wheel size

[cliffythefish]

would 17 "wheels be to big or to hard a ride ?

 

[moondustka]

Barry is the best person to answer this. He trimmed the inner wing to allow for clearance. It's not just a case of getting the angle grinder out - he did a proper job!

 

[Dal]

Whether it's too big or too harsh a ride is a matter of personal opinion.

if you get the offset correct then a 17" wheel / tyre combo won't rub at all. It also depends on the profile of the tyres. I don't mean the 40 ratio, but the physical shape. Avon and Toyo have quite a rounded edge to their tyres, where as Bridgestone and Michelin have quite a square corner. This matters as it could be as small a difference as that which means rubbing or not.

You're more likely to get rubbing on a lowered car too. But then 17s on a non lowered car looks a bit weird to me.

 

[red]

Loads of people run 17's on the Puma with no problems at all, as long as you get the offset, width and correct tyre size most people have no issues.

 

[moondustka]

I was assuming lowered suspension as 17" wheels will make it look like a tractor IMO.

 

[tuonokid]

205/40/17s on 17" wheels may be ok on Standard Puma suspension but depending on whether the FRP was lowered over the standard Puma or not 205/45/17s is a no- no without at least bending over the bottom inner wing flange otherwise a heavy bump will see the tyre tread impacting the flange with, possibly, dangerous results. If you are planning to lower a Puma and fit 17" wheels it would be essential to grind back the inner wing and re-weld the spot welds as I have done. As for scrapes and rubs on other parts of the Puma it would indeed be dependant on wheel width, offset/inset, tyre size, shape etc.
Barry



This is the problem Ben pointed out with 205/40/17s at -40mm (the flange under the inner wing is really sharp)



I ground down the bottom flange and then had to drill through it and re-weld some spot welds to put the strength back into it. It may touch from time to time (I haven't heard it yet) but the flange is quite thick now and wouldn't slice the tyre.

 

[slayllian]

Remember seeing a FRP on 18s at Fiesta in the park once, was awesome!