comments on 2021 St Street Pack

[Rocky4369]

I notice the Street Pack comes with 21" wheels; does this make the walls of the tires smaller? I always thought as the wheel gets bigger the sidewall gets smaller. And if the sidewall gets smaller, does it give a rougher ride?

 

[Mbrooks420]

Yes.

 

[Rick]

If you have bad roads shorter sidewalls make the wheels more susceptible to damage from pot holes.

 

[Rocky4369]

That's what I thought guys; thanks. So much for the 21" wheels on the ST. I would think the 20" stock wheels have slightly larger sidewalls?

 

[Rocky4369]

Just looked up tire size chart; the stock tires for ST are P 255/50 R 20. The upgraded tires ( Street Pack and Hi Perf Pack) are P 275/45 R 21. The stock tires' sidewall is 5.02", while the upgraded tires' sidewall is 4.87"

 

[peterk9]

If given the choice, I'd prefer 18" wheels. Much more sidewall for a slightly better ride and less chance of 'curb rash' as well.

Peter

 

[quickfix]

If given the choice, I'd prefer 18" wheels. Much more sidewall for a slightly better ride and less chance of 'curb rash' as well.

Peter

Better ride for sure. I opted for the 18" and I'm glad I did.
The two day test drive was done with a 20" equipped vehicle. While it was smooth enough on good roads (we have a paucity of those here in Nova Scotia), it just wasn't supple enough for my liking. Brought it back on a Monday and they had a lovely Atlas Blue XLT with 18" wheels sitting on the lot with all of 6 km on the odo. Took it for a spin, and was immediately sold on it. Smooth and luxurious ride.

 

[jhu8]

I’ve been debating this decision. In the beginning I was sold on the STs with the 20”. Then the black 21s grew on me. But now I’m wondering if going with the 20s will just be cheaper down the line with tires and just a more comforting ride. I thought with the 2021s, all STs got thr upgraded brakes as opposed to the 2020s where only the street pack came with the upgraded brakes.

 

[Rocky4369]

...and the width of the 20" tire is 10.04, while the 21" tire is 10.83" For the record.

Better ride for sure. I opted for the 18" and I'm glad I did.
The two day test drive was done with a 20" equipped vehicle. While it was smooth enough on good roads (we have a paucity of those here in Nova Scotia), it just wasn't supple enough for my liking. Brought it back on a Monday and they had a lovely Atlas Blue XLT with 18" wheels sitting on the lot with all of 6 km on the odo. Took it for a spin, and was immediately sold on it. Smooth and luxurious ride.

Did you notice a difference in the engines?

 

[quickfix]

Did you notice a difference in the engines?

Nope. Both were 2.3L XLTs.
My comment was about the relative merits of a bigger sidewall vs low and tight sidewalls. Both have their place as favourites.

I've a convertible Mustang and an old MGB for the fun stuff.

 

[Sgt1411]

If your worried about ride harshness due to the thickness of the tires then the ST is not the vehicle for you. Its ride is performance driven and stiff suspension with almost no loss of steering performance through the the wheels to the tires as it's is part of that engineering. You may wish to consider the new Timberline with 18" wheels and lots of off road features.

 

[hbalek]

I’ve been debating this decision. In the beginning I was sold on the STs with the 20”. Then the black 21s grew on me. But now I’m wondering if going with the 20s will just be cheaper down the line with tires and just a more comforting ride. I thought with the 2021s, all STs got thr upgraded brakes as opposed to the 2020s where only the street pack came with the upgraded brakes.

If you don't get the black 21" wheels you miss out on red brake calipers and larger brakes. I always get compliments about the black wheels and red calipers!

 

[jhu8]

If you don't get the black 21" wheels you miss out on red brake calipers and larger brakes. I always get compliments about the black wheels and red calipers!

Ahh yeah that’s true. I do love that accent.

 

[peterk9]

Ahh yeah that’s true. I do love that accent.

They sell paint for that.

Peter

 

[Rocky4369]

Good point about the harsh ride of the St. It's frustrating to not get the color combo I want ( Atlas Blue with tan or lite grey interior) with the larger engine. But as far as the look of the red calipers, I bolted on caliper covers on the '19 GT. $260 and about an hour for front/hour for back. If I want to misbehave, out comes the GT.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Caliper covers are terrible. They hold in heat and increase brake fade to look “cool”.

 

[jhu8]

I remember back in middle/high school I painted the calibers on my dads 06 mustang gt. Honestly that has held up well. Probably started fading around 125k miles. But yeah, I’d just pay the extra from the beginning to get it stock. It does look very nice.

 

[toad350]

If given the choice, I'd prefer 18" wheels. Much more sidewall for a slightly better ride and less chance of 'curb rash' as well.

Peter

I’m with Peter!

 

[Roadfever]

I notice the Street Pack comes with 21" wheels; does this make the walls of the tires smaller? I always thought as the wheel gets bigger the sidewall gets smaller. And if the sidewall gets smaller, does it give a rougher ride?

The 275/45R21 tires means the tire is 275mm wide. The 45 indicates that the height of the sidewall is equal to 45% of the width of the tire. Mine has foam filled tires and they suck. In cold weather it's like driving on square wheels

 

[toad350]

I’m with Peter. I have 18s on my 16 and if I buy a 21 I’ll try to have 18s on it too.