,Hey guys,

I've just joined. Feels good to belong here. I f***ing LOVE my ST. But I'm not too keen on the stock snowflake-style wheels. I want to get some cooler ones. Was thinking about matt bronze Bola B1's from Wheelbase but then I saw this guy driving with these AYR Solution wheels on his car, so I pulled him over and had a chat...

The specs my ST has are 18" 108 X 8, 63.4 mm bore, 5 bolts etc but the ET number is 42 whereas the acceptable range, according to some sources, is between 45 and 52.5 (the latter is standard). What is an ETR number exactly? Is it a measurement in millimetres that denotes the gap between the spokes and the caliper?

Also, can I keep and have changed over the tyres I already have? (225/40)? Can someone help me out, please?

Cheers!

BTW I've tried calling AYR Solutions in Prestwick but they never pick up the phone...

• Is that price of £619 on Ebay pretty good?

• Thanks guys.

• From Ross

I would ask on this forum:

https://www.focusstoc.com/

The ET value is a German term and stands for Einpress Tiefe. In English the correct translation will be offset. In most Countries ET is a well-accepted term.

It is basically the distance in mm between the center of the rim and the mounting position on the wheel hub.



The prescribed offset for the Focus MK2/MK2.5 is 52.5 mm. The only exception is the MK2.5 RS which has a prescribed offset of 60 mm due to the Revoknuckle suspension.

This means that on the MK2/MK2.5 ST a 42 mm offset wheel will move 10.5 mm further to the outside compared to the original 52.5 mm offset wheels. From experience I can confirm that 42 mm offset wheels will fit without any problems. No rubbing whatsoever.

Think you can go down below ET 42 - I’m sure the 19” Oz’s I’m running are ET 38. They sit out further but clear the arches ok and give the car a really nice stance 🙂

Maybe the only thing to be aware of and not easily checked from the wheel offset figures is if the spokes clear the brake calipers ok - this was an issue I think with running the oem 19” Focus RS wheels on a mk2 or 2.5 ST and solved ok with a small spacer. My memory isn’t 100% on the wheel combo, could actually have been either the 18” RS lookalike wheels or possibly the Mondeo snowflake 19” wheels.

Also more importantly check the wheel nuts required. While aftermarket wheels may have the same angled bores the wheel centre may be deeper. Ford oem nuts on the ST the thread ends a few mm before the bottom end of the nut, on my OZ’s you only get a few turns of thread engagement onto the studs so I use aftermarket nuts. With these you need to check the nuts are wide enough to give good contact to the wheel - bearing in mind aftermarket nuts may then not suit your oem Ford wheels as these have wider mounting holes. Spec you’d need is M12.1.5 with 60 degree cone like these

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324824052577

So I’m using aftermarket wheel nuts on the OZ’s with Ford locking nut then Ford nuts when I refit the standard wheels over winter.

Can add some comparison photos if needed

Thank you both so much for this excellent information. Very helplful. I think I'm going to go ahead and buy them. My nephew did some A.I thing to show me what the wheels would look like on the car. I'll attach a before and - hopefully - after.

Once again, thanks for the information and advice.

Ross