[blackbandit]

To anyone opting to upsize their tyres a word of caution from my frustrating experience. Anything above 15 inches is going to be a nightmare for the Figo. I made the mistake of getting 16 inch wheels with 205/50 tyres. Even though I had a remapped car it no longer drove the way it should. Further there will be a lot of fouling with the outer fender lines as well. I first had the momo massimo in 16 inches and due to these being low offset wheels they were a nightmare. The tyres would rub in every single undulation. I was running spring buffers for a short period to avoid the rubbing. But this In turn changed the handling characteristics of the car. I then moved to ecosport alloy wheels. This solved the rubs to some extent but it would still rub in sharp undulations if the car was loaded. To add to all this misery I lowered the car and it just got worse. The ride quality was worst. I finally decided to leave everything behind and move to 15 inch in 195/55. Purchased the freestyle alloys and got them fitted. The car now handles and drives like a dream. The excess weight of the 16 inch wheels are also not something the car can handle well. Few people suggested me to lower the tyre profile to 45 to solve the rubbing issues. But beware there are no good tyres in this profile. We get tyres in the likes of ling long and other Chinese brands. Further after downsizing I really feel a major difference in the way the car drives and handles overall. I would not like anyone to go through these frustrations and further I have lost money in this process as well. Hope it helps people.

[DeadCenter]

This post might help those wondering how far they can go with their upsize without any impact on daily driving characteristics. I am running a configuration different from what I've seen posted in this thread.

My 2015 Figo TDCi was running 195/60r15 on Goodyear Eagles and a sweet set of Anthracite Momos. Swapped out my OEM tyres and wheels during week one of my ownership. I have been running the same configuration since then. I never really had to claim warranty all these years so don't know if that would be an issue. I've always serviced at Ford ASS's where they did refuse to do the alignment / balancing because the wheels were non OEM but no issues with the rest of the service (free or paid). The FASS person said 15" is a size used in Figos so they were not too worried about it. That was good enough for me and didn't ask for anything in writing.

I did claim insurance once as well, but was not wheel or suspension related, but didn't face any claim issues due to the upsize. No trouble with the traffic police in Bangalore as well since they don't really notice these things. I was stopped once cause they thought they saw tint on my car but I don't have any and they let me go. So wheels are not on their radar here.
This configuration was always going to be for highway driving mostly so I was okay with trying to achieve the largest possible contact patch. The only time this tyre rubs the inside of the wheel well is when I do a fast U-turn at full lock with a heavy person in the front passenger seat. Remove one of these 3 variables and there is no rubbing. So no rubbing during a slow U-turn at full lock with a heavy person. I was satisfied with this tradeoff since is mostly a highway machine with just 5% city use. Also once the tyres are past 50% of their life, the rubbing stops completely.

Pros of this setup,
- Roughly 10mm higher ground clearance, less chance of damaging the wheels.
- Clearly better braking.
- Car is very stable at highway speeds including high speed curves. Feels like it's on rails.
- Car sits at a lower rpm at highway speeds.
- Speedo now shows close to true speed (verified with Ulysees).
- Very good wet weather performance at highway speeds.

Apart from the rubbing the only con would be the theoretical drop in acceleration but I don't really feel this since the engine torque is really good.

Effect on engine and drivetrain? I've been running this setup for close to 80k kms now. No issues faced sofar and I drive it hard. I'm due for shock replacements soon but that's as per schedule.

Switched to JKs UX1's a year ago. Had no choice since I was stranded in the middle of no where after running over a large bolt on the highway at speed which damaged two of my tyres. Thankfully the Eagles were runflats so I was able to limp on idle to a JK tyre shop 2kms down the road and change the entire set, same size. My highway speeds have dropped since then. Not because of the bolt but these tyres inspire no confidence. I do miss the super stiff sidewalls of the Eagles but I wouldn't buy them again. I found they lose a bit of braking performance once they're halfway past their life.

[bking]

Hello Guys,

I am in a big dilemma right now and would require your expert advice to move further ahead. Let me explain my problem statement and then pose 2 viable solutions. I would like to know the pros and cons of both.

I drive a 2018 Ford Figo TDCI Titanium and I changed its rims on the day of delivery itself. For close to a year and a half, I was running on MOMO Revenge Concave with Conti MC5 195/55. Whilst on this set, I had to change 2 tyres due to sidewall cuts and the rim width of 7.5J ensured somewhat bad ride quality but superb handling and high-speed stability. I didn't have a great experience with the rims as 2 of them got bent as well at medium speed impacts on pot holes.

