What Wheels and Tires Best Fit A Ford Focus ST?
September 8, 2026
Fitment Guides
Ford Focus ST wheel and tire setups, six real builds
Quick answer
Most 2013-2018 Ford Focus ST owners land on an 18-inch wheel, and the setup that bolts on with no fender work and no suspension change is 18x8.5 +40mm on a 235/40R18. Factory on every ST is 18x8 +55mm on a 235/40R18, so that upgrade buys a half inch of width and pulls the face 15mm further out, which takes the wheel from tucked to nearly flush. Offset is how far the wheel sits in or out relative to its true center, and a lower positive number pushes the face toward the fender. Widths up to 18x9.5 work on lowering springs or coilovers, though whether your fender needs rolling depends on your ride height and camber. Anything at +22mm or lower needs air or coilovers plus negative camber up front, and usually a narrower tire than the wheel would normally take.
The MK3 Focus ST has more room under the arches than most hot hatches, which is why the same car turns up in our gallery tucked on factory wheels and slammed on 18x9.5s. Below are the setups we see most on 2013-2018 STs, what each one actually costs you in fender work, and the one tire decision that separates a build that drives well from a build that only photographs well. For bolt pattern, hub bore, lug hardware and backspacing numbers, our Focus ST and RS fitment guide is the page you want.
- What your ST came with
- The stretch trap
- Stock suspension
- Lowered and flush
- Bagged and aggressive
- 19-inch setups
- 17s for winter and track
- Every setup at a glance
- FAQ
What your Ford Focus ST came with
Every 2013-2018 Focus ST left the factory on the same wheel, so you are always measuring your upgrade against one number. Knowing that baseline is what makes the rest of this page readable: when a build below runs +35mm, that is 20mm further out than where your wheel sits right now.
| Spec | Factory ST | What it means for shopping |
|---|---|---|
| Wheel | 18x8 +55mm | Conservative and tucked, so almost any aftermarket offset moves you outward |
| Tire | 235/40R18 | Still the safest tire on the car, and it fits everything up to an 18x9 |
| Bolt pattern | 5x108 | Smaller catalog than 5x114.3, so filter by bolt pattern before you fall for a finish |
| Practical diameters | 17 to 19 inches | 17s clear the ST's brakes, 19s bolt on with no trimming, and we would not spec a 20 |
Two pieces of hardware that do not appear in any wheel listing catch Focus owners out every time, and both are covered in the ST and RS fitment guide. Read that before you check out. Every wheel and tire package we ship already arrives with lug nuts and TPMS matched to the wheels, so that part is handled for you.
Read this before you copy a photo
In most aggressive Focus ST photos, the tire is doing the work
Three of the most-copied Focus ST setups in our gallery run a 215-width tire on an 18x9.5 or an 18x10. That is stretch, which means the tire is narrower than the wheel it is mounted on, so the sidewall pulls inward toward the barrel instead of bulging out past it. A 215-width tire is approved for a rim somewhere around 7.0 to 8.5 inches wide on most tire data sheets. Mount it on a 9.5 and the top of the sidewall tucks under the arch at ride height, which is exactly why those cars clear an offset that a correctly sized 245 never would.
Be straight with yourself about what you are buying. Stretch trades away grip and sidewall protection to get the look, and your ST steers and drives through the front tires only. If the car sees an autocross or a good road, buy the offset that fits a proper tire instead of a narrow tire that fits an aggressive wheel. If the car is built for shows, plenty of people here make that trade on purpose and the results are in the gallery. Worth reading our take on whether stretched tires are safe, then checking the approved rim width on the data sheet for the exact tire you are ordering, because the range moves by model.
Stock suspension, nothing rolled: 18x8.5 +40mm
Start here if this is your first set. A half inch of extra width and 15mm less offset than factory reads as nearly flush from the outside, and you can bolt it on in an afternoon over completely stock suspension. Nothing rubs, nothing needs rolling, and you keep the 40-series sidewall that makes the ST tolerable on bad pavement.
18x8.5 +40mm to +45mm
The widest useful setup that asks nothing of your suspension. Anywhere in this offset band sits flush enough to close the factory gap without putting the tire near the liner.
- Tire: 235/40R18, or a 245/40R18 if you want more meat under the arch
- Suspension: works on stock, better on lowering springs
- Wheels we stock in this spec: fifteen52 Tarmac and Konig
- Proof: this 2014 ST on 18x8.5 +40mm Option Lab R555 wheels and coilovers
Lowered and flush: 18x9 +35mm to 18x9.5 +40mm
This is the band to shop if the fender gap already bothers you. An 18x9.5 at +40mm pushes the face roughly 19mm past a factory 18x8 at the same offset, so you pick up a little poke and real room for a wide tire without going aggressive. Lowering springs or coilovers are what make it sit right.
