focus has new shoes
so, the past few weekends were dedicated to my car mostly, in preperation for a car show this past sunday (i didn’t place — but that’s okay. i had strong competition).
read on for more boring car-centric details!
the wheels are Team Dynamics Pro Race 1, size 17×7 (45mm offset) in anthracite finish. the tires are Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3, 215/45r17 87W (1201lbs load rated). i purchased the rims used from another focus owner, and the tires new from the Tire Rack for $88 each! (in this service description — the XL load rated tires cost $135).
last weekend we cleaned my paint with a Meguiar’s Clay Bar system — it uses a lump of clay-like material to remove oxidation and embedded contaminants from your paint.
the results are quite astounding. you can literally feel the difference between an area you used the bar on, and one that you did not. of course, my car has had 5 years to build up oxidation and junk, but i plan now to repeat this annually.
after the clay bar, a coat of cleaner wax. i had hoped to then get another coat of carnuba wax over that before the show, but i ran out of time.
the wheels and tires fit quite well and handle nicely too. i’m running, as i said, 215/45r17 size tires, which match the OEM sized tires that Ford ships on the SVT focus. i knew that, since i was running the SVT suspension, this should be a safe tire size. the only real difference is the offset — the stock SVT wheels have a 49mm offset (that is — the measurement from the centerline of the rim, to the inside surface of the rim which mates to the hub). my aftermarket wheels have a 45mm offset. this means that the tire is actually 4 millimeters farther out from the hub, which increases the chance of rubbing on the fender.
i haven’t had any fender issues yet, however. i think the change is so slight that i would only have a problem if i were running with a lower car — if i’d gone with a different suspension that would have dropped the ride height more. from stock ZX3 to SVT suspension is only about 3/4 inch lower (most aftermarket setups start at 1.5 inch drops).