Kumho Ecsta PS32 (215/45R17) Tires Plausible? Experiences?

[NOVA_Ranger]

Recently purchased a stock 2019 Fiesta and new tires are on my list. I plan to stick with the stock 17" wheels and I use the car as a daily commuter with some "spirited driving", so I'd like to at least maintain stock handling/performance. Looking for a tire that performs well, has a decent treadwear rating, and is reasonably priced. I have a second vehicle for bad weather driving, so I'm not concerned with anything beyond driving in the rain. No plans to track the car in the foreseeable future, just a fun commuter that I plan to keep fairly stock (probably do aftermarket engine/trans mounts in the future, if OEM ones start to fail, and that is about it).

Any tire suggestions, based on my needs, are appreciated and I'm curious to hear thoughts on the tires below (slightly larger than OEM tires):
Buy Kumho Ecsta PS31 215/45ZR17 Tires | SimpleTire

Thanks in advance and I'm learning a lot from the forum so far, looks to be a great group.

 

[SteveS]

They have that tire in 215/40ZR17. Then you're only 0.3" taller than stock rather than 1.1"

 

[NOVA_Ranger]

I cringe to ask really basic questions like this, but the posts I've read that cover similar questions seem to quickly stray left/right of the topic...tires on a different vehicle, aftermarket suspension, and stuff like that. I appreciate the response, and any others.

 

[kivnul]

If your suspesion is stock, a 215/45r17 can/will rub the front fender liners at full compression and can also rub the inside metal at steering lock (at least with RE71r's and RT660's). If don't autocross or push things to the limit, you will probably never run into this issue.

 

[vivix]

Those are excellent daily driver summer tires. Theyre grippy, cheap, wear well and wont kill you in the rain. I have them on two cars right now and love them. If I were tracking or autoxing id get something spicier

215/45/17 is pretty tall and might be ok if fully stock as said above

 

[NOVA_Ranger]

So, I'm still looking at tires and I'm leaning towards something with a taller size wall...something with a "rally-ish" look that handles rough country roads a little better than stock. I don't mind a drop in cornering/handling, but I don't want to totally through those things out the window either. My car is my commuter, but I like to have a little fun with it too, no track days or anything at this time though.

I'm looking to stick with the stock 17" wheels for now and I'm thinking that General's G-MAX AS-05 tires fit the bill for my needs. Now I am trying to figure out which size to go with, and what will fit without any rubbing or other issues. My car is totally stock and no plans to modify suspension any time soon.

Potential sizes I'm seeing for this tire are:

Stock 205/40R17s are about 23.5" OAD, correct?

205/50R17, 25.1" OAD
215/50R17, 25.5" OAD (I have my eye on this size, if it will work)
215/55R17, 26.3" OAD (assuming these would be too large)

 

[vivix]

Those are all way too tall. I'd suggest dropping to a 16 and running a 205/50/16. Lots of used Focus wheels out there for cheap. SVT Contour wheels are an option as well

 

[NOVA_Ranger]

Those are all way too tall. I'd suggest dropping to a 16 and running a 205/50/16. Lots of used Focus wheels out there for cheap. SVT Contour wheels are an option as well

I figured that might be the case, and I appreciate the reply. What is the limits on tire size with stock wheels? Been trying to find an answer on that.

 

[Dialcaliper]

From what I can find and have tried, 1” larger than stock is about as large as you can get away with without any rubbing

You can probably swing a 205/45R17 with stock ride height, but above that you may get contact. The 215/45R17 you linked may or may not be an issue with both the extra width and height

One thing I can tell you is that with 195/55R16 snow tires (24.4” diameter, 7.9” section width) and stock tires, I have no rubbing, but I have as little as 3/8” clearance in some places around the fender with the car at rest, so a 25” tire is probably not that practical. Maybe if you jack the car up 0.5” with spring isolators

 

[NOVA_Ranger]

From what I can find and have tried, 1” larger than stock is about as large as you can get away with without any rubbing

You can probably swing a 205/45R17 with stock ride height, but above that you may get contact. The 215/45R17 you linked may or may not be an issue with both the extra width and height

One thing I can tell you is that with 195/55R16 snow tires (24.4” diameter, 7.9” section width) and stock tires, I have no rubbing, but I have as little as 3/8” clearance in some places around the fender with the car at rest, so a 25” tire is probably not that practical. Maybe if you jack the car up 0.5” with spring isolators

I appreciate it and just trying to get a feel for left/right limits, after messing with trucks a 33s, 35s, etc. for ages. A whole different ball game, haha.

 

[M-Sport fan]

Yes, it's a shame that there are not more year 'round, over 200 tread wear, all season or otherwise, 'streetable' offerings in the 215/40-17 size, and any non-track oriented tire in the 215/45-16 size.

I guess that there are just not too many rides in this country which would/could use those sizes for non-track, street use.

 

[Dialcaliper]

Yes, it's a shame that there are not more year 'round, over 200 tread wear, all season or otherwise, 'streetable' offerings in the 215/40-17 size, and any non-track oriented tire in the 215/45-16 size.

I guess that there are just not too many rides in this country which would/could use those sizes for non-track, street use.

That said, unless you’re after no-compromise performance tires or even just the aggressive looks, the real world performance difference in all season or even summer UHP tires between 195/205/215 is not really that significant - mincing 0.2” of tread width there is not really worth the trouble and you’re far better served picking the better tire brand/model in the narrower width.

