Tyres

zetecboy · 22-01-2007, 12:46 PM

I'll soon be due to replace my tyres on my 2005 LS Zetec. The stock goodyears haven't given me any trouble but am curious to see what else is out there or what others are running on theirs.

They are the stock zetec rims which have 205/50R17 tyres. The car is "driven around town" as well as a regular highway trips to Newcastle or any where else I get the urge to go for a day or two. Any suggestions, along with a price estimate would be ideal.

tabaccs · 22-01-2007, 01:00 PM

Since having Yokohama C-Drives put on my 2003 Zetec i noticed a huge difference in the levels of grip available to me in both the wet and dry. The car didn't tend to understeer as much as the stock Goodyear Eagles i had on previously and there was barely any wheelspin on uick takeoff's. IMO these are one of the better tyres out on the market and do look very clean on the car.

I got them in 205/50/R16 for $220 a tyre but that was about a year ago, so i would only be assuming you'd be looking around the $220-$250 price range per corner for your 17 inch rims. The Michelin Pilot Preceda's are also known to be a great tyre but im pretty sure they would be close to $300 per corner if not more..

Hope this helps,
Cheers Adam

eXtremist · 22-01-2007, 02:16 PM

zetecboy, is your car lowered?

$200-250 is a lot for 17 inch, you shouldn't be paying anymore than $150 per corner, if you look on ebay they have Nankang tyres for about $110, well thats the normal ones that I last seen (not the sport ns-II)

I just found these Nankang Sport tyres which are a little more expensive but I think they're worth every cent.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....m=250060771636

zetecboy · 22-01-2007, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eXtremist

zetecboy, is your car lowered?

No, it's a stock standard Zetec.

photn · 22-01-2007, 04:56 PM

if you want NAN kangs then go to tempetyres if your in NSW.

FOCUSonTHIS · 22-01-2007, 05:16 PM

nankangs are crap tyres....don't even put them on your car

tabaccs · 22-01-2007, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FOCUSonTHIS

nankangs are crap tyres....don't even put them on your car

I second that! They're rubbish IMO and i'd rather spend that little extra on quality tyres since its them that keep you on the road..

simonr · 22-01-2007, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eXtremist

$200-250 is a lot for 17 inch, you shouldn't be paying anymore than $150 per corner, if you look on ebay they have Nankang tyres for about $110,
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....m=250060771636

200 bucks is about the starting point if you want to get decent tyres...

I recently paid 190 a corner for BF Goodrich GForce Sports in 215/45/17, Im happy with them, they are awesome for the price, but they arent too great in the wet..

My recommendations after MONTHS of researching

Michelin PP2s ( lowest quote i got was $260 a corner)
Goodyear Eagle F1s
ContiSportContacts
Dunlop SportMaxx ($$ exy)

SHOP AROUND! for price..
And buy from the people who were the nicest and most helpful!

eXtremist · 22-01-2007, 08:45 PM

Actually I had the normal Nankangs on my pulsar turbo, they were heaps noisy, but others on another forum said that the NS-II are a lot better and more quieter.

zetec · 23-01-2007, 12:02 AM

eXtremist, for Focus sizes, you're dreaming if you think you'll get even the 16 inch tyres for under $200 each, unfortunately they're not a common size, neither of them are. Volume dictates price with tyres. A good tyre, even the OE tyre (Goodyear Eagle NCT5 ECO) should start from $200 and generally about $220+ for a really good tyre (Michelin Pilot Preceda 2 or Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3).

For the 17's, expect $230 - $300 for really good tyres. Anything from the Eagle F1's to Continental SportContact 2's.

These are just for older LR sizes, the ones I know, but never LS sizes shouldn't be too different. It's your Falcon and Commodore sized tyres that are literally half the price.

ON a Focus, I would NEVER (REPEAT - NEVER) put crap tyres on. They handle too well to even consider it. Nothing but the best should ever go on a car that handles well. Otherwise, might as well go out and buy an Excel.

Piotr · 23-01-2007, 12:57 AM

Whats everyone think of the Potena GIII's? Ive got them on the Fiesta and they are awesome.

Martyvan · 23-01-2007, 11:36 AM

My dad works with Bridgestone, so, im quite lucky that i can get them really cheap. the GIII's look good, look like they would be quite good in the wet, im not really fussed with dry handling, but would prefer to able to stay on track when its wet....

More revs · 23-01-2007, 11:52 AM

If there is ONE thing you should NEVER skimp on it's tires...

Get the best you can afford is my thought.

zetecboy · 23-01-2007, 01:09 PM

Well I've been looking around on a few of the tyre company websites and it seems that the size for the focus is indeed a strange one.

I dropped by Bridgestone this morning (their website had on the Potenza's), to see what they could do. Seems that the load rating (93) on the Goodyears mean that the Bridgestone Potenza's won't do the job as they have a lower rating. At this stage it's either stick with the Goodyear Eagle NCT5 or go the Yokohama C-Drives.

Jess85 · 23-01-2007, 01:48 PM

i got a quote for tyres for my Fiesta. they're 16" and i was quoted $180 for each tyre. the guy said the size and profile is not common thats why they're that much. not sure what the tyres were though

tabaccs · 23-01-2007, 02:08 PM

Quote:

I dropped by Bridgestone this morning (their website had on the Potenza's), to see what they could do. Seems that the load rating (93) on the Goodyears mean that the Bridgestone Potenza's won't do the job as they have a lower rating. At this stage it's either stick with the Goodyear Eagle NCT5 or go the Yokohama C-Drives.

Mate you can't go wrong with the Yokohama C-Drives, have been a fantastic tyre for me! Japanese quality..

