New tyres?

[~Spyne~]

Need some advice on good tyres, guys.
Still have the factory Eagle NCT5 tyres (205/55R16) on...
What's a good, durable, low-noise replacement for ~$220/tyre (or less!)

Also, before i call the local Ford, anyone know the price on a single TDCi 16" rim?
(as seen here http://images.drive.com.au/drive_ima...Focus2_m_m.jpg )

[mohit]

The original tyres on our LS focus will be due for replacement in a couple of months. Have already picked out a replacement tyre. Bridgestone Turanza ER300. Can be had for $185 each in the 205/55R16 size.

[DZFord]

And check out the wheel king website for quotes on the genuine rims.

[marg99]

the TDCi mag wheel is around $400+ each( without tyre)

[~Spyne~]

thanks DZ - genuine rim is $275ea according to wheel king
making the switch to 17s (an idea i was flirting with) looks to be too costly at the moment...sigh


mohit, do u know if the turanza is a 'quiet' tyre?

[mohit]

Originally Posted by ~Spyne~

mohit, do u know if the turanza is a 'quiet' tyre?

That was one of my requirements as our LS Focus travels between Melbourne and Geelong regularly. A quiet tyre is what i was after and was recommended the ER300 by a couple of shops.

[kevino]

The Turanza is a fanatstic tyre for wesr. I traded a Fiesta (on a Focus TDCI)with the Turanzas on at 70000km and they still had life but in the Fiesta no they were not a quiet tyre.

[~Spyne~]

thanks so far people. a bit of googling has resulted in the below list. Not after a "performance" tyre, but better rubber used in daily driving means a greater margin of safety (and generally, reliability)

Bridgestone Turanza ER30


Yokohama C.Drive


Michelin Pilot Preceda


Bridgestone Potenza RE001


Falken 452


Goodyear GS-D3 (Eagle F1)


Toyo Teo Plus


So, any comments on these? From appearance or experience?

[mohit]

Originally Posted by kevino

The Turanza is a fanatstic tyre for wesr. I traded a Fiesta (on a Focus TDCI)with the Turanzas on at 70000km and they still had life but in the Fiesta no they were not a quiet tyre.

In my experience all tyres get noisy as the km stack up and they are nearing the end of their lives.

[kevino]

Good point.
What do you think is a good value (ie long life) and quiet tyre for a Focus?

[slickstrings]

Myself and my mechanic have been experimenting with tyres for a while now. I can say from experience, the eagle F1 is quite noisy. Goodyears seem to be noisy in general. Also, its quite an average tyre. Didnt impress. Basically anything with an agressive directional tread like that will make a lot of noise. Some worse than others. Im currently running potenza's and they are a great tyre. Not too noisy and quite grippy. The grip level is also staying consistant as it wears. Not dropping off as most do. But, it doesnt seem to be lasting as long as i would have hoped. I ran falkens previously and it was good to start, but grip dropped off sharply. Though it did get decent mileage. My mechanic also has a positive opinion of kumho's.
Most of all, remember that tyre wear will also depend a lot of your driving style and condition. If you corner, brake and accelerate hard then you will chew through them. Im fussy with tyres for this reason. But most of all, they are the one thing connecting you to the road, so dont skimp too much. They could save your life. Hope this helped.

[wizamc]

After my NCT5's were changed at 87,500kms I was tossing up between the Toyos and the Bridgestone Adrenalines (RE001). I ended up with the Bridgestones and they cost me about $180 each and they made a phenomenal difference to the car. Quieter, grippier and I have mountains and a bit of corners on my run. I am due to replace them this week and they haven't caused me a single hiccup.

They still have great grip and I have managed to get 65,000kms out of them (which I was impressed with considering they are considered a performance tyre). They even look nice on the wheels (if that is even important theses days) and I will probably be putting on another set (have managed to get well known at the local bridgestone dealer and does good work for me).

I have used the Toyos you listed on my Magna previously, and they were very quiet tyres and wore quiet well (can't remember how many kms I had on them when I traded it in). Unfortunately while Ford did a good job quieting the sound of the engine, they did a crap job with road noise. The bridgestones made a huge difference for me, but you still get some noise... (well compared to a Purgeot 308)

[somers181]

I replaced my factory tyres on the LS LX late last year with Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalins when they were being discounted by $100 each from $250 and have found them a great all rounder as well as good performance tyre, 100% better than the goodyear factory tyres, just make sure you shop around for the best price as its amazing how much you can save..........

[casabonka]

Originally Posted by slickstrings

Myself and my mechanic have been experimenting with tyres for a while now. I can say from experience, the eagle F1 is quite noisy. Goodyears seem to be noisy in general. Also, its quite an average tyre. Didnt impress.

+1, had them for about 6 months on my lancer, and were heaps noisy!
Had them for 6 months as two of the four tyres were out of round and were changed over.
Grip was pretty average also - had more grip from the 'firenze' cheapy that Bob Jane changed it with!

