Hopefully some previous/current owners can chime in on this as I haven't really got any other way of knowing. I'll try to keep it short.

I owned a 2020 Fiesta ST-Line which came with Michelin Primacy 4 205/45 R17 tyres. It was a great car and handled really nicely. I felt like the steering inputs were crisp and it was a very chuckable feeling car.

I now own a Focus ST-Line which came with Continental Ecocontact 6 215/50 R17 tyres. So far I'm enjoying the focus more in nearly all aspects, apart from the feeling I get when steering. It's not terrible by any means, it's just different and it's taking me longer to get used to than I'd expect.

The only way I'd describe it is the focus feels heavier to steer (not necessarily when doing slow manoeuvres) and slower to react. I need to put more input into steering for it to go where I want. I drive the same set of roads on a weekly basis and keep having these "Oh, not good" moments from muscle memory. A couple noticeable things for me are:

1. Coming out of a fairly tight bend and accelerating.. Usually in the Fiesta I'd just loosen my grip and let the car naturally straighten up, which felt fun. In the focus on these same bends, same driving habits, I'll accelerate out, loosen my grip and it feels like the wheel is almost stuck in place and I have to quickly react and steer it back until it's straight.
2. Just general turning into roads, keep finding myself almost nearly understeering and having to turn way more than I've ever had to in order to get round the bend safely.
3. Changing lanes on the motorway, check my mirrors, indicate, steer to gently glide over.. oh nothing is happening. Then have to steer much more forcefully than I'm used to to get over into the lane.

I expected the focus to feel a bit different as it is slightly heavier, longer and wider. But to me the difference is bigger than I'd expected. The tyres also have thicker sidewalls which make it less responsive.

However, I have been doing some research and I've come across a few reviews on tyrereviews on the Conti Ecocontact 6 saying that steering feels sluggish, slower to respond, some saying it feels like their front tyres are flat when they're not (Mine aren't either, checked all my pressures, but I'd agree with this feeling), apparently they're quite a soft sidewall tyre to make them more fuel efficient which makes them less responsive & less grippy apparently?

I'm wondering if these tyres are making this feel worse than it needs to be? And if anyone else has experience of going from a fiesta to a focus and how that felt for you in terms of handling? Or if anyone has experience with these Conti Ecocontact tyres and changed them for something else?

I've looked at getting the tyres changed to a set of Michelin's, but with prices ranging from £550-750, I'm hesitant to go forward with that if it turns out the Michelins are the same and it's actually just something to do with either 1) The thicker sidewall I'm not used to yet (Fiestas were 205/45 R17 so did look noticeably thinner) or 2) just characteristics of the focus that I haven't got fully used to yet and need to just give it time for muscle memory to fade.

From experience of having 26 new Fords over the years, mainly fitted with Pirellis, Contis and Michelins, Pirellis are junk, Contis not much better (tyre wall cracks after 12 months) and Michelins are brilliant and last longer 

Just a few general observations, not having driven a Focus 4.

Some years back, we had a Mk 7 Fiesta and a Mk 2.5 Focus and jumping between the two was chalk and cheese. I'd expect Mk 8 Fiesta to Mk 4 Focus to be similar.

Similarly, I've fairly recently swapped my Fiesta ST-L for an ST and they're both Fiestas but in some respects, including steering, could be an entirely different car altogether. And both on Michelin PS4s.

Talking of tyres being "thinner", sidewall depth on a 205/45 is 92.25mm compared to 107.5mm on a 215/50. Quite a difference, so you might expect the Focus to have a more compliant ride but feel less responsive.

Unless you suspect your current tyres are actually faulty I'd be inclined to just wear them out as normal and replace with your preferred tyre. That will also give you a bit more time to get your head round the different handling characteristics of your new car. 

(I've always found swapping cars is like chucking away your comfy old trainers and having to get used to some new ones, even if they're the same brand!😀)

I've certainly been happy with the PS4s (and Michelin generally over the years) but also (unlike Dave) had decent experiences with Contis on various VW Group cars which tend to have them as standard. 

I was involved in acquiring vehicles, tyres, etc for fleet use for several years and Michelin normally came out as best vfm overall taking account of purchase price, mileage etc. The exception was vehicles that did little mileage and/or operated in situations where they picked up a lot of punctures - just bought on price for those.

I don't think this is anything to do with the tyres.  I also found the steering on the Mk4 to be pretty unpleasant.

As you say, it doesn't self-centre properly and seems to need a lot more lock than you'd expect for junctions.  I can only assume they tried to lighten the steering on a heavy car with large wheels by fitting more turns onto it, but not successfully.

