2 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

You know when you're in the slow lane on an old dual carriageway and the car keeps pulling left and right into the lorry ruts in the road?  That's tramlining.  It usually gets worse with wider tyres and/or a wider track.

Ahh thanks.

 

 

What's a 'slow' lane???! 

14 minutes ago, Phil21185 said:

Ahh thanks.

 

 

What's a 'slow' lane???! 

It's the one the peasants should stick to.  

I can never remember if the left lane is called the 'outside' or the 'inside' one lol.  But it's the one all the lorries sit in and ruin the road...  I live near one of the biggest ports in the UK so the lorry ruts are awful round here.   

Ah, Felixstowe. Yes, I often travel down the A14 to visit my family and when the sun is at a certain angle the lorry ruts stand out like a sore thumb. Even after resurfacing it doesn't take long for them to reappear.

On a UK dual-carriageway the left-hand lane is the 'Inside'. The extreme right-hand lane is technically only an 'overtaking lane', though most Audi & BMW & SUV drivers seem to think it's for their exclusive use.

10 hours ago, Rumblestrip said:

Also, would any size tyre fit any alloy? I’ve seen wheels for sale that have had 205/xx tyres on but would they take a 245/xx?

Use this calculator to see the suggested rim widths for various tyre sizes:

http://www.tyresizecalculator.com/tyre-wheel-calculators/wheel-rim-size-calculator

there is label on your car with tyre size.

So, I’m going to need to get 7.50” x 17”” alloys with 225/45 R17 tyres to replace my current set up (205/55 R16). 

Thanks guys, your help is appreciated. 

Original Ford 7,5 x 17 Inch wheels are very rare. Most original Ford wheels are 7 x 17 inch. Some are even 6.5 x 17 Inch.

A 225-45-17 tyre fits perfectly on a 7 x 17 Inch wheel.

 

When using a different size tyres than approved/prescribed by the manufacturer you should be aware that this is illegal in some countries. With different size tyres that are not approved the car no longer conforms to the European type approval . This can have pretty big consequenses.  In case of an accident the insurance can use this to not have to pay. In Germany and Belgium for example different sized tyres are only allowed after an individual acceptance inspection by a notified body. 

 

 

 

48 minutes ago, JW1982 said:

Original Ford 7,5 x 17 Inch wheels are very rare. Most original Ford wheels are 7 x 17 inch. Some are even 6.5 x 17 Inch.

A 225-45-17 tyre fits perfectly on a 7 x 17 Inch wheel.

 

When using a different size tyres than approved/prescribed by the manufacturer you should be aware that this is illegal in some countries. With different size tyres that are not approved the car no longer conforms to the European type approval . This can have pretty big consequenses.  In case of an accident the insurance can use this to not have to pay. In Germany and Belgium for example different sized tyres are only allowed after an individual acceptance inspection by a notified body. 

 

 

 

Nice one thanks for that. 

I neglected to ask how I would find out the PCD of my wheels. I’m seeing some that I like but have 5 x 108 stud pattern. Is that suitable?

PCD:	5x108
Center Bore:	63.4
Offset:	52.5
Mounting:	Nut/Lug - 12 x 1,50

2 minutes ago, F0CUE said:

PCD:	5x108
Center Bore:	63.4
Offset:	52.5
Mounting:	Nut/Lug - 12 x 1,50

Marvellous. Thanks. 

No probs I was in the same predicament when searching for bigger wheels I ended up with a set from a Volvo lol

33 minutes ago, F0CUE said:

No probs I was in the same predicament when searching for bigger wheels I ended up with a set from a Volvo lol

Nightmare lol well I’ve spotted a lovely set that will fit but I’m keeping quiet in case someone jumps in and gets them first haha

Nothing worse! Dive in and get them slapped on :)

14 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

It's the one the peasants should stick to.  

I can never remember if the left lane is called the 'outside' or the 'inside' one lol.  But it's the one all the lorries sit in and ruin the road...  I live near one of the biggest ports in the UK so the lorry ruts are awful round here.   

As an HGV driver myself, we "sit" on the inside lane as that's where every vehicle should be, we are not allowed in lane 3 (the overtaking lane) we can only use lane 1 and 2. Imagine if we were to hog lane 2 to save lane 1 there'd be uproar and middle fingers being shown all over the place. My HGV can gross out at 44 tones that's  roughly the same weight as 30 cars, Don't forget guys, EVERYTHING in your home comes by trucks, without us you get nothing.😉😉

8 hours ago, wilto said:

As an HGV driver myself, we "sit" on the inside lane as that's where every vehicle should be, we are not allowed in lane 3 (the overtaking lane) we can only use lane 1 and 2. Imagine if we were to hog lane 2 to save lane 1 there'd be uproar and middle fingers being shown all over the place. My HGV can gross out at 44 tones that's  roughly the same weight as 30 cars, Don't forget guys, EVERYTHING in your home comes by trucks, without us you get nothing.😉😉

I think you've misunderstood me, I wasn't saying they shouldn't be there, just that running thousands of heavy vehicles a day mostly on one lane will of course cause damage to the road, it's unavoidable.  I often have to cross the level crossing for the rail line to the port and wait ages for massive trains so I'd rather not have any more train cargo lol. 

I'm not a truck hater at all, I dislike far more car drivers and bike riders than truck drivers on a typical day.  