[shepv8]

I changed the NCT's for the toyo teo's and they have been a good tyre. They are quieter than the goodyears and seem to have better all round handling/grip. I paid $225 ea for mine, which I reckon is getting up there for these size tyres

[rand0mn00b]

don't have a lot to say on this matter, except when I was looking at tyres the Bridgestone RE001 are highly rated as a high performance tyre but they're not to be the longest wearing. I believe they have a wear rating of 185. but i had my heart set on them.

long story short due to a bit of a mishap I ended up having to get tyres ASAP on a saturday and ended up with Toyo Proxes 4 since no one was open or had the bridgestones in stock. I got 215/45R17 for my Zetec and they cost $190 a corner but the grip is much, much better than the factory tyres. also much, much quieter and although a little squishy for the first 1000km or so, have settled nicely. they have a wear rating of 300 so will hopefully last a fair while too. Great wet performance in comparison.

[20focus05]

go the 215/45R17 much more common size = cheaper
thats what the tyre joint told me?

[rand0mn00b]

yes it is, I was told that too. However I think the op is running 16s.

[~Spyne~]

yep, running the stock 16" wheels. changing to 17s currently isnt an option for me ($$)

[BrisVegas]

i replaced the NCTs with Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalin RE001. Very nice tyre. Grippy and quiet and smooth. Mine are 17's but they're available in 16's at the proper load rating. I was also looking at the C.Drives, but got a great deal on the Bridgestones and also scored a free return flight via a promotion they ran last year.

[In Focus]

So, I replaced the CL's factory steel wheels and Goodyear 195/65 15's with some Toyo Teos 205/55 and 16" CSA alloys, which all the tyre size calculators said was the right option. All cool, or so I think.

Then I take the car in for its 3000km Ford service, and the Ford "customer advisor" says the wrong wheel size is on the car, and they had to "re-program the computer". I check again to be sure, but no, the tyres are the right size, or at least the closest match for the larger wheel diameter (the difference is about 0.4% on the odo).

I ring the dealer, and they say well, yes, it is the closest tyre size available, but even that small difference will have an affect on the programming.

Does this sound reasonable?

My main concern was that the right program was put in (though the sixty bucks for the re-programming is also of consideration), though they assure me it was - they've got machines that can tell the wheel diameter, apparently.

Not very mechanical inclined, so I'm not sure if I've been "done". On the whole, I suspect not, since both blokes were giving me a similar story, though the whole episode suggests that every time you change a wheel/tyre size you'll need to get your computer looked at.

[marg99]

Does the programming problem relate to the traction control/ anti skid aspect of the safety gear because I cannot see how it affects ABS since all wheels will rotate at the same speed while travelling regardless of the rim size.

[DeKa]

Like BrisVegas, I just replaced my Zetec's 205/50R17 tyres with Bridgestone Adrenalin RE001 for $187 a corner. Couldn't be happier!

[rand0mn00b]

Originally Posted by DeKa

Like BrisVegas, I just replaced my Zetec's 205/50R17 tyres with Bridgestone Adrenalin RE001 for $187 a corner. Couldn't be happier!

what size and where from? that's a very good price!

[In Focus]

Originally Posted by marg99

Does the programming problem relate to the traction control/ anti skid aspect of the safety gear because I cannot see how it affects ABS since all wheels will rotate at the same speed while travelling regardless of the rim size.

Thanks for your answer.

The problem was supposed to be the gearing/shifts. I mentioned that it hunted a little bit when upshifting in lower gears. It's an automatic 4 speed (should have specified upfront, sorry).

[DZFord]

Originally Posted by In Focus

Not very mechanical inclined, so I'm not sure if I've been "done". On the whole, I suspect not, since both blokes were giving me a similar story, though the whole episode suggests that every time you change a wheel/tyre size you'll need to get your computer looked at.

I've never heard (or seen anywhere on the Focus forums) of a Ford dealer doing this 'computer re-programming' for aftermarket wheel / tyre combinations.

Have a look at all the members on here who are running aftermarket wheel/tyre combos that have not had their ECU edited by Ford AND have never had any problems..

In other words, there is a possbility you've been had.

[In Focus]

Originally Posted by DZFord

I've never heard (or seen anywhere on the Focus forums) of a Ford dealer doing this 'computer re-programming' for aftermarket wheel / tyre combinations.

Have a look at all the members on here who are running aftermarket wheel/tyre combos that have not had their ECU edited by Ford AND have never had any problems..

In other words, there is a possbility you've been had.

Hmm, maybe it's better that I've been had than that everyone else here is driving around with less than optimal ECU programming.

My suspicion is that you could probably "get away" with not changing anything, but it could be argued that for optimum performance or some **** you should get the re-programming.

Interested to hear any other opinions. Thanks for yours.

[DeKa]

Originally Posted by rand0mn00b

what size and where from? that's a very good price!

205/50R17 at a Bridgestone Tyre Centre (showed NRMA card for $5/tyre discount).

I also got a $70 Myer voucher by redemption from Bridgestone Australia too.

[mohit]

Originally Posted by mohit

The original tyres on our LS focus will be due for replacement in a couple of months. Have already picked out a replacement tyre. Bridgestone Turanza ER300. Can be had for $185 each in the 205/55R16 size.

Getting this done on Saturday
Will be $760 for 4 tyres including a 4 wheel alignment

[ah-see]

Check these reviews out because the toyo teo plus tyres seem to rate more highly than the turanza-er300's.

http://www.carbonblack.com.au/car-ty.../teo-plus.aspx
http://www.carbonblack.com.au/car-ty...nza-er300.aspx