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Pro Race Wheels For Your Fiesta ST !
- Thread starter PCA-1
- Start date
Thread Starter
#542
I can make an argument for each size wheel. Everything depends on what you want, which boils down to appearance and use IMO.
GENERALLY SPEAKING:
Appearance is just that. You have to like what you see, be it wheel diameter, offset, and tire mix. Not speaking to color hear as color is subjective.
-Wheel diameter can singly be a personal visual choice. Like 18" wheels, buy 18" wheels. 18" wheels do not necessarily increase performance unless they are much lighter than stock with the tire & wheel package being lighter than stock as well. For a Fiesta ST, 18" are generally not a typical choice due to the wheels being so large/not very proportional to the car itself and the increase in ride harshness due to the necessary shorter sidewall. Lowering diameter, say going from a 17" wheel to a 15" wheel will soften up ride quality some and numb the steering a pinch. 15" tires typically cost less than 17" counterparts. A softer ride and less expensive tires are the main draws for street use. Smaller diameters also come into play as the closer the wheel rim is to the hub, the closer to the hub the wheel weight is, the easier it is to turn the wheel ("free horsepower"). For autocross guys, this is preferred as transitions in speed are affected, having more power at lower speeds.
-Offset positions the wheel either forward (outward) of the hub or backward (inward) from the hub. The absolute hardest thing in regards to offset is the ability to choose the offset best for your wants/needs. 99% of aftermarket wheels manufactured are available in one offset. You don't have a choice because wheel manufacturers want their wheels to fit the widest range of applications possible, which means offsets are typically an easy fit (safe offset/no rubbing). Favorable offsets range from stanced (offset so low the wheel rim pokes out past the fender requiring any one or combination of fender rolling, fender pulling, and camber adjustments), to flush (just enough offset to place the wheel rim at the fender line (still may require fender pulling, fender rolling, and/or camber adjustments, usually two of the three (fender roll and camber adjustment), to "safe" offsets (no rubbing) generally found in the wild that are generally -5mm from stock. So you will see a 45mm offset aftermarket wheel for a car that comes from the factory with a 50mm offset. 5MM lower than stock shows up visually as a wider track, anything less gradually backs into the wheel well, giving off more of a stock appearance.
-Tires :The #1 biggest mistake made by new wheel buyers is to try and fit the widest possible tire. The problem occurs as once you are wider than .79" from stock, the height of the tire starts showing up with dropped suspensions. Basically the wider you go, the taller you go. Making a mistake here costs money. That aside, tire choices are also dictated by the market. Today's 17"+ wheels are standard issue on the majority of new cars, thus there are more tire choices. 15" and 16" are almost non existent but for older cars that are still popular/in existence. So there is give an take. Go with a smaller diameter wheel, have fewer tire size choices.
I could go on here but have run out of time for now. There is more, say for example type of wheel manufacture, expected quality, finish reliability, etc. After reading this one may be more confused than before. Understandable. But really it is not too difficult once you are familiar with some basic things. I have not proofed this yet so pardon any grammar issues. Will try and get back to this as soon as possible.
GENERALLY SPEAKING:
Appearance is just that. You have to like what you see, be it wheel diameter, offset, and tire mix. Not speaking to color hear as color is subjective.
-Wheel diameter can singly be a personal visual choice. Like 18" wheels, buy 18" wheels. 18" wheels do not necessarily increase performance unless they are much lighter than stock with the tire & wheel package being lighter than stock as well. For a Fiesta ST, 18" are generally not a typical choice due to the wheels being so large/not very proportional to the car itself and the increase in ride harshness due to the necessary shorter sidewall. Lowering diameter, say going from a 17" wheel to a 15" wheel will soften up ride quality some and numb the steering a pinch. 15" tires typically cost less than 17" counterparts. A softer ride and less expensive tires are the main draws for street use. Smaller diameters also come into play as the closer the wheel rim is to the hub, the closer to the hub the wheel weight is, the easier it is to turn the wheel ("free horsepower"). For autocross guys, this is preferred as transitions in speed are affected, having more power at lower speeds.
-Offset positions the wheel either forward (outward) of the hub or backward (inward) from the hub. The absolute hardest thing in regards to offset is the ability to choose the offset best for your wants/needs. 99% of aftermarket wheels manufactured are available in one offset. You don't have a choice because wheel manufacturers want their wheels to fit the widest range of applications possible, which means offsets are typically an easy fit (safe offset/no rubbing). Favorable offsets range from stanced (offset so low the wheel rim pokes out past the fender requiring any one or combination of fender rolling, fender pulling, and camber adjustments), to flush (just enough offset to place the wheel rim at the fender line (still may require fender pulling, fender rolling, and/or camber adjustments, usually two of the three (fender roll and camber adjustment), to "safe" offsets (no rubbing) generally found in the wild that are generally -5mm from stock. So you will see a 45mm offset aftermarket wheel for a car that comes from the factory with a 50mm offset. 5MM lower than stock shows up visually as a wider track, anything less gradually backs into the wheel well, giving off more of a stock appearance.
-Tires :The #1 biggest mistake made by new wheel buyers is to try and fit the widest possible tire. The problem occurs as once you are wider than .79" from stock, the height of the tire starts showing up with dropped suspensions. Basically the wider you go, the taller you go. Making a mistake here costs money. That aside, tire choices are also dictated by the market. Today's 17"+ wheels are standard issue on the majority of new cars, thus there are more tire choices. 15" and 16" are almost non existent but for older cars that are still popular/in existence. So there is give an take. Go with a smaller diameter wheel, have fewer tire size choices.
I could go on here but have run out of time for now. There is more, say for example type of wheel manufacture, expected quality, finish reliability, etc. After reading this one may be more confused than before. Understandable. But really it is not too difficult once you are familiar with some basic things. I have not proofed this yet so pardon any grammar issues. Will try and get back to this as soon as possible.
Last edited:
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(But that is sharp, and different. 
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