21 hours ago, wilto said:

we are not allowed in lane 3 (the overtaking lane)

I know this has got right off topic so these are going to be my last comments:-

The right-hand lane on 2-lane dual-carriageways is also the 'overtaking lane' meaning that technically no-one should be using it other than for the purpose of overtaking. It's only the high modern traffic density that means there's often either no room to move back over to the left or it's not worth it without risking being boxed in.

It's not just the main routes that are suffering from lorry ruts. Many fen roads are subsiding badly and becoming switchback rides with severe speed restrictions because of the weight of HGVs and large agricultural vehicles pounding them.

I think it's true to say that there is a far higher HGV density in the UK compared to the Continent with relatively less of our freight going by rail. On the A14, because it's the route to and from Felixstowe, there are often whole convoys of HGVs and faster traffic has no option but to stay in the right-hand lane. I try to avoid the A14 altogether if at all possible. It really should have been built 3-lane over it's entire length but, as always, was built to the minimum they thought they could get away with.

Personally I'd like to see more going by rail and lorry weights significantly reduced. Sorry wilto

The answer to your problem, Tom, would be a bridge over the track. The cost would be a drop in the ocean compared with what's spent on enlarging the port.

10 hours ago, mjt said:

The answer to your problem, Tom, would be a bridge over the track. The cost would be a drop in the ocean compared with what's spent on enlarging the port.

There was a plan to bridge 3 of the busy single track lanes together with one large rail bridge there just last year.  It wasn't just to aid to traffic flow there, but would have meant the trains could travel much faster over an unbroken route as they wouldn't have to keep slowing for the level crossings.  But local residents complained it would ruin the landscape, I agree it would, but they're the same ones complaining about the crossing wait times, not sure what they were expecting...  

Has anyone tried fitting Transit Connect alloys to a car? 

Transit Connect/Courier wheels are perfectly suitible for the Focus MK2/MK2.5 and Focus MK3/MK3.5. The specifications are identical (or at least very similar).

 

54 minutes ago, JW1982 said:

Transit Connect/Courier wheels are perfectly suitible for the Focus MK2/MK2.5 and Focus MK3/MK3.5. The specifications are identical (or at least very similar).

 

Nice one. Thanks. 

I’ve finally managed to snag a set of refurbished alloys for £330. Think they’ll look the bomb on my car. Excited. 

These are original 7 x 17 Inch S-max/Galaxy (2006) Ghia wheels. Originally these wheels were diamond cut.

Note that these wheels have an offset of 55 mm. Original 17 Inch Focus MK3/MK3.5 wheels have an offset of 50 mm. This means that these wheels will be sitting 5 mm further into the wheelwell (closer to the suspension) than the original 17 Inch Focus MK3/MK3.5 wheels. Aesthetically this will not look nice. The original 17 inch Focus MK3/MK3.5 wheels are already pretty far inside the wheelwells. Personally I would consider installing spacers (of at least 5 mm thick).

Also note that these wheels must be combined with the correct wheel nuts. The Focus MK3.5 has the latest design Global Wheelnuts. These wheel nuts are not suitible for the old design wheels. Being S-max/Galaxy (2006) wheels these wheels are definetely old design wheels. Old design wheels must be combined with the correct period wheel nuts. The original S-max/Galaxy wheel nuts that are available for these wheels have M14 x 1.5 mm threads. These will not fit because the Focus MK3/MK3.5 requires wheel nuts with M12 x 1.5 mm threads.  To install these wheels you need the solid wheelnuts for alloy wheels that were used on the Focus MK2.5 and very early MK3. These wheel nuts have Ford Finis number 1678260 and cost a fortune from Ford (approximately 5 Pounds a piece). 

 

41 minutes ago, JW1982 said:

These are original 7 x 17 Inch S-max/Galaxy (2006) Ghia wheels. Originally these wheels were diamond cut.

Note that these wheels have an offset of 55 mm. Original 17 Inch Focus MK3/MK3.5 wheels have an offset of 50 mm. This means that these wheels will be sitting 5 mm further into the wheelwell (closer to the suspension) than the original 17 Inch Focus MK3/MK3.5 wheels. Aesthetically this will not look nice. The original 17 inch Focus MK3/MK3.5 wheels are already pretty far inside the wheelwells. Personally I would consider installing spacers (of at least 5 mm thick).

Also note that these wheels must be combined with the correct wheel nuts. The Focus MK3.5 has the latest design Global Wheelnuts. These wheel nuts are not suitible for the old design wheels. Being S-max/Galaxy (2006) wheels these wheels are definetely old design wheels. Old design wheels must be combined with the correct period wheel nuts. The original S-max/Galaxy wheel nuts that are available for these wheels have M14 x 1.5 mm threads. These will not fit because the Focus MK3/MK3.5 requires wheel nuts with M12 x 1.5 mm threads.  To install these wheels you need the solid wheelnuts for alloy wheels that were used on the Focus MK2.5 and very early MK3. These wheel nuts have Ford Finis number 1678260 and cost a fortune from Ford (approximately 5 Pounds a piece). 

 

Ahhhh *****. I’m gonna have a right ***** on getting these done aren’t I? I’ve asked the seller if I can cancel the order. Fingers crossed. 

If combined with the correct wheel nuts these wheels can be used without any problems.

However from an aesthetic  point of view the wheels will be sitting a bit too far into the wheelwells (closer to the suspension). This can be solved by installing spacers.