When I was finally tired of driving a car that could never be properly balanced, I decided to change my rims in 2019 and changed to HRS rims of 6.5J width. The steering vibrations never went away even after various rounds of alignment balancing through multiple shops. I even bought a set of hub rings from the UK but they made no difference at all. The car also lost 3 tyres to sidewall cuts, one at highway speeds (pothole), one at city speeds (no pothole, no idea how the sidewall got cut), one due to low air pressure. The rims also didn't last great and now I stand with 2 bents rims again. My tyres are also not in great shape and I am again looking at changing all 4 tyres and rims.

I find it very hard to believe that just potholes can do so much damage to these expensive rims that I know feel like I have wasted my hard-earned money on.


Now I want to understand what should be my next course of action, I would like to stay in the 15-inch category and not move above or below. The options that I see are as below:

1. I migrate to 15-inch steel rims, they cost much cheaper (4k for a set of 4 as compared to 25-35k)

2. I migrate to 15-inch freestyle alloys, they are available at Ford for 23k + fitting (which is going to be exorbitant I believe)


What I am looking for:

1. A steering vibration(wobble) free drive above 80kmph (Have sorely missed this since my first set of revenge got bent, could never come back from it)

2. On par performance/grip levels, I believe that tyres are the most important component of one's car and I want my braking power and grip to be top notch.

3. High-speed stability and excellent highway manners, I like to do a lot of cross country road trips.

3. To not waste money, I've already spent 1.25L+ on these tyres and a new set of alloys plus tyres will cost me another 50k.


Advice on tyres:

- Should I stick to Conti MC5 195/55 R15 even when I've lost 6+ tyres to just sidewall cuts? The only reason I've been going back is that they offer superior grip levels and my dealer has been able to get me a goodwill warranty on 4 out of those 6 cut pieces and I've gotten replacements at 50% price. (Bear in mind that most tyres well driven less than 15k when they got cut and had 60-70% tread)

This also means that in the past 65k km, I've never really changed the entire set of 4 tyres which probably means uneven tread levels (does that cause vibrations?).

- Should I retain the tyre size or should I switch to a higher profile?
185/60 R15 or 195/60 R15 or 195/60 R14?
I am really confused. I was keen on low profile tyres when I bought the car but now it is majorly used for my office commute and outstation trips and I most drive sedately with some spirited rides that occur maybe once or twice in a couple of months.

- Soft compound or hard compound? Should I opt for Michelin/Conti/Yoko considering the experience that I have had with soft compound tyres or should I switch to Goodyear/Apollo/MRF/Ceat etc. that also offer unconditional warranties.


To bring things in perspective for one last time, in terms of money:

1. A set of soft compound tyres, 195/55 R15 / 195/60 R15 + 15-inch alloys from Ford (Freestyle ones) will cost me approximately 50k.

2. A set of soft compound tyres, 195/55 R15 / 195/60 R15 + 15-inch steel rims from Ford (Freestyle ones) will cost me approximately 30k.

3. A set of hard compound tyres, 185/60 R15 / 195/60 R15 + 15-inch steel rims from Ford (Freestyle ones) will cost me approximately 25k.


The car is going to stay with me for another 2 years and is going to see a running of anywhere from 30k to 40k km in that time frame.

Please advise, I just want to feel the same way I felt when I used to drive this car before my first set of alloys got bent. Vibration-free, planted at all sorts of speeds and extremely stable.

Thank you for taking your time to read this.

[jayakumarkp]

Hi bking,
Really feeling bad for you.

The fact is that 195/55s are really damage prone on the figo.
I have moved on myself to 195/60s, though i feel much comfier and at peace(v less fear of alloy bents ), I do feel a lot more body roll during relatively fast corners.

Since you sound like you do not want to compromise on the handling part, only way out is to continue with 195/55s and for the vibrations issue, get your front suspension inspected for damage/alignment by a competent workshop. ( i say this because, my alignment was solved by a competent guy after several others had failed to diagnose the problem. )
Typically, the vibrations are caused due to balancing, so not sure why excessive vibrations in your case even though it was fresh tyres/alloys. ( May be it was not balanced properly? )

Eitherways, the writing on the board is - If you have 195/55s you tread carefully on bad roads.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by blackbandit

Purchased the freestyle alloys and got them fitted. The car now handles and drives like a dream. Further after downsizing I really feel a major difference in the way the car drives and handles overall.

