mjsmithsbcld57 Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 I think this has been covered before, but I will ask it again. Most evryone says that going up one size in sidewall height e.g. 50 to 55 should not create a problem for the suspension geometry. I read hat the tread to upper ball joint clearance is the most critical and then the inner fender lining. I measured the diameter of the OEM tires on there by looking up the specs, measuring them, and checking the specs on the 225/55 R17 tires I want to buy. The 55s are slightly less than .75" larger in diameter (.375" larger all the way around) The wheel opening clearance is larger than 2" around. Has anyone done this one size taller upgrade without issues? I went one side wide and one size taller with my stock 50 focus tires and had no issues previously for a much smoother ride. So I figured one size taller and same width should not be an issue. This might be the last set of tire I put on the car since it already has 100K miles on it. Wear rating on this set is 700AA and MFGR says 70,000 tread life. Input Appreciated. Feedback Welcomed. Experience is priceless. Thank you! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWWPerfA_ZN0W Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 So you are going from a 225/50/17 to a 225/55/17? That's a 3.4% increase in diameter, so without an update to the computer, your speedo and odo will be off by that amount. https://www.tacomaworld.com/tirecalc?tires=225-50r17-225-55r17 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjsmithsbcld57 Posted September 2, 2016 Author Share Posted September 2, 2016 OK, well I bought a set of General Altimax RT43 Tire 225/55R17 97H Tires for my 2010 Fusion Hybrid because it seemed like the 225/50R17s had a harsh ride. Be aware some people complained about the lower speed rated tires (T) I think as having lousy treadwear, where as the H speed rated tires had very good reviews. The OEM Michelins lasted 40K with rotating them every 10K miles. I bought a set of Continentals AWS. very decent tire, low noise only lasted about 57K and they've become pricey. I put the 225/55R17s on because typically one size taller doesn't hurt suspension geometry, and smooths out /improves ride quality.. These Altimax tires are nice, louder on some surfaces(mostly older asphalt and some kinds of concrete) but mostly quiet overall a very comfortable ride and no wheel opening clearance issues. In fact 3/8' diameter taller for aboput 3/4 inch taller all the way around. The ride seems less harsh suspension wise regarding feeling feeling the bumps. I don't think anyone should have any issues going one size taller. It's when you go wider and taller you could run into issues. one size wider you might have some inner fender lining rubbing. On my 2004 Focus ZX5 I went one size taller (no issue) and one size wider. Occasionally if I cranked the wheel really hard making a urn you would get a slight rub on the fender liner. So that's my experience, I pretty much read the one guys suspension geometry reply and decided to try it with nice results. I measured the whel opening clearnace, checked with the manufacturer on circumference between the two tires sizes . There was plenty of room before and there's still plenty of wheel opening clearance. Hopefully this helps others decide if they should go one size up. mjsmithsbcld57 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hermans Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 I had a set of those on my 2010. The tread wear was terrible and they were rotated every 5,000k and had to be replaced at 25k and that was with old man driving. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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