Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Wheels & Tires SVT E0's on a 1995 Tour GL -- what size rubber?

OK, I did my search of the archives; still can't find my answer. My 1995 Zetec w/manual came with 185/70 X 14's. I upgraded to 195/65 X 14's. Everything fine so far, rolling radius is almost identical between these two combinations. I have now purchased a set of SVT E0's. The various wheel/tire calculators show that the rolling radius of the 205/50 X 16 more closely approximates the original 185/70 X 14 in total rolling radius than the 205/55 X 16 that I understand to be OEM size with the SVT E0's vehicles.
What am I missing here?

thanks - Bill

You're not missing anything. Mine came with 195/65R14, and I run 185/65R14 on the stock steelies, and I have 16x7 aftermarket rims with 205/55/16s, and they are bigger, but you have to look close to see it. I would imagine that ford just didn't want to sacrifice the ride difference between the 50 and 55 profiles, plus 205/55 is more common, from what I've seen, and it definetly was in '98. The difference in speedo/final drive numbers are probably not that huge.
Anyway, no matter what ford did, you can go with anything you want. Check out the "Summer tire reccommendation" thread, I got a lot of feedback about what to put on my summer wheels this spring, including sizes. I might go 215/50 on my wider wheels, it's about halfway between your current setup and the SVT stock size, and I think a lot of people run them on SVT wheels.

Thanx for the solid advice!! I suspect you are correct about the increased sidewall flex of the 55 aspect ratio vs the 50 aspect ration being on Ford's "mind" when opting for the 55's. I can't help but wonder if my softer springs (reduced spring rate as compared to the SVT) will negate this difference. Besides, that is why there are those (me) that play with air pressure. That was something that I had drilled into me way back when I ran region SCCA Showroom Stock Sedan; one can increase or decrease under/over steer in order to overcome a multitude of "sins'.
I will definately read the article you reference; I am curious what a 215 coss section would do for me. I am pretty set on Yokohama's AVID's as I have run these now on three different vehicles. They offer alot of value for the $$. Thanks again - Bill