FOCUSonTHIS · 23-01-2007, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Piotr

Whats everyone think of the Potena GIII's? Ive got them on the Fiesta and they are awesome.

GIII's are a great tyre I had them on my 16" rims on my focus. The tread lasted ages as well. Never had one complaint against them

Focussed · 23-01-2007, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zetecboy

I'll soon be due to replace my tyres on my 2005 LS Zetec. The stock goodyears haven't given me any trouble but am curious to see what else is out there or what others are running on theirs.

They are the stock zetec rims which have 205/50R17 tyres. The car is "driven around town" as well as a regular highway trips to Newcastle or any where else I get the urge to go for a day or two. Any suggestions, along with a price estimate would be ideal.

how many k's did you get out of these zetecboy?

photn · 24-01-2007, 10:04 AM

next set of tyres will either be ContisportContacts(most probably) P zero nero's, BF Goodrich, Eagle F1 or some Toyo's. they are my choices lol. YAY.

zetecboy · 24-01-2007, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Focussed

how many k's did you get out of these zetecboy?

I've got 36,0000km's on it right now - I'm too sure if that is good or not. The problem was, when I bought it (I got it used from Titan Ford @ Brookvale had 26,000km's then), the tyres hadn't been rotated at all. The front had all the wear and the rears were practically brand new. So I had them rotated, balanced and aligned soon after I got it (the tyre dealer noted that the alignment was still spot on too, which was good).I'd prefer to get at least 40,000km's out of tryes, but given they hadn't been rotated and "looked after" that may explain why they haven't lasted as long. At this stage I'm only after 2 - they'll go on the front, with the front's going to the rear.

I checked with Ford yesterday and they said that I'd have to have tyres that are load rated the same as what the sticker on the car says. Some tyres dealers have maade the same comments, noting that if I were to have an accident and my insurance knew that the tyres weren't what should be specified for the car then I would some issues.

With that being the case I'm looking at some Toyo Proxes T1R's. I have a mate who is a rep for Toyo so he should be able to sort me out with some.

24-01-2007, 11:27 AM

I'm a few months away from the 3rd set on my Zetec rimmmed LX.

Forget 205/50, there isn't much choice and you'll pay more... Go for 215/45.

Wider track and lower profile, your speedo will overstate the actual speed by about 1kmh. But then you have a much larger choice of tyres to choose from.

Don't go Nangkangs. Spend at least $200 each.

mitch_lx · 24-01-2007, 07:30 PM

I can personally vouch for the BF goodrich being a affordable tyre returning great results in the dry. Tread wear was great too.

My car was lowered, so it suffered in the wet. So im not free to really comment on wet weather handling.

My GTI has SP Sport Maxx Dunlop 205/45/16 and they are FANTASTIC !!
I have no idea how much they cost, but whatever the price, they are an incredible tyre.

Zetec20 · 24-01-2007, 09:39 PM

ok i hear alot of people bagging nankangs, which is fair, but they're literally all i can afford as they're $315 each for the ultrasport ns-II's (225/30 R20)
in the dry they're not too bad, fairly sticky and very predictable toward their limits
in the wet they're rubbish and should be shot

BrisVegas · 25-01-2007, 10:50 AM

you guys got me thinking about this, so went out to a few tyre sites last night. There really isn't much in 205/50R17 in 93 load rating. Yoko C-Drive and Khumo's look ok...

I'd be a bit concerned about going 215/45 as it would throw the speedo out a bit. 225/45 looks to be a lot closer to the right rolling diameter. Has anyone put 225/45 on a Focus? Any issues with rubbing or sidewall bulge etc.?? Seems to be more choice in this size... I'm a long way off needign new tyres, but I'm interested all the same.

Cheers!

zetec · 25-01-2007, 07:16 PM

Load and speed rating is the only thing you really need to stick to. You can increase sidewall/profile a bit but must respect load and speed rating legally.

Guliver_TwiSt · 28-01-2007, 12:26 PM

Just out of interest, does anyone know the width of the alloys on the Zetec, and what the optimal width tyre would be for them. 205's just seem way too narrow for a 17".

Piotr · 28-01-2007, 01:42 PM

Ford have done the work for you. Use the recommended size or close to recommended size.

Guliver_TwiSt · 28-01-2007, 01:47 PM

How much are the standard zetec GY tyres per corner? They seem fairly good in the dry, but damn sluggish in the wet, with plenty of wheel spin even under mild acceleration..

zetecboy · 30-01-2007, 10:16 AM

Most tyre dealers looked at them and said what you would be paying for them isn't worth it and so recommended other brands.

I'm going some Toyo Proxes T1R's - the meet the size and load rating that is required by Ford for the LS Focus Zetec.

Just in relation to the comment about load and speed ratings, I can't see the speed rating making any difference. All of the speed ratings are a lot higher than what is legal and to be honest the tyres I'm getting, I don't even think the Zetec is capable of 300km/h.

zetec · 30-01-2007, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zetecboy

Just in relation to the comment about load and speed ratings, I can't see the speed rating making any difference. All of the speed ratings are a lot higher than what is legal and to be honest the tyres I'm getting, I don't even think the Zetec is capable of 300km/h.

I can see the point. By law, you can't put lower than 140km/h rated, but load rated MUST be equal or higher than factory recommendation. Whilst 140km/h might seem a lot, barely anyone here can say they haven't at least once hit that whilst overtaking in some form of vehicle, maybe not a Focus.

I'd rather err on the safety side and go as high as convenient, especially if you carry luggage and passengers at the same time. Better to give your tyres a bigger margin of error for stability and safety.