Greetings from Detroit

[Kotajarvi]

Hey everyone! Thanks for allowing me into the forum!
About the ride. I've got a 2016 Ford Fiesta ST. Bought it new and it's been my go to ride since. I love it. It's still stock with no upgrades...and haven't had any major issues with it. The clutch module started to die just a few weeks before the warranty expired and was able to get it replaced for free. WOOT!
I just got a new set of wheels and tires for it. Went from the standard 17" wheels with street tires to 16" wheels with a set of all-season snow rated tires. Thus my interest in this group. The new tires are much bigger than the previous ones and there's less than a 1/2" of clearance. They are tight! It was recommended that I install a lift kit on the car to address this. Has anyone done this? Just need a 1/2"-1" lift.
...and of course, I took it in yesterday to the dealership to have them update the SYNC software. The end-result was a blank screen, but they were happy to tell me that they could replace it for $1100. Suggested upgrades?
Thanks everyone! Happy to be back into the forum scene!

 

[SteveS]

What size tire did you get for the snow tires? You should have gotten 205/45R16, which has the same overall dimensions as the OEM 205/40R17. Except perhaps for rallycross or some such, nobody lifts the Fiesta. I doubt there are any lift kits available. Do the tires rub? If not, just use them as-is.

What update were you trying to get for the Sync 3? There's no reason to go to the dealer for the regular updates that came out years ago. You do them yourself. I've never heard of an update bricking the unit. Failed updates generally just end up back where you were before. Getting a blank screen can happen but is recoverable.

A soft reset (press power and seek right buttons together for 10 seconds) might work. If that doesn't work, disconnecting the battery overnight may work. Others may chime in with other ways of resetting it.

If you cannot get it working, you can replace it with a screen from a salvage yard. You can also check out Cyan Labs for upgrades.

 

[Kotajarvi]

What size tire did you get for the snow tires? You should have gotten 205/45R16, which has the same overall dimensions as the OEM 205/40R17. Except perhaps for rallycross or some such, nobody lifts the Fiesta. I doubt there are any lift kits available. Do the tires rub? If not, just use them as-is.

What update were you trying to get for the Sync 3? There's no reason to go to the dealer for the regular updates that came out years ago. You do them yourself. I've never heard of an update bricking the unit. Failed updates generally just end up back where you were before. Getting a blank screen can happen but is recoverable.

A soft reset (press power and seek right buttons together for 10 seconds) might work. If that doesn't work, disconnecting the battery overnight may work. Others may chime in with other ways of resetting it.

If you cannot get it working, you can replace it with a screen from a salvage yard. You can also check out Cyan Labs for upgrades.

This is why I joined this group! Great comments and nothing but helpful! Thank you!
The tires I got are Michelin CrossClimate2 205 /55 R16. The only time I hear a rub is if I hit a bump occassionally (rear wheels hitting the felt liner) or when I reverse out a parking spot with a hard turn (fronts). The wheels look amazing on the car and their snow grip is excellent. I'm hoping to find some way to raise the car though. I would prefer no rubbing.

I agree that the Sync upgrade is doable as a DYI. I actually tried, and it was updating, but after 1.5 hours of doing the update I'd get a message that it failed. It is Sync3, and this should have been an easy install, but wouldn't take. Thus the trip to the dealer. They said it'd be easy, but the result was a blank screen and a broken hula dancer (she had been on my dash since I bought the car. I'm heartbroken). I'm waiting for a response from the dealership on how they plan to ammend the situation, but in the meantime I'm going to try the two things you recommended. Thank you!
Does anyone have an ugrade recommendation?

 

[SteveS]

Yikes on the tire size. That's 1.4" taller than the original tire. There are lift kits available at Amazon for the Ecosport which will fit on a Fiesta or Fusion as well. They go at the top of the spring (spacers) so it's a lot of work to install them. Personally I'd get the correct size tires and sell the slightly used ones at a loss rather than go through the effort of ruining the handling with spacers.

In the correct size 205/45R16 you can get the Vredestein Quatrac all season with 3 Peak Severe Snow rating. Tire Rack said this:

Vredestein Quatrac

(Grand Touring All-Season, 205/55R16 94V XL)

• What We Liked: It does everything everyone else does, but better.
• What We'd Improve: It has some persistent resonance on most surfaces.
• Conclusion: A great tire, that while imperfect, remains one of the better touring options available.

I agree. If you brought a working Sync system to the dealer and they broke it trying to just do a USB update, it's on them to make it right--not at your expense.

When you are doing Sync updates you have to follow ALL the steps in the instructions on Ford's website (in the pdf you download) to a tee. And read carefully because it's easy to skip a step because you're used to copying things to USB drives. Most (all?) of the errors come while you are making the USB drive.

 

[D1JL]

Dave