The Ford Focus was introduced in 1998, and fast became one of the most popular compact cars in the United States. Ford has souped up the Focus with the latest ST version. The Focus ST is really a car built for performance, and this can be seen in man of it’s features, all the way down to the tires. The Focus ST comes standard with 235/40/ 18 Goodyear Eagle F1 tires, which focus on handling and performance on the road. While this can enhance the driving experience of the Focus ST during many months of the year, when winter rolls around, you may be left with your tires spinning, literally. The standard Y-rated summer tire is great for traction on the open road, but just can not give the performance you may expect, and need, during the changing seasons of New England. At the request of one of our Facebook fans, I will cover 3 options for all weather tires that will enhance handling and traction in the winter months, and all year around. It is important to note that when comparing tire options, this is a fairly specialized size and performance rating of tire. Therefore, many of the consumer tire reviews that you may find on the internet may not apply specifically to this car. Our experts recommend one of the following options. For more information or pricing, contact one of our tire experts.
1. Continental Extreme Contact DWS 235/40/18 95Y
The Continental Extreme Contact DWS is an all season performance tire. With proper maintenance and inflation, it has an expected tread life of about 50,000 miles. From a design standpoint, this tire is has traction grooves on the outer patter edges (shown on the left in the picture) to increase performance in the snow. The tire also carries a 60 day satisfaction guarantee through the manufacturer, in addition to limited road hazard protection against cuts, snags and road debris. When paired with the Focus ST, this tire maintains the intended performance characteristics of the car, while improving traction in wet and snowy conditions. Because of the specialty nature of this tire, usually a day or two advanced notice is required for order. This tire also qualifies for our Low Price Tire Guarantee and is our #1 pick for the Ford Focus ST!
2. Michelin Pilot Sport AS Plus 235/40/18 91Y
Our second all season recommendation for the Ford Focus ST is the Michelin Pilot Sport AS Plus. Backed by the quality, comfort and reliability of the Michelin Brand, this tire provides exceptional traction on wet roads by channeling moisture away from the center treads through a V – like tread design. This tire is backed by a 45,000 mile tread wear warranty along with Michelin road service and a 30 day satisfaction guarantee (see Michelin for details). This tire comes in at #2 on our list for New England weather. Although it is a strong performing tire on wet and dry roads, we prefer the tread design of the Continental for performance in the snow.
3. Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D 235/40/18 95W
Our #3 choice for the Focus ST is actually our #1 choice for a winter only tire. For drivers that want to maintain some of the performance characteristics, while having two sets of seasonal tires, this is an excellent choice. Like many snow tires, the performance rating on this tire is less than the manufacturers specification, so be sure to research this before making this selection. However for a snow tire, this tire is fairly quiet on the highway as a result of its jointless band design. From a traction and tread standpoint, this tire isn’t quite as aggressive as all the other snow tires on the market, which makes it a nice choice for the performance oriented Focus ST. This tire is typically available seasonally from October through February, depending on demand. Like all of our name brand tires, this is also backed by the low price tire guarantee.
Check out this previous blog post about the Focus ST. For more information on the above tires, please click here for questions or tire quotes.