CmelChappy Report post Posted October 4, 2009 Am considering swapping my 2010 Fusion 17" wheels and tires for the standard 16." Has anyone done this either way, from 16" to 17" or visa versa. Have seen adds for new foreign cars that offer the standard 16" for the "comfort minded." Want to know how the change in size affects softness of the ride. Should be able to get an even trade as I understand the aluminum 17" wheels are more desireable. I live in a town with the worst streets ever and little hope for improvement. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DaveM Report post Posted October 4, 2009 Am considering swapping my 2010 Fusion 17" wheels and tires for the standard 16." Has anyone done this either way, from 16" to 17" or visa versa. Have seen adds for new foreign cars that offer the standard 16" for the "comfort minded." Want to know how the change in size affects softness of the ride. Should be able to get an even trade as I understand the aluminum 17" wheels are more desireable. I live in a town with the worst streets ever and little hope for improvement.The 15" should have a larger sidewall which should give you more give on the potholes also usually require less air too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rodeo Report post Posted October 4, 2009 The 15" should have a larger sidewall which should give you more give on the potholes also usually require less air too.But the trade off is they will handle "less" then the other tires would have. The higher profile will generally equate to a slight reduction in how well the tires handle. You may not appreciate that if say you are in those potholes only 5% of your time and on the highway 70% of your time and on good streets 25% of your time. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CmelChappy Report post Posted October 4, 2009 But the trade off is they will handle "less" then the other tires would have. The higher profile will generally equate to a slight reduction in how well the tires handle. You may not appreciate that if say you are in those potholes only 5% of your time and on the highway 70% of your time and on good streets 25% of your time.About 50% of my driving is city driving and our streets are littered with manhole covers and other imperfections that cause two or three jolts a block which get to me after a few miles. On the highway, the ride is really great including going around corners and I can live with a few stiff jolts. I had hopes that fatter tires would absorb some of the smaller bumps in town.If I traded for smaller rims, are all late model Focus and Fusion rims interchangeable? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Oman Report post Posted October 4, 2009 My local dealer said they are no longer allowing or supporting changing the wheels out on the new hybrids. People purchase replacement wheels then complain about the mileage. Depending on the combo they are saying there can be a pretty big drop. The wheel is aerodynamically matched to the body. I had inquired about possibly purchasing Winter rubber. They will put snows on the same wheels but they won't put any other wheel on the car. Jon About 50% of my driving is city driving and our streets are littered with manhole covers and other imperfections that cause two or three jolts a block which get to me after a few miles. On the highway, the ride is really great including going around corners and I can live with a few stiff jolts. I had hopes that fatter tires would absorb some of the smaller bumps in town.If I traded for smaller rims, are all late model Focus and Fusion rims interchangeable? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites