What Ford has done with the Fiesta ST, Focus ST, and Focus RS is pretty impressive. With great suspension tuning, brake-based torque vectoring, and extremely torquey little engines they created arguably the best hot hatches in modern history. One area where many enthusiasts are divided with the Focus ST/RS is how it looks; some enthusiasts love it and some hate it. A simple change of wheel choice, however, makes the Focus ST/RS look way better.
Choosing wheels can be stressful, so we created a list of what we think are the best-looking wheels available for the Focus ST/RS. Unfortunately, Ford used an uncommon bolt pattern on the Focus ST/RS, so the selection of wheels is extremely limited compared to some other cars. With our massive wheel selection, however, we were still able to find quite a few awesome wheels that fit the ST/RS.
#10 Advan RSIII Wheels
The Advan RS series of wheels started in 2001 as Advan’s flagship model. Since then, Advan has launched dozens of other wheel designs, but the RS series is still one of the most popular models they offer. What makes this RS series special is the super lightweight construction.
While these wheels aren’t fully forged lie some of the other wheels on this list, they’re still plenty strong for road and track use. The RS series is one of the lightest wheel options on this list, and with decreased unsprung rotational mass comes an increase in braking and handling
Aside from the lightweight construction, the RS series is well known for its elegant ten-spoke design.
#9 Volk Racing TE37 Wheels
The TE37 is one of the most iconic wheels of all time. It’s especially popular in the JDM community, but it’s also a very popular choice for Focus ST and RS owners. What makes this TE37 special is the mold-form forged construction, which gives it superb strength without any extra weight. Of course, there are a bunch of variations of the TE37, but they all share the same strong construction.
Aside from the special construction, the TE37 is well known for its simple six-spoke design which looks good on pretty much any car. For those who want the lightest wheel possible, the TE37SL and TE37 Saga are both great options. The high-end construction makes the TE37 a bit on the expensive side, but it’s well worth it.
#8 Konig Hypergram Wheels
For Focus ST/RS owners who want something super lightweight without breaking the bank, the Konig Hypergram is the perfect solution. Coming in around $200/wheel, it’s very affordable, especially considering how light it is. The Hypergram is a motorsport-inspired 12-spoke design.
What allows the Hypergram to be so affordable is the Flow Form Technology, which bridges the cost and strength between a cast wheel and forged wheel.
#7 Method Racing MR503 Rally Wheels
With Ford’s massive success in the world of rally racing, many Focus ST/RS owners want to give their car a rally look. This is where Method Racing comes in with their MR503 Rally wheels. Not only does this have the “Rally Car” look, but with knurling on the inner and outer bead seat to help secure the tire bead. With an extra secure tire bead, you can air down further without the worry of the tire getting ripped off the bead.
#6 Niche Targa Wheels
Niche is well known for its high-end wheels used on exotics, but their low-end wheels like these are also awesome. It might seem weird to use 19″ wheels on a Focus, but it looks surprisingly good. The increased size does add some weight, but if you’re going for more of a show car look that isn’t a problem.
With a +42mm offset, you can expect these wheels to fit under your Focus ST/RS without rubbing unless you’re using massive tires. The wheel center bore is 63.5mm which fits the Focus’ 63.4mm hub perfectly. Outside of the specs, this wheel looks much more expensive than it is. It’s not uncommon to see wheels with this kind of styling on high-end and exotic cars.
#5 Enkei NT03+M Wheels
Second on our list are the Enkei NT03+M F1 wheels. Enkei is super popular in the JDM community and now they’re becoming popular in the US hot hatch market. These wheels feature a very polarizing perimeter brace which makes them extremely strong, but some people don’t like the look of the perimeter brace.
These wheels use a 18×9.5 size with a 40mm offset. This is much more aggressive than the Niche wheels listed above and may require a bit of fender rolling to avoid rubbing at full turn lock or full suspension compression. If you want an extremely strong and lightweight wheel for your Focus ST/RS, then this is the perfect wheel for you.
#4 Avant Garde M310 Wheels
Third on our list is the Avant-Garde M310 wheels. These are the cheapest wheels on this list which is perfect if you’re on a tight budget. Even with their low price, Avant-Garde uses Finite Element Analysis to ensure the wheels are strong and durable. Plus, each wheel is met to the industry-recognized JWL standard.
These wheels use a design that would be pretty common to see on something like a VW or BMW, but this design looks surprisingly good on Ford’s hot hatches. These wheels measure 18×8.5 with a 42mm offset making them less aggressive than the Enkei wheels listed above. This is great if you don’t want to worry about rolling your fenders or dealing with the occasional wheel rub.
