Hey, A quick update. I put some Assurance Fuel Max 205/50/16s on my 09 Sport stock wheels. So far they are pretty good tires. The ride is smoother than stock at 35psi. I can't comment officially on the mileage as of yet because the cold weather and has been playing havoc on my first couple tanks of gas with them. I do think I might be adding 1 mpg. I'll post when I get some accurate, consistent reports. I know these are more of a Touring tire but I really feel the sway that they give at highway speeds is terrible. Would a wider rim (7") help this? I upped the pressure to 40 psi and the sway seems better but I'm not sure if they feel that safe at 70mph. Anyone else have this issue?

 

do they not feel more stable than the stock tires? i would have guessed since it has a much wider contact patch that it would. perhaps you have too much pressure in your tires causing the tire to bulge in the middle and defeating the wider surface area? is the sway really better when you put in more pressure or was there just less wind when you were driving the second time around?

 

I will take the pressure back to 35 than 33 and check the difference. It really became apparent when i would change lanes at 70mph. It felt like the care would rock back and forth. I am still trying to find out if a wider rim would change this?

 

a wider wheel won't give you a wider contact patch if you're running the same size tires, UNLESS the tires are technically too big to fit on your current wheels in the first place. if they're too wide for wheels, the outside tread may not be making contact w/ the ground. i can't really verify whether or not 205s are too wide for a 6.5" wheel.

 

205's are not too wide on a 6.5" rim. i am running that setup currently on my GE8 with 15" rims. Car feels more stable than the stock 185's on the stock 16" rims, especially on a windy day.

 

A 6.5" rim is fine for a a 205 tire. All Ford Focus' with the 16" wheels had 6.5" rims, and they all ran 205/50/16 from the factory.

 

Brand new tires can be a little squishy for the first few hundred miles too. Maybe see if they get better with a little wear.

 

Just a quick update. I pulled my Blizzaks off and put the Fuel Max back on. Now that they are broken in the ride is much improved. Certainly not a performance tire but the handling is not bad. I am really eager to see what if any mpg improvement I get this spring. Also, so far I have not had any rubbing issues either.

 

runbike, any update on this? do you have any rubbing issues with the wider tire?

 

After some use I do like the Fuel Max. Actually I like them enough that I bought a set for some Mini Cooper wheels 195/60/15's. For some reason the 15" tires seem to handle better (less sway) than the 16"s. As for mpg's I can't really say that I have seen an improvement. Maybe 1 mpg in warm weather.
Also, no rubbing issues at all!

 

Hey RBR I am waiting for a set of 195/60/15 G.Y. Eagle GT all season tires for my GD3. Bought them from Tire Rack 268.00 should have them on by this Friday (crossed fingers) I'm over the factory Dunlopes noisy tires and getting louder they only have 19K on them, time for them 2 go away. The Eagle GT is a good tire in what I have read and with a better tire the Fit AKA MzFiT should be quieter & get a little better MPG too.

 

I think you will like the Gt's. My friend has a set of those on a Matrix and they seem to be great.

 

New Shoes for the MzFiT