Ford Figo / Aspire : Tyre & Wheel Upgrade Thread

[shourya_lahiri]

Originally Posted by espraveen

Hi Shourya!
The 185/65/R14 tyres on my Figo 1.5TDCi are due for a change and I'm planning to go for the 195/60/R14 size like you. It's been a few months since your tyre-change. What's your feedback on the upgrade now?!
Thanks!

Hi there!
What an apt time to ask for feedback.
Right after the upgrade I was having a gala time with my car. The grip levels are far better than the stock 175/65 R14’s. Car doesn’t feel strained, in fact feels better. Steering weight is up slightly, and not as much as you would expect. Only recently I faced interesting issue. On driving on the highway, I felt the steering had suddenly lost feedback, and was incredibly light, much like a hyundai. Directional stability was lost completely. Since I had done a wheel alignment just a few weeks back, I suspected the issue to be the upgraded section tires. Took the car to the service centre to get it checked, and to my amazement the reason came out to be uneven tyre pressures. 39 and 32 psi to be precise. Such a simple issue but a great effect on the EPAS. Anyway learnt a lesson, pump the tires to the current pressures, and the car is back to its glory. So moral of the story is, For accurate steering feedback on the Figo one needs to maintain the tyre pressures as well as wheel alignment Accurately. Coming to the tires in general, the 195 section offers a lot of grip and surefootedness. Braking distance will reduce and the car is excellent in sharp turns. In fact you cannot make high speed turns with just one hand steering imput, it becomes that heavy.
It’s good, I’m happy that I made this upgrade.
Feel free to ask me for any other queries.
Cheers

[RDS]

Originally Posted by shourya_lahiri

Hi there!
What an apt time to ask for feedback.
Right after the upgrade I was having a gala time with my car. The grip levels are far better than the stock 175/65 R14’s. Car doesn’t feel strained, in fact feels better.
Feel free to ask me for any other queries.
Cheers

Thank you, Shourya for this review. I know 185/65 R14 size has been tested by many and is dependable but w.r.t. 195/60, I do have certain apprehensions - although this is what I would like to go with in a few months when I upgrade.

Can you please share your experience of braking on Slippery surfaces (aquaplaning at higher speeds?) and Gravel with wider tires? For me, braking is very important - Dry and wet. Is there a noticeable increase in turning radius?

[shourya_lahiri]

Originally Posted by RDS

Can you please share your experience of braking on Slippery surfaces (aquaplaning at higher speeds?) and Gravel with wider tires? For me, braking is very important - Dry and wet. Is there a noticeable increase in turning radius?

Aquaplaning will be a property of the tyre tread and the tyre design more so than the actual width. As far as I remember the stock mrf had this issue but on these to be true ,i am careful not to reach a situation which will give rise to aquaplaning. But on wet surface, the tyres perform well. On the mrfs i had quite a few wheel lockups but on these i have had none so far.
What sort of apprehensions are you referring to actually?

[RDS]

Originally Posted by shourya_lahiri

Aquaplaning will be a property of the tyre tread and the tyre design more so than the actual width.
What sort of apprehensions are you referring to actually?

Let us say I use Earth 1/BridgeStone B290 - what kind of performance can I expect for 175/65, 185/65, 195/60 sizes? Although I would like to settle for 195/60 but if the overall performance considering braking in wet conditions is better for 185/65, I might settle for that upgrade.
If it is the same tyre, wider tyre should impact braking performance (negatively) in wet conditions. If the tyre is designed keeping in mind wet conditions, I think 195 would be size to go. It seems Bridgestone B290 (size 195/60) might be my choice because of this.

[espraveen]

Took a picture of my Figo's alloy wheel the other day. Wheel dimensions - 14*5.5J (Just for the record )

[RDS]

Originally Posted by espraveen

Hi Shourya!
The 185/65/R14 tyres on my Figo 1.5TDCi are due for a change and I'm planning to go for the 195/60/R14 size like you. It's been a few months since your tyre-change. What's your feedback on the upgrade now?!
Thanks!

Did you eventually go for 195/60 R14? I eventually plan to fit rogerab to increase car gc as that has been tested by quite a few people so that I can take car to Spiti Valley or Leh-Ladakh and I think 195/60 R14 would be a better upgrade for me.

[espraveen]

Originally Posted by RDS

Did you eventually go for 195/60 R14?.....

I am in a bit of a dilemma. 195/60/R14 is not a fast-selling size. Couple of tyre dealers I contacted could not assure me supply of tyres with less than a year old off the shelf. I contacted Michelin customer care who said that tyres off the shelf upto 2 years old should be absolutely fine. The other option 185/65/R14 is available easily. Hence, the dilemma. I'll be going for either of the two sizes in a couple of weeks.

[bhphog]

Looking to up size tires on my Figo, the next gen one.

Basically, Priority is performance oriented tires with least 195 mm width.

I am basically confused between,

1. 195/60 R14 mm tires on 14" company provided alloy.

2. 195/65 R15 mm tires on 14" company provided alloy

And, the pros and cons of using a 15" tire on a 14" wheel.

Thanks for helping out.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by bhphog

........

1. 195/60 R14 mm tires on 14" company provided alloy.

