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I'm thinking about running the 15's for AutoX with the Bridgestone RE71 225/50/15's wrapped around them. I don't want to wear out my 16" tires that I'll be driving daily. Do you think I'll have problem with this? I mean the stock 7-spoke aluminum 15's are lighter than the Bobert Type B 16's I have. The only thing is they're smaller... When I go 17's, I can use the 16's as a dedicated set of AutoX wheel with dedicated set of tires on them. But right now, I want to use the stock 15's for this purpose. Any objection?
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I'm of a mind that any practice is better than no practice... 
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I am also gonna run the 15"s for auto-X. Probably a 195/50/15 SO3...only $79 a tire...
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15's are GREAT! I wish I could run them in GS! As long as you can find tires to fit the 15's stick with them. If they are 15x6's you won't need to change wheels ever. You can eventually put 225 Hoosiers on them. Smaller wheels are always better for acceleration. Not only do they reduce your gearing they have less rotational weight so you have more power. Here's some 225 Hoosiers on my friends Focus with 15x6's: Focal Jet
2004 Focus PZEV 2.3L - KW sport suspension, SP camber plates, Eibach front swaybar, FS intake, FS Stealth exhaust, 3.82 Final, Torsen ATB, Prothane MM insert, E1 CSVT wheels
1/4 mile - 15.201@89.4mph
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here are my potenzas. 205/60/15. they are the RE950's. didnt get a chance to autocross since my aussie bar blasted my brackets but they do handle pretty good. what do the RE71's look like? are those directional? i couldnt seem to find them on tirerack.com. 
the 3.0L
oval port 3.0L '98 midnight blue se
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Originally posted by Qbert:
Smaller wheels are always better for acceleration.
May be better acceleration wise, but you ARE making a sacrifice in turning ability...
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Not with race tires or any other good performance street tire. The sidewalls are so stiff on those tires that they make up for it. Plus having more sidewall is good, to a limit, for autoxing. Basically it allows you to have the ability to adjust tire pressures to match what is going on with the car. The shorter the sidewall the less the tire pressure actually makes a difference. It is almost always true to run the smallest wheel you have at your disposal that will fit.
Another advantage to 15's is cheaper tires.
2004 Focus PZEV 2.3L - KW sport suspension, SP camber plates, Eibach front swaybar, FS intake, FS Stealth exhaust, 3.82 Final, Torsen ATB, Prothane MM insert, E1 CSVT wheels
1/4 mile - 15.201@89.4mph
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The best rim size is the smallest that fits over the brake rotors. I'd stick with 15" rims even when you get 17" later. Sell the 16's as you say they are heavier. If you have tires already for the 15" rims, great. If not or when it comes time to replace, Falkin Azenis Sport is what you want if you want to stay in street tire class. They are cheap and great for dry grip.
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Yeah, the 16's about a pound or so heavier, but it's also 1" wider... It's 16x7.5" instead of 15x6.5". When I can afford 17's for street use, I'll most likely use the 16's for AutoX and winter, and the 15's for dragstrip and spare.
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Originally posted by AirKnight:
Yeah, the 16's about a pound or so heavier, but it's also 1" wider... It's 16x7.5" instead of 15x6.5". When I can afford 17's for street use, I'll most likely use the 16's for AutoX and winter, and the 15's for dragstrip and spare.
I'm telling you, forget the 16's! Use the 15's to autox, talk to any experienced autoxer and they'll tell you the same thing. If the wheel fits over the brakes and is wide enough to get the tire you want on it, don't go bigger! I'm not against having 17's on the street, but I race with the smallest, lightest wheels I can.
Rim diameter has nothing to do with how the car handles, remember tires do the handling. So there is never a need to take performance away by having larger wheels.
2004 Focus PZEV 2.3L - KW sport suspension, SP camber plates, Eibach front swaybar, FS intake, FS Stealth exhaust, 3.82 Final, Torsen ATB, Prothane MM insert, E1 CSVT wheels
1/4 mile - 15.201@89.4mph
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