 

[FiestaSTdude]

I'm looking at new tires an t the moment as well. If you have mudflaps (like me) your options are even more limited. I want more sidewall than 205/40/R17s but I'm probably going to have to settle with 205/45/R16s because I can't find very many UHP all seasons for 15 inch wheels. For tires, I'm thinking BF Goodrich comp 2s, my buddy has them on his WRX and likes them.

This is a very helpful website for roughly judging if a tire will fit: https://tiresize.com/chart/

 

[M-Sport fan]

That said, unless you’re after no-compromise performance tires or even just the aggressive looks, the real world performance difference in all season or even summer UHP tires between 195/205/215 is not really that significant - mincing 0.2” of tread width there is not really worth the trouble and you’re far better served picking the better tire brand/model in the narrower width.

True, except for if the relatively tall 205/50-16 will rub on one's given setup (lowered, mud flaps, etc.), or all local shops refuse to mount ANY 205 section tire (even a 205/45) on an 8" wide wheel.

They would not be able to refuse a 215 section width on an 8" wheel at all.

There are a few more 'daily use' type choices in the factory 205/40-17 size, and they can all be mounted on an 8" wide wheel, but still not many choices even there.

 

[NOVA_Ranger]

Stock vehicle and stock wheels (16"x7", correct?) for the purposes of this discussion. The gist I'm getting so far is basically +/- 1 tire size for a stock vehicle on stock wheels. Does that sound right? I appreciate everybody's input on a topic that I know has been covered, to some extent, in numerous other threads. Thanks for not flaming me and telling me to use the search bar, haha, and I promise you all that I've done that too.

True, except for if the relatively tall 205/50-16 will rub on one's given setup (lowered, mud flaps, etc.), or all local shops refuse to mount ANY 205 section tire (even a 205/45) on an 8" wide wheel.

They would not be able to refuse a 215 section width on an 8" wheel at all.

There are a few more 'daily use' type choices in the factory 205/40-17 size, and they can all be mounted on an 8" wide wheel, but still not many choices even there.

 

[M-Sport fan]

Stock vehicle and stock wheels (16"x7", correct?) for the purposes of this discussion. The gist I'm getting so far is basically +/- 1 tire size for a stock vehicle on stock wheels. Does that sound right? I appreciate everybody's input on a topic that I know has been covered, to some extent, in numerous other threads. Thanks for not flaming me and telling me to use the search bar, haha, and I promise you all that I've done that too.

I am not sure what the exact wheel width is on the base, NON-ST cars, but yes, it is 7" wide or less.

I just cited the 16x8s since that is the most popular 'go-to' wheel for this car (Konig Dekagrams), with the exceptions of a few Enkei RPF1s and Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2s, etc. in 16x7.

NO tire place will ever have a problem with installing a 205 section tire on a 7" wide wheel, but the 8" wides is totally hit or miss (with usually a miss, sadly).

Also, once the overall height of the wheel/tire assembly gets up over ~24.3" tall, the rubbing issue could come into play, depending upon your suspension setup, tire (section AND tread) width used, and how worn/sagging your factory suspension's current condition.

 

[NOVA_Ranger]

This is what I'm tempted to pull the trigger on, when the time comes. Any thoughts?

Again, stock daily driver / commuter (no autocross, track days, etc.) and leaning towards the "rally-ish" look. It sounds like options to do this on stock wheels are limited, at best.

 

[Capri to ST]

This is what I'm tempted to pull the trigger on, when the time comes. Any thoughts?

Again, stock daily driver / commuter (no autocross, track days, etc.) and leaning towards the "rally-ish" look. It sounds like options to do this on stock wheels are limited, at best.

I have generally heard that Sparcos are good wheels, and I like that rally look, but I would not want to get a discontinued model. If I bend or break one, I would want to have a readily available replacement. If I was going to buy a set of those now, I would buy five to have an extra one.
I think that going from a 17-in wheel to a 15-in one adds too much sidewall and compromises the best asset of the car, which is its quick and agile handling. That said, there are a lot of people on here with 15-in wheels who are happy with them.
Those tires strike me as too narrow and too low performance. I realize your car is going to be used as a daily driver/commuter, but I still would want to retain higher performance handling for the times when you can use it. Also, the tread width on that tire is only 5.7", too narrow to mount on a 7" wheel. That number is a more reliable number than section width, which is provided by the manufacturer and is subject to a range of tolerances.

 

[vivix]

Thats the stock non-st fiesta size/ our spare tire size on a 1" wider wheel. Should work just fine for a daily driver setup.

I run a 205/50/15 PS31 on a set of 15x7.5 rotas in the summer and am happy with the 15" life. Feels good man.

 

[M-Sport fan]

I have generally heard that Sparcos are good wheels, and I like that rally look, but I would not want to get a discontinued model. If I bend or break one, I would want to have a readily available replacement. If I was going to buy a set of those now, I would buy five to have an extra one.
I think that going from a 17-in wheel to a 15-in one adds too much sidewall and compromises the best asset of the car, which is its quick and agile handling. That said, there are a lot of people on here with 15-in wheels who are happy with them.
Those tires strike me as too narrow and too low performance. I realize your car is going to be used as a daily driver/commuter, but I still would want to retain higher performance handling for the times when you can use it. Also, the tread width on that tire is only 5.7", too narrow to mount on a 7" wheel. That number is a more reliable number than section width, which is provided by the manufacturer and is subject to a range of tolerances.

^^THIS!!
Especially the bolded parts, and less the negatives of going to a 15" wheel.

You might even have a hard time finding shops to mount a 185 section width tire on a 7" wide wheel (unless Tire Rack has already said that they would do this??).

ANY set of wheels I buy going forward, I will absolutely purchase at least 5 of them, if not 6.