Be honest with yourself about the fender, though, because this is where the answer stops being universal. Two Focus STs on the identical 18x9.5 +40mm went different ways: one cleared a 265/35R18 with nothing touched, the other needed its fenders rolled on a narrower 245/40R18. Ride height and front camber decide that, not the wheel spec, so the wider you go the more the answer depends on your specific car. Run your numbers through the wheel and tire clearance calculator against what is on the car now.
18x9 +35mm to 18x9.5 +40mm
Our pick of the whole page if you want the car to look finished and still drive every day. A 9-inch wheel at +35mm gets you flush on a properly sized tire, which is the version of this look with nothing given up.
- Tire: 245/40R18 on a 9, up to 265/35R18 on a 9.5
- Suspension: coilovers or lowering springs, and expect to check your fender at 9.5
- Wheels we stock in this spec: Enkei NT03M
- Proof: this 2018 Focus on 18x9.5 +40mm and 265/35R18 on Enkei NT03M wheels, Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires and lowering springs, with no fender work at all
Bagged and aggressive: 18x9.5 +12mm to +22mm
At +22mm you are about 50mm further out than the factory wheel face, which is genuine poke and needs the suspension and the alignment to match. Air or coilovers, negative camber up front, and a tire narrower than the wheel would normally take so the sidewall tucks under the arch when the car is down. Every setup in this band is a stance decision first, and the owners running them know it.
18x9.5 +12mm to +22mm
The setup people screenshot. Worth saying plainly that this is the one band on the page where the tire choice is not optional, because a correctly sized tire at this offset will not clear.
- Tire: 235/40R18, stretched to clear at ride height
- Suspension: Air Lift Performance air suspension or coilovers, plus negative camber up front
- Also needs: a fender roll on most cars, and an alignment after
- Proof: this bagged 2017 Focus on 18x9.5 +22mm, running Anovia Elder wheels on Air Lift Performance air suspension
19-inch setups: 19x8.5 +42mm
Yes, 19s fit a Focus ST with nothing modified, and 19x8.5 +42mm is the setup we see most, with the useful band running +35mm to +45mm. Because the sidewall drops to a 35-series, a 19 rolls a hair smaller in overall diameter than an 18 on a 40-series, which is why the arch gap looks tighter and why nobody is trimming to fit them.
The catch is what you feel rather than what you see. Less sidewall means more of every expansion joint reaches you through the seat, and curbing a 19 is a more expensive mistake than curbing an 18. If your ST is a daily and your roads are Wisconsin roads, the 18 is the smarter buy and we would tell you that on the phone.
19x8.5 +42mm to +45mm
- Tire: 235/35R19
- Suspension: bolts on stock, sits better on springs
- Wheels we stock in this spec: Rotiform KB1 and fifteen52 Podium
- Proof: this 2017 Focus on 19x8.5 +42mm with Rotiform KB1 wheels, Federal 595 RS-RR tires and lowering springs, plus this 2018 Focus on 19x8.5 +45mm with coilovers
17s for winter and track days
A 17 is the smallest wheel we would put on a Focus ST, and the ST is the trim that can take one, because its front brakes are smaller than the four-piston Brembos the Focus RS came with. That makes your ST the better candidate for a dedicated winter set or a spare set of track wheels with a taller sidewall on them.
One exception worth naming, since the old version of this page got it backwards: if you have swapped RS Brembo calipers onto your ST, 17s are off the table and you need to check spoke clearance on any 18 as well. Check the caliper against the wheel before you order, not after.
Every Focus ST setup at a glance
| Setup | Tire | Where it sits | Fender work | Suspension |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18x8 +55mm | 235/40R18 | Tucked, factory gap | None | This is stock |
| 18x8.5 +40mm | 235/40R18 | Nearly flush | None | Works on stock |
| 18x9 +35mm | 245/40R18 | Flush | None | Springs or coilovers |
| 18x9.5 +40mm | 265/35R18 | Slight poke | Depends on ride height | Springs or coilovers |
| 18x9.5 +22mm | 235/40R18 stretched | Aggressive poke | Roll expected | Air or coilovers, negative camber |
| 19x8.5 +42mm | 235/35R19 | Nearly flush | None | Works on stock |
Pick the row that matches how you actually use the car, then confirm it against your exact year and trim with Add My Car. If you want to compare a setup against what is bolted on right now, the offset and backspacing calculator will show you how far the face and the back of the wheel each move.
