What size tire on stock wheels and suspension

[TwiSTFiesta]

I feel I've scoured the forum and can't seem to find an answer.

I'm looking to buy some Yoko Advan Fleva V701's and am struggling to decide what size I should go with. The FiST is on stock suspension and wheels and I'm torn between stock 205/40R17 or 215/40R17.

Any suggestions??

Thanks,
Dustin

 

[Capri to ST]

I have those same tires in the stock 205/40R17 size on stock 17x7 size aftermarket wheels and I have been very happy with the size and with the tires. They have good quick turn in and agile handling, which is my goal for tires. The 215s are also a pound heavier, and it's always good to save as much unsprung weight as possible.
The Ford engineers who designed the car put a lot of thought into every aspect of it including the tires, so I found no reason to deviate from the stock size tires.
Here is a video with one of the engineers who worked on the car discussing the suspension, in the video he says-
The tire is very well matched to the geometry and the torque of the engine.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7YKS9CnpJg

 

[TwiSTFiesta]

I’ll drink to that. Thanks for sharing. Cheers!

 

[isis]

My car came with some crummy all seasons. 500 treadwear on one front and 600 on the other. It spun the tires nonstop through first and second and barked third without even hammering on it. I replaced them with 320 TW ev-spec Kuhmo Ecstas in 215/45 and it rides and drives way better and doesn’t rip the tires loose all the time. It did lose the twitchy steering if you love that; I really didn’t. PA roads are also trash so they’re a bit more durable Now too.

 

[Grsemky]

My car came with some crummy all seasons. 500 treadwear on one front and 600 on the other. It spun the tires nonstop through first and second and barked third without even hammering on it. I replaced them with 320 TW ev-spec Kuhmo Ecstas in 215/45 and it rides and drives way better and doesn’t rip the tires loose all the time. It did lose the twitchy steering if you love that; I really didn’t. PA roads are also trash so they’re a bit more durable Now too.

I can agree, 215/40 is fantastic especially with a 300tw tire but the steering input does feel "slower"

 

[TwiSTFiesta]

I have those same tires in the stock 205/40R17 size on stock 17x7 size aftermarket wheels and I have been very happy with the size and with the tires. They have good quick turn in and agile handling, which is my goal for tires. The 215s are also a pound heavier, and it's always good to save as much unsprung weight as possible.
The Ford engineers who designed the car put a lot of thought into every aspect of it including the tires, so I found no reason to deviate from the stock size tires.
Here is a video with one of the engineers who worked on the car discussing the suspension, in the video he says-
The tire is very well matched to the geometry and the torque of the engine.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7YKS9CnpJg

Well it didn’t take much convincing but I took your input and decided on the 205’s. Having them installed in the next couple weeks and couldn’t be more excited.

My current set up are 1.5 year old Indy 500’s in the front and 5 year old Pilot Sport A/S 3’s in the rear. Was in a pinch and just went with the two Indy’s at the time (Pilot Sport’s were all but non existent then) and now is the time for a complete set.
Cheers!

 

[Capri to ST]

Well it didn’t take much convincing but I took your input and decided on the 205’s. Having them installed in the next couple weeks and couldn’t be more excited.

My current set up are 1.5 year old Indy 500’s in the front and 5 year old Pilot Sport A/S 3’s in the rear. Was in a pinch and just went with the two Indy’s at the time (Pilot Sport’s were all but non existent then) and now is the time for a complete set.
Cheers!

Good luck, let us know how you like them. I suspect you will have quite a noticeable Improvement in handling.

 

[Stubborn Approach]

Folks don’t realize that a wider tire takes longer for the sidewall to move before it can actually grip the surface. The wider tire will deflect more which reduces lateral grip. You made the right choice.

 

[TwiSTFiesta]

Good luck, let us know how you like them. I suspect you will have quite a noticeable Improvement in handling.

Indeed I will and I do anticipate a significant improvement. Just in time for SoCal boost weather and some spirited canyon runs and in the not too distant future I’ll be relocating to South Carolina and plan to take on the dragon 😁.

 

[TwiSTFiesta]

Tires installed a little sooner than planned. Initial thoughts are they’re a lot quieter than what were replaced. Also, I can already tell transition of grip from side to side is going to be a lot better. I’ll wait about 500 miles before I start pushing it. To be fair to the Indy’s, I only had them on the front with some aging PS A/S 3’s on the rear so I can’t exactly compare them to the Yoko’s directly but so far I’m pleased. I’ll share my final thoughts in a few weeks not that anyone is interested.