#3 GramLights 57Xtreme and 57DR Wheels
Fourth on our list is two different wheels from GramLights. These wheels share the same fitment specifications and we love both designs, so we wanted to recommend both. The 57DR wheels use a very similar design to the Volk Te37 wheels that everyone seems to love, and the 57Extreme wheels use a unique 12-spoke design that is somewhat similar to the Niche Targa wheels.
Both of these wheels use a one-piece cast design which helps keep costs down. Both the 57DR and 57Extreme measure 18×8.5″ with a 38mm offset. This is a pretty aggressive fitment and might need some fender rolling to avoid wheel rub. This wheel is great if you’re looking for an awesome stance and a strong wheel.
#2 Titan 7 T-S5 and T-R10 Wheels
Fifth on our list is the Titan 7 T-S5 and T-R10 wheel. Just like with the GramLights listed above, these wheels share the same fitment but with different designs. Both designs are very popular and are designed for track usage over everything else.
Both of these wheels measure 18×9″ with a 38mm offset which is a pretty aggressive fitment. The aggressive fitment looks super awesome, but the chances of running into tire rub are pretty high unless you roll your fenders pretty good.
#1 Fifteen52 Formula TR, Tarmac, and Turbomac Wheels
Last, but certainly not least are two different wheels from Fifteen52. The whole reason these wheels are so popular is due to Ken Block’s usage of them on his rally cars in his viral Gymkhana series of videos. These wheels are very polarizing and if you hate how these wheels look, you’re not alone.
Unfortunately, these wheels are on the heavy side. They aren’t heavier than the stock Focus ST wheels, but they aren’t as light as many of the other wheels we’ve mentioned thus far. If you want to give your Focus ST/RS a unique rally car style look then this is the best way to do so. Most of this weight has to do with their “bulky” designs, which look awesome but require a significant amount of material.
For the Focus ST/RS there are four wheels from Fifteen52 that will fit: Formula TR, Tarmac R43, Tarmac, and Turbomac. The Tarmac R43 is the most polarizing, with lots of people loving them and lots of people hating them. The Turbomac, Tarmac, and Formula TR are all very popular thanks to their low price.
Summary
All the wheels we listed will fit the Focus ST/RS great, look awesome, use strong designs, and are budget-friendly. We’ve put some images down below to give you an idea of what your Focus ST/RS could look like with a set of aftermarket wheels.
If you have any questions about buying wheels for your Focus ST or Focus RS, please do not hesitate to contact us. We can be reached by phone at 1.480.966.3040 or via email at sales@vividracing.com.
FAQs
- What is the Focus ST PCD? – The MK3 Focus ST (2012 though 2018) uses a 5×108 PCD / lug pattern. This is the pattern you need to look for when buying aftermarket wheels, otherwise, they won’t fit!
- Will Focus RS wheels fit an ST? – Technically, yes! The Focus RS and Focus ST use the same lug pattern and fitments. You can put OEM Focus RS wheels on a Focus ST without any other modifications.
- Is Lighter Always Better? – Decreasing rotational unsprung mass has a lot of great performance benefits. Overall, you’ll experience better handling, better steering response, better braking performance, and better ride quality. There is, however, a limit to how light you can go. To light of a wheel will put too much rotational mass on outside of the wheel instead of being balance toward the middle. Luckily, this is a nonissue for 99.9% of wheels.
- Cast vs Forged – There is no perfect answer about what kind of wheel is right for you. It all comes down to your intentions with the car and how much you’re willing to spend. If you only want to spend around $1,500, then a set of cast wheels is a great option, If you want the strongest wheel possible, then a set of forged wheels is the best options.
I have a 2014 Ford focus SE 6 speed automatic and have added ST badging to it and have added a Chip to it and a friend put a tune on it which unleashed the breast in it also has a k & n air and fuel filter and a ST muffler since I have a bad left leg unable to use a 6 speed manual. It’s race Red w/black leather interior. So suspension and wheels and tires next. Even though it has 17in now. Want 18in w/235-40-18. Maybe you can help me out. Thanks
I’ll have one of our performance specialists reach out to you with some options for a wheel/tire package for you Focus. Thanks!
The Titan 7 T- R10 weight in at 18.9 lbs. versus the 16.8 lbs. listed here. At least according to Titan 7. The 7 T-S5 are listed at 17.4 lbs., but are nearer 17 lbs. flat with center caps and TPMS, on my scales. Also, with “normal” to mild wide 245/40 tire at stock height rubbing isn’t likely at all.
Looks like the weight measurements changed since the T-R10 first came out (or they measure the weight differently now). We removed the weight listing in the blog post. Thanks!
what are the rims on the top picture of the story ???
Work Meister S2’s!
Do the rims come with tps or do they have to be added.
Any wheel you buy you will need to add TPMS to them unless the car did not come with sensors from the factory.