11 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

I also found the steering on the Mk4 to be pretty unpleasant.

That twist beam axle ruined the Focus.

I would love to drive one with independent rear fitted, I bet it's a completely different car.

To me, after owning loads of Focii (LOL) I found that, through the different versions, only the steering and the brakes got better (from MK1-2-3), the handling on the MK1 was just staggering to me, but that may be coming from Escorts at the time.

The only improvement, for me, on the MK4 was the brakes. I thought they were fantastic, the handling and suspension was awful.

3 minutes ago, DaveT70 said:

That twist beam axle ruined the Focus.

I would love to drive one with independent rear fitted, I bet it's a completely different car.

To me, after owning loads of Focii (LOL) I found that, through the different versions, only the steering and the brakes got better (from MK1-2-3), the handling on the MK1 was just staggering to me, but that may be coming from Escorts at the time.

The only improvement, for me, on the MK4 was the brakes. I thought they were fantastic, the handling and suspension was awful.

Both of mine had IRS!  Late 2018 1.5 EcoBoost & 2021 155 MHEV Active Vignale.  

Hated the brakes on the MHEV, the electronic brake booster ruined those!

4 hours ago, DaveT70 said:

the handling on the MK1 was just staggering to me, but that may be coming from Escorts at the time.

I remember being pretty knocked out with various drives in the Mk 1 Focus too, though I never owned one. Mk 2 (which I did have) was ok, Mk 3 didn't do much for me, and never bothered driving a Mk 4 - didn't need that size car by then, anyway.

Perhaps we'd better not re-run the IRS vs torsion beam debate again, though!😀

Thanks all for the replies :) 

I took the car out yesterday evening around my local area, which helpfully has a range of 30's with some gradual bends and some tighter bends, a couple 50's and national speed dual carriageways. Did a few laps of the same route with no music and just purely focusing on how everything felt. The good news is, I think I'm getting more used to it, and think overall it's probably a case of me needing to just drive it for a month to get used to the new setup. 

It was also good that quite a few times I was smiling to myself because I found it fun. For the first time as well (Admittedly I've not even had this car for 2 weeks!) I noticed in 3rd and 4th gear accelerating hard I can actually hear some fun noises from the turbo. Took me by surprise. (Only did this a couple times as I'm trying to be gentle on it and keep it under 3k rpm for the first few hundred miles)

The lack of self centring seems to be quite prominent when just poodling around built up areas. Tested it a few times and it's just something I'll have to get used to. But at higher speeds I noticed the problem was gone, turned the wheel a bit and it sprung back to centre like I'm used to.. just one of those things I guess. Changing lanes on these roads as well is feeling a bit more natural as muscle memory is now kicking in to actually put some more steering input in. So overall there, I think it's fine as I get more used to it. It does feel a bit floaty on the tyres at the moment, but that's because I'm just used to feeling all the road imperfections. I like both sensations admittedly, but it's like the Apple V Oranges saying. 

Last thing to mention.. the gearstick feels so much nicer than the fiestas! It's noticeably shorter and feels way more satisfying putting it into gear. Very happy with that. 

On 8/23/2023 at 3:53 PM, DaveT70 said:

From experience of having 26 new Fords over the years, mainly fitted with Pirellis, Contis and Michelins, Pirellis are junk, Contis not much better (tyre wall cracks after 12 months) and Michelins are brilliant and last longer 

Yes, I owned a GT Mustang awhile back, they came standard with Pirelli’s.They just did not last, 15,000kms that was it.They we’re just rubbish.Ended up with Michelin Pilot sport 4 ‘S’, just brilliant.Michelin are without a doubt the best out there.Continually top the tyre comparisons.Michelin pilot sport 5 is one heck of a tyre, but so is the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6, it is a brilliant tyre.Continental Premium Contact 7, just another fantastic tyre. It all comes down to personal preference & for some price also plays into it.I have a set of Continental premium contact2 on my Fiesta S. They are fine for what they are.Couldn’t get Michelin in the size that is recommended.Our main car has Michelin Primacy 4, very nice tyre.

13 hours ago, asmrt94 said:

It was also good that quite a few times I was smiling to myself because I found it fun. For the first time as well (Admittedly I've not even had this car for 2 weeks!) I noticed in 3rd and 4th gear accelerating hard I can actually hear some fun noises from the turbo. Took me by surprise. (Only did this a couple times as I'm trying to be gentle on it and keep it under 3k rpm for the first few hundred miles)

Is it an MHEV?  Those have fun noises from both the turbo and the generator.  

8 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

Is it an MHEV?  Those have fun noises from both the turbo and the generator.  

I noticed those too It's the 155 MHEV