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14" Wheels-mess Up Tranny Speed Sensor?
#1
Hi,

Think I found some 14" wheels to fit my normally 15" wheeled outfitted 2001 Ford Focus Wagon. It has 195/60-15's on it now, but I got 4 super cheap 14" studded tires for the winter , so tracked down a set of rims from an old Tempo which seem to fit.
Before I bought them, I called the dealer and asked them some questions about wheels and they said I had to stay within 3% of the original tire/wheel size due to a possiblity of a tranny speed sensor problem?!
Anyways.......does anyone know anything about this sensor?

Fitting the 14's for the winter to the car will reduce the size by about 4%........do I risk anything?
How in heck with the tranny sensor know I have 14's anyways?
Can I disable that feature if there is a problem?

I pay for the wheels tomorrow (if I get them)

Help! (please)

Many thanks,

Mike in NB

--------------------
2001 Ford Focus SE

Mike nr Fredericton, NB
2001 Ford Focus SE Wagon
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#2
The only thing that can get fvcked up if you mess around with tire sizing is the speedometer... it might read higher or lower than your actual speed depending on the size of the wheel you're running.
2000 Black ZX3
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#3
no - alot of foci come with 14" - you should be fine - not like your running races in the winter anyways - haha :rolleyes:
focus gone - 2005 mazda 6 sport gt wagon - lovin it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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#4
Its not so much the size of the wheel that could cause you problems. It will be the size of the tire. You want to try and keep the overall tire diameter as close to stock as possible to avoid any misreading of the speedo or mileage.
I bought a red car, because everyone knows red is the fastest.
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#5
Hey Guys, thanks ! :) I couldn't imagine for the life of me, how a tranny speed sensor could get out of whack (that;s a technical term :P ) because my tires' were 14's and thus 4% smaller.

Just found some cheap rims, and amazing tires that were almost given to me, so couldn't pass up the deal.

Great that you have put my mind at ease!

Cheers,

Mike
Mike nr Fredericton, NB
2001 Ford Focus SE Wagon
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#6
Yup, Raine is right, its the outside diameter which is the most important to be the same, regardless of the tire size. As long as the outer diameter is the same circomfrence as the other tires, the speedo will work correctly.
My other ride is your Mom
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#7
Here yah go the almighty god tool when it comes to keeping your speedo the same


http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
2005 Liquid Grey ZX3 RIP
http://members.cardomain.com/phantom66
Mods so far : Mazda 3 Wiper Arm, Shorty Antenna, Alpine CDA-9887 HU, 17" Enkei Evo6 Hyper Black Nexen N3000 215/45/17
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#8
there is only one way that you could mess up your transmission is by using mismatched tires on the car. if your driver's side tire is a 195-60/15 and the other is a 205-55/15, and you drive it for a long period of time then you will mess something up. thats why on you temporary spare, it says not for long term use.
'03 Focus SVT
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#9
Here is a focus friendly tire size chart:

tire chart

185/65-14 would be the OE spec for a 14" wheel
vintage 2000 malibu blue ZX3 ***SOLD***
2013 performance blue ST

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#10
185/70/14 should give you no problems. This is what I'm using for winter.
2006 Corolla - 1.8 DOHC 16V VVTi
2000 Focus SE Sport - 2.0 DOHC 16V Zetec - SOLD
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http://ca.geocities.com/tdsports@rogers.com/home.htm
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