If you are shopping across Focus generations
Wheel fitment on the MK3 is shared between both hot trims, so a Focus RS wheel bolts straight onto your ST and the RS sizes are worth watching if you buy used. The full RS breakdown lives in the Focus ST and RS fitment guide, including why an RS cannot run a 17.
Going further back, the older Focus does not cross over. Ford used a 4x108 bolt pattern through the 2011 model year, so nothing from a pre-2012 Focus fits your 5x108 ST and nothing from your ST fits one of those. If you are on your first set of wheels for any car, our read this before buying wheels and tires guide covers the mistakes that cost the most money.
Why buy your Focus ST wheels from Fitment Industries
Every size on this page was checked against real 2013-2018 Focus builds in the Fitment Gallery, which holds over 500,000 builds and filters by year, make, model, offset and tire size. That means you can look at a Focus ST wearing your exact setup, with the same suspension, before you spend a dollar. Not a rendering, and not somebody's guess in a forum thread.
Packages ship install-ready with the wheels, tires, lug nuts and TPMS pre-matched, mounted and balanced, with free shipping to the lower 48. Fitment is guaranteed for your year, make and trim, and the return is free if it does not fit. Build Now, Pay Later Through Affirm gets you as low as 0% APR, and Katapult is there with no credit needed. If you would rather talk it through, our consultants build their own cars and they answer the phone. There is a reason we sit at 4.9 out of 5 across thousands of reviews.
Affirm and Katapult financing are both subject to approval.
Ford Focus ST wheel and tire FAQ
Will an 18x9.5 fit a Ford Focus ST?
Yes. An 18x9.5 fits a 2013-2018 Focus ST, and at +40mm it sits with slight poke on a 265/35R18. Whether your fender needs rolling depends on your ride height and front camber, not on the wheel: we have seen the same 18x9.5 +40mm clear untouched on one ST and need a roll on another. Below about +30mm, plan on air or coilovers, negative camber and a narrower tire.
What tire size should I run on an 18x9.5 Focus ST setup?
A 265/35R18 is the correctly sized tire for an 18x9.5 and the one we would run, because it fills the wheel without pulling the sidewall in. A 245/40R18 also works and gives you a little more sidewall. The 215-width and 225-width tires you see on 9.5-inch wheels in build photos are stretched, which is a look rather than a fitment solution, and it costs you grip on a car that steers and drives through the front wheels.
Do you have to roll the fenders on a Ford Focus ST?
No, not for the setups most people buy. Anything up to 18x9 +35mm on a 245/40R18 fits a Focus ST with the fenders untouched, and so does 19x8.5 +42mm. Rolling becomes a real conversation at 18x9.5 and below +40mm, and it is expected on anything at +22mm or lower. A roll is cheap compared to a rubbed tire, so budget for it if you are shopping the aggressive end.
Can you run staggered wheels on a Ford Focus ST?
You can, and some of the best-looking STs in our gallery are staggered, including a 2017 on an 18x9.5 +12mm front with a 19x9.5 +10mm rear. Understand what it is, though: the Focus ST is front-wheel drive, so a staggered setup is a stance choice and not a traction one. Putting the narrower tire on the axle that does all the steering and all the driving gives away front grip, and mixing diameters front to rear changes your rolling diameter on each end. We would run square on ours. If the car is built for shows, run it staggered and enjoy it.
What is the most popular wheel setup on a Focus ST?
An 18-inch wheel between 8.5 and 9.5 inches wide, and 18x8.5 +40mm on a 235/40R18 is the single most common upgrade. That setup closes most of the factory fender gap, needs no suspension change and no fender work, and keeps a 40-series sidewall for daily driving. It is where we point first-time Focus ST buyers every time.
Will 20-inch wheels fit a Ford Focus ST?
A 20 is not a setup we would spec on a Focus ST and not one we can show you proof of on this platform, so treat any range that includes one with suspicion. Nineteen inches is the practical ceiling: 19x8.5 +42mm bolts on with nothing modified and already tightens the arch gap more than an 18 does. Going to a 20 costs you sidewall you want on a car this stiff, and the tire options in the sizes that would keep your speedometer honest get thin fast.
Build your Focus ST setup
If you want the short answer: buy an 18x8.5 +40mm on a 235/40R18 and be done. That setup fits your 2013-2018 Focus ST on stock suspension, it needs no fender work, it is the most common upgrade on the platform for good reason, and it leaves you room to add springs or coilovers later without buying wheels twice. Go wider only when you have decided which trade you are making on the tire.