Originally Posted by bking

The car is going to stay with me for another 2 years and is going to see a running of anywhere from 30k to 40k km in that time frame.

If you look at the above post from blackbandit, he clearly says Freestyle alloys and 195/55 is the best combo.

I too owned a Figo TDCI which ran for 50k kms before i sold it. It was running on 195/55 Conti MC5's and Momo alloys right from Day1. It has run the full duration of the 50k kms without a single sidewall cut or any untoward incident with regards to bent alloys. It is not that it has not seen its fair share of pot holes and yes whenever it hit a pothole i would be worried about a bent wheel or tyre issues. But luckily there were no issues at all.

I have never had steering wobble issues or vibrations etc. Maybe because I have never got it computer aligned but went with an old school manual alignment store near my house who came highly recommended from an acquaintance near my place. I got Figo S springs installed on my normal Figo and even post that there were no wobble or vibrations in my car.

If you feel it is worthwhile to spend around 40-50k for the next 40k kms that you will run the car then I guess the Freestyle and 195/55 combo will be the best bet in terms of handling and braking performance. Make sure the alignment and balancing is done well and also if you are going for Freestyle alloys, better to get a fresh set of 4 tyres at least and run them for the rest of the time you will hold onto the car to rule out uneven tyre tread issues.

Originally Posted by jayakumarkp

The fact is that 195/55s are really damage prone on the figo.

It is not really a problem with the profile as the Figo S variant comes with this size and I dont think we have heard about failures of the tyres in this size.

Originally Posted by jayakumarkp

Eitherways, the writing on the board is - If you have 195/55s you tread carefully on bad roads.

This I totally agree. The more careful you are on bad roads the better it is for the tyre and alloy wheels.

[DeadCenter]

Originally Posted by bking

Hello Guys,

I am in a big dilemma right now and would require your expert advice to move further ahead. Let me explain my problem statement and then pose 2 viable solutions. I would like to know the pros and cons

Hi bking, I feel your pain, damaging the sidewalls on a pothole feels terrible when it happens. I do a lot of cross country driving as well (not so much since the lockdowns began) and upto 1200kms per day occasionally.

The reality is that you can be careful at all times and still miss your timing one pothole somewhere and the journey is paused with having to do a tyre change. On my 15" Momos I have been running 195/60s from day one and for 6 years now. A taller sidewall will definitely protect you from that surprise pothole. I also used Goodyear Eagles which were runflats and had super stiff sidewalls for additional protection.

Most importantly, I always brake hard right up to the surprise pothole and then let go of the brakes just before I hit it. This takes a tremendous amount of load off the tyre and wheel and reduces the possibility of the sidewall getting pinched between the wheel and the pothole.

I honestly never had the confidence to go with a 55 profile knowing how I would use the car. By the way, the 60 profile is not a godsend either. It can occasionally scrub against the insides of the wheel well when the car has a full load of passengers. Especially while taking sharp U turns.

You may lose the low profile look a bit with the 60 profile but the wheel wells fill out nicely and looks good in my opinion.

[punith]

Hey BHPians, needed some latest advice on new tyres. The car in this picture is the Ford Aspire Titanium. Currently it has the OEM ceat tyres, they did do well for about 40k kms. One of the tyre has a lot of punctures and others are pretty bald. Time to change all 4 now.
The size of Tyre for this car is 195/55/R15. Now, for this size the options are pretty limited. I am writing this post for my brother. He lives in a place called Raichur in North Karnataka. The commute includes 50% in rocky, pothole ridden roads and other 50 in good higways and city conditions.

The options we have are
* Continental contimax mc5
* Michellin Xm+
* Yoko S drive
If there are any betetr options that would also help

The requirement is that it should have good of both worlds, a little bit of grip and cornerring ability and also durability. Please suggest.
Thanks in advance

[shourya_lahiri]

Originally Posted by @dr_figo

Hello guys, finally took the plunge. Upsized my figo's wheels. Went for Yokohama s drive 195 55 R15. Earlier last month has managed to procure a set of freestyle alloys for a steal. So far so good. Was expecting ride to be a lot more stiffer but it's not the case. Very happy with the upgrade.

