[dBlast]

Oscar The Grouch,Aug 9 2005, 12:58 PM Wrote:

dBlast,Aug 9 2005, 06:15 AM Wrote:

05zx5,Aug 9 2005, 02:06 AM Wrote:Looks nice they look big for 17's.
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The 17s look big because they are shod with 205/40/17 rubber. These tires do not have much sidewall height and to properly fill the wheel well you will need something like a 2" drop. I believe dabigmandan had the same size tires on 17s with a 1.5" drop and he was disappointed with the look.

IMO 205/45/17 would have been a better choice for rubber size. These are much closer to the stock rolling diameter (i.e. speedometer will read closer to actual.) Plus, the slighter taller sidewall will fill the wheel well better and provide a little more cushioning for those northern roads.

Otherwise, nothing improves the look of a sedan better than bigger rims. :)
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Well, I checked on the OEM tires and the Tire diameter on the SE models is 23.5" (185/65R14's). These are 205/40ZR17's which give a tire diameter of 23.4". If I would have went to a 45 sidewall, the diameter would be 24.2". Therefore, the 40 sidewall would be closer.

If I had a ZTS or similar, yes I would agree with you on a 45 sidewall. :)
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my bad,
I assumed you were going from a 15" wheel where the OE size is 195/60/15 (in that case the diameter 24.2" matches the diameter of that of a 205/45/17 tire. Here is a chart of Focus friendly tire sizes:

175/70-14...23.8"
185/70-14...24.3"
185/65-14...23.5" OE size
195/65-14...24.0"
195/60-14...23.2"
205/60-14...23.7"
215/60-14...24.2"
195/60-15...24.2" OE size
205/55-15...23.9"
205/50-15...23.0"
215/50-15...23.4"
215/55-15...24.3"
225/50-15...24.0"
195/50-16...23.5"
205/45-16...23.4"
205/50-16...24.2" OE size
205/55-16...25.0"
215/45-16...23.7"
205/40-17...23.5"
205/45-17...24.2"
215/40-17...23.9"
215/45-17...24.6" OE size
215/35-18...23.9"
215/40-18...24.6"