta.pdf

As for swapping 45s for 50s, that should be absolutely fine.  I hadn't noticed a big enough difference between them myself, but obviously comfort is a very personal thing.

Lol we baffled ourselves on another thread with a similar topic on the original Mk 7 Titanium which came on 45's - my car certainly had them and that's what the brochure said, but some members reported they had 50's. I wouldn't have thought there was a lot of difference either - we had another Fiesta on 50's and I can't say we were bothered by the ride on either car. I find the 205/45x17s on my current ST-Line absolutely fine, even with the lower suspension, but as you say, ride comfort is a very personal thing.

[srcollins]

22 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Lol we baffled ourselves on another thread with a similar topic on the original Mk 7 Titanium which came on 45's - my car certainly had them and that's what the brochure said, but some members reported they had 50's. I wouldn't have thought there was a lot of difference either - we had another Fiesta on 50's and I can't say we were bothered by the ride on either car. I find the 205/45x17s on my current ST-Line absolutely fine, even with the lower suspension, but as you say, ride comfort is a very personal thing.

The Ford brochure that Tom attached shows the 16" x 12 spoke alloys and unless I am completely mistaken the implication is that you can fit either the 45 or 50 profile tyres. This would change the  outside diameter / circumference of the tyre wouldn't it?

Were the 45s intended for the Titanium X and the 50's for the Titanium but both having the same 16"alloy wheel? 

[Eric Bloodaxe]

1 hour ago, srcollins said:

Were the 45s intended for the Titanium X and the 50's for the Titanium but both having the same 16"alloy wheel? 

The brochure shows 50 for both the Titanium and X which afaik was the standard at the time. There is about 3.25% difference in circumference between a 45 and a 50 on a 16" wheel. What may happen is that, as Tom suggests earlier, Ford alter the fitment during production, or owners simply fit whichever is the best deal when they need to renew tyres. 

My point really was that my Mrs and I found no noticeable difference between a 45 and 50 profile.

 

 

[JayLews]

My 2014 Titanium X has 195/50 tyres on it despite what the 'search by reg number' features on various sites tell me. I'm guessing it isn't a very common size since the options are a lot more limited compared to to 50s.

[Bobr]

Mine is fitted with 195/50/16 and it's a very comfortable ride.   Looking for some new tyres and, when I put the Reg No in to a lot of sites they tell me that it's fitted with 45s.

[cjay1]

has anybody ever gone up 2 sizes to 195 55 r16?. noticed on forscan there are a number of different wheel circumferences listed that can be programmed in to the car i assume to keep the speedo accurate? this would mate it the same size as a mk8

 

[wordchild]

In case it helps...

My understanding is that the tyre profiles went up by 5points with the mk7 face-lift and again for the mk8. 

Original mk7s 2008: Zetecs 195/50 15s, Titanium 195/45 16s

Mk7.5s 2012: Zetecs 195/55 15s, Titanium 195/50 16s

Mk8 2017: Zetecs 195/60 15s, Titanium 195/55 16s 

As Tom says you could fit 195/55 15s instead to improve the ride - I had a mk7.5 Zetec courtesy car a few years back on those and if memory serves the ride was quite pliant. 

The key thing (as far as I know...) is to compare the rolling radius as changing this will slightly alter the gear ratios and the speedo accuracy. A smaller rolling radius, eg with lower profile tyres / smaller wheels, will very slightly lower the gearing and make the speedo more optimistic, & the reverse if the rolling radius is increased. 

A 175/65 14 tyre & wheel (as on mk7 econetics) has virtually identical rolling radius to a 195/50 15, for example. A quick back of envelope calculation shows there's a 1% difference between a 195/55 15 and a 195/50 16 ...  so pretty well interchangeable. 

Right I'll get my coat🤓

[DaveT70]

ETIS will tell you what size tyres it should have fitted, if they're wrong make the garage change them.

You can change the tyres your self then use Forscan to tell the ABS module and IPC what size you have fitted

[srcollins]

On 6/15/2020 at 7:14 PM, wordchild said:

In case it helps...

My understanding is that the tyre profiles went up by 5points with the mk7 face-lift and again for the mk8. 

Original mk7s 2008: Zetecs 195/50 15s, Titanium 195/45 16s

Mk7.5s 2012: Zetecs 195/55 15s, Titanium 195/50 16s

Mk8 2017: Zetecs 195/60 15s, Titanium 195/55 16s 

As Tom says you could fit 195/55 15s instead to improve the ride - I had a mk7.5 Zetec courtesy car a few years back on those and if memory serves the ride was quite pliant. 

The key thing (as far as I know...) is to compare the rolling radius as changing this will slightly alter the gear ratios and the speedo accuracy. A smaller rolling radius, eg with lower profile tyres / smaller wheels, will very slightly lower the gearing and make the speedo more optimistic, & the reverse if the rolling radius is increased. 