Hi dr_figo. The tyres look fantastic on your car. Just for an update wanted to know how things have been with the car till now. I have a very strange set up of OEM alloys and 195/60 R14 Yokohama S. drives. Lately I am a bit confused about the handling.

[shourya_lahiri]

Originally Posted by bhphog

Suggest you go for Yokohama Earth-1 185/65/R14 tyres. I recently got them installed after using Yokohama S-drives 195/60/R14.

S-drives were for 24k, Earth-1's for 18k. I wanted to go for a harder compound only because of frequent punctures and a tyre life of 40k kms.

Earth-1 has good enough grip, better than the rest and are resistant enough to small punctures.

Hi bhphog, I am currently running the same set up of 195/60 R14 Yokohama S drives. Since you have had an experience with these, what is your review and the reason why you changed them. Initially I was having a lot of fun with them but now after around 20k with the tyres, I feel the ride and steering is becoming a bit unsettling over bad roads. Would like to hear your observations.

[bhphog]

Originally Posted by shourya_lahiri

Hi bhphog, I am currently running the same set up of 195/60 R14 Yokohama S drives. Since you have had an experience with these, what is your review and the reason why you changed them. Initially I was having a lot of fun with them but now after around 20k with the tyres, I feel the ride and steering is becoming a bit unsettling over bad roads. Would like to hear your observations.

Hi Buddy,

I love these tyres. I loved the grip, how versatile they were and one could actually be on the limit of their car's handling with them.

Obviously a few issues such as tyre pressures have to be maintained at all points of time otherwise the ride is unsettling.

See, these are actually very soft tyres and hence your experience over bad roads. Can't tell you how many times I have been given a disgusted look because I used to drive extremely slow over bad roads to save the rubber and extract max performance on the tarmac.

I switched cause I wanted to upsize my alloys and tyres but couldn't find any to my liking when s-drives where due for a change. To be specific, I was looking for 4 nut Lenso wheels in a very specific shade. I found them just a few months back and they are in transit as we speak! Ordered the S-drives in the same setup already!!

Thanks.

[shourya_lahiri]

Originally Posted by bhphog

Hi Buddy,

I love these tyres. I loved the grip, how versatile they were and one could actually be on the limit of their car's handling with them.

Obviously a few issues such as tyre pressures have to be maintained at all points of time otherwise the ride is unsettling.

See, these are actually very soft tyres and hence your experience over bad roads. Can't tell you how many times I have been given a disgusted look because I used to drive extremely slow over bad roads to save the rubber and extract max performance on the tarmac.

I switched cause I wanted to upsize my alloys and tyres but couldn't find any to my liking when s-drives where due for a change. To be specific, I was looking for 4 nut Lenso wheels in a very specific shade. I found them just a few months back and they are in transit as we speak! Ordered the S-drives in the same setup already!!

Thanks.

Thanks for your response. So you are saying, since the tyres are soft compound, hence the unsettling over bad roads? Should’nt it be the opposite?
And just to be clear , are you ordering the same size ie 195/60 r14 s drives?
Can you post a pic of how your car looked in the 195/60 r14 shoes?
Phew!! Too many questions

[blackbandit]

Having gone through the conversations in this thread thought I'd post a photo of my car running 195/55/R15 Yokohama S-Drive and freestyle alloys. Absolutely love this setup. Doesn't break a sweat in most of the corners and car remains composed. However the ride quality in rough roads is just average or maybe even below average. But I can live with it and not give up on the handling

[shourya_lahiri]

Originally Posted by blackbandit

Having gone through the conversations in this thread thought I'd post a photo of my car running 195/55/R15 Yokohama S-Drive and freestyle alloys. Absolutely love this setup. Doesn't break a sweat in most of the corners and car remains composed. However the ride quality in rough roads is just average or maybe even below average. But I can live with it and not give up on the handling

Attachment 2192032

Your car actually looks more low slung now and the wheel wells do fill up well.

[blackbandit]

Originally Posted by shourya_lahiri

Your car actually looks more low slung now and the wheel wells do fill up well.

Yes. Its running Eibach springs as well.

[shourya_lahiri]

Originally Posted by blackbandit

Yes. Its running Eibach springs as well.

Sounds interesting! Pls elaborate on the suspension tweaks you have gone with