2. 195/65 R15 mm tires on 14" company provided alloy

And, the pros and cons of using a 15" tire on a 14" wheel......

The first may be impractical, some owners have opined the stock 14" alloys aren't wide enough to accommodate 195 section rubber properly.
The second is not doable, can't mix tires & wheels of different radii.

[espraveen]

Originally Posted by bhphog

Looking to up size tires on my Figo, the next gen one.

Basically, Priority is performance oriented tires with least 195 mm width.
1. 195/60 R14 mm tires on 14" company provided alloy......

Fellow member 'shourya_lahiri' has up-sized to 195/60/R14 tyres. His experience has been positive so far(check out his review-post in this thread itself!). Technically speaking, this size would be just about all right on stock wheels(the dealer might scare you with the 'no warranty' jazz though!!). And, this size is not very easily available. Getting tyres less than 1 year old off the shelf would be a challenge!

[shourya_lahiri]

Originally Posted by bhphog

Looking to up size tires on my Figo, the next gen one.

Basically, Priority is performance oriented tires with least 195 mm width.

I am basically confused between,

1. 195/60 R14 mm tires on 14" company provided alloy.

2. 195/65 R15 mm tires on 14" company provided alloy

And, the pros and cons of using a 15" tire on a 14" wheel.

Thanks for helping out.

I have been using the set up (195/60 R14) without any problems.

Originally Posted by espraveen

I am in a bit of a dilemma. 195/60/R14 is not a fast-selling size. Couple of tyre dealers I contacted could not assure me supply of tyres with less than a year old off the shelf. I contacted Michelin customer care who said that tyres off the shelf upto 2 years old should be absolutely fine. The other option 185/65/R14 is available easily. Hence, the dilemma. I'll be going for either of the two sizes in a couple of weeks.

Ya this size is not that easily available. you could try MRF ZLO or like me, I have the Falken ones.

Originally Posted by RDS

Let us say I use Earth 1/BridgeStone B290 - what kind of performance can I expect for 175/65, 185/65, 195/60 sizes? Although I would like to settle for 195/60 but if the overall performance considering braking in wet conditions is better for 185/65, I might settle for that upgrade.
If it is the same tyre, wider tyre should impact braking performance (negatively) in wet conditions. If the tyre is designed keeping in mind wet conditions, I think 195 would be size to go. It seems Bridgestone B290 (size 195/60) might be my choice because of this.

I am not sure if I am in a position to compare the tyres brandwise. All I can say for sure is that I have been using the 195/60 R14 for quite some time now, on varied terrains, and the result are commendable. I have had quite a few close calls on highways and city roads alike. By God's grace have been able to steer clear with panic braking ( my car doesnt have ABS). I am pretty sure I would have landed in big trouble with my stock tyres. Regarding handling, if u maintain correct pressure, its perfectly grippy. In short the size fits like a glove. quality of rubber, like I said, I would not be the right person to comment

[jayakumarkp]

Hi,
Did anyone change their spare tyre as well to match the upgraded tyre size?
My dilemma is as below.
Upgraded my four running tyres to 195/55/R15. My spare tyre is still stock size - 175/65/R14. The overall diameter difference is coming to less than 3%. Ie - 11mm or 0.44inch.
In case of an emergency, is it advisable to run the spare along with other three? What is the implication of running in this setup? How long can i run this and upto what speeds?

[jayakumarkp]

Originally Posted by bhphog

Looking to up size tires on my Figo, the next gen one.

Basically, Priority is performance oriented tires with least 195 mm width.

I am basically confused between,

1. 195/60 R14 mm tires on 14" company provided alloy.

2. 195/65 R15 mm tires on 14" company provided alloy

And, the pros and cons of using a 15" tire on a 14" wheel.

Thanks for helping out.

Hi, The second option would be 195/55/R15 i believe. This is the size Figo Sports comes in as well as the car itself has a sticker quoting this size for tyre pressures. I have myself upgraded to this size along with change of alloys to R15. Works like a charm.
About your question, why would you want to run a 15inch tyre on 14inch rim? Not advisable.

[RDS]

Guys,

I'm buying another Ford Aspire (DCT this time) for my parents - getting a good used one that fits my budget and is on any day better than new Dzire Automatic in my opinion. Will take delivery day after tomorrow.
Can someone please suggest what should be a good tyre upgrade for DCT? If I simply change the stock tyres to better rubber, will that suffice or is a 185/65 R14 upgrade recommended?

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by RDS

I'm buying another Ford Aspire (DCT this time) for my parents - getting a good used one that fits my budget and is on any day better than new Dzire Automatic in my opinion. Will take delivery day after tomorrow.
Can someone please suggest what should be a good tyre upgrade for DCT? If I simply change the stock tyres to better rubber, will that suffice or is a 185/65 R14 upgrade recommended?

Congratulations on the second car. If it's for your parents, just stick to the stock size, but improve the rubber. Parents might not appreciate any increase in steering heaviness (I presume the DCT is to make their driving easier). Likewise, practically, it'll make things easier to live with (marginally lighter tyre if handling a puncture, no hassles during service/warranty/resale, etc.

If you do wish for an upsize, go up to 185 at the most, given its the petrol engine. But unless its a car guy driving it (who cars about how the tyres look on the car), this is probably not required.