A 175/65 14 tyre & wheel (as on mk7 econetics) has virtually identical rolling radius to a 195/50 15, for example. A quick back of envelope calculation shows there's a 1% difference between a 195/55 15 and a 195/50 16 ...  so pretty well interchangeable. 

Right I'll get my coat🤓

The increase in tyre size profile for the mk 7,  & 7.5, is interesting. My  recent findings on Titanium X models I have enquired about. Most 2015/16 models have 195/45/ R16 but newer ones, 17 reg before the change to the mk 8 are sometimes 195/50/R16.

Checking a tyre sales websites  did have the 50s at approx. 20% more cost  than the 45 profile tyres. Is that down to the quantities they produce - are 45s in much greater demand than 50s in the 195 /R16 size  and hence cheaper?

[wordchild]

Hi again Stephen,

As Dave said above, Etis can tell you what the correct factory tyre size was. To my knowledge the sizes I listed previously are the factory ones. Kwik fit and other tyre fitter sites don't always have the correct info and previous owners could of course have tweaked the sizes when new tyres were fitted... to stick rigorously to the bleedin' obvious 😉

I've no idea why the price difference between 45 and 50 profile tyres - wonder if there are any tyre techs on here who could shed some light?

[srcollins]

Hello wordchild

Thanks for your comments and advice

Problem is resolved  as far as I am concerned- we've bought a Mk 8 Titanium with 16" standard alloys (for that model). I believe they are 195/55 tyres fitted.

It would still be interesting to know why there is a significant price difference on the 45 / 50 profile tyres.

[TomsFocus]

Tyre pricing is purely supply and demand as you suggest.  

Something like 205/55/16 is super cheap because they were used on huge numbers of common cars like the Focus, Golf etc through the 00's and into the 10's.

Emissions regs force manufacturers to use odd sizes nowadays, which tend to be much more expensive, and as a result the owners often change to cheaper sizes.

This is nothing new though.  Back in my Peugeot days everyone used to fit 195/50/15s to the 306s, because they were Fiesta/Puma size and much cheaper than the 195/55s that should've been on the car...  The 50's looked ridiculous (more arch gap) and ruined the ride so I always stuck to the proper ones myself, the ride comfort was worth the extra cost to me.  

[RRB]

You have to remember that Ford are buying what, 5,0000 tyres a day and so the price they pay is radically different to what you get charged at the garage.  The cost is vastly influenced by demand and availability.

The spec of tyres fitted can also change due to availability from suppliers, you can imagine a range of scenarios whereby supposedly identical cars end up with different boots, and that's before the deals start offering "specials".

 

As well as changing the size, ask about a different brand.  Some have a very stiff carcass and others not so.

 

BTW there are some really good tyre size calculators on line that allow you to compare different tyre sizes.

[wordchild]

12 hours ago, srcollins said:

Hello wordchild

Thanks for your comments and advice

Problem is resolved  as far as I am concerned- we've bought a Mk 8 Titanium with 16" standard alloys (for that model). I believe they are 195/55 tyres fitted.

It would still be interesting to know why there is a significant price difference on the 45 / 50 profile tyres.

Hi Stephen, 

You're welcome 😊 

Wondering how you're finding the ride on your mk8 and if you've had any battery problems yet.... but maybe that's another thread 😉 

[fiestaecoboostman]

On 6/22/2020 at 10:39 AM, TomsFocus said:

Tyre pricing is purely supply and demand as you suggest.  

Something like 205/55/16 is super cheap because they were used on huge numbers of common cars like the Focus, Golf etc through the 00's and into the 10's.

Emissions regs force manufacturers to use odd sizes nowadays, which tend to be much more expensive, and as a result the owners often change to cheaper sizes.

This is nothing new though.  Back in my Peugeot days everyone used to fit 195/50/15s to the 306s, because they were Fiesta/Puma size and much cheaper than the 195/55s that should've been on the car...  The 50's looked ridiculous (more arch gap) and ruined the ride so I always stuck to the proper ones myself, the ride comfort was worth the extra cost to me.  

The height of the sidewall is a % of the width, on a 195mm wide tyre 5% is 1cm, probably barely noticable in reality, but if the idea is in your head enough to make you believe the gap is huge.

 

On the subject of tyre price all sorts of anamolies crop up when looking online, I always check a few varients - you would expect extra load tyres with a reinforced sidewall to cost more for example, but they quite often cost less than an otherwise identicle tyre. I like the stiffer sidewall for pothole protection.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

1 hour ago, fiestaecoboostman said:

The height of the sidewall is a % of the width, on a 195mm wide tyre 5% is 1cm, probably barely noticable in reality, but if the idea is in your head enough to make you believe the gap is huge.

Yes, there's a lot more to good ride than tyre profile. I was reminded of this when driving my Mrs's little SEAT Mii this morning for the first time in 4 months. That has 175/65x14 tyres but when I got in mine (which is on 205/45x17s) later today it felt like a limo!😀