Yesterday, my 1999 Ford Contour finally went tits-up on me. Fortunately, I was able to replace it the same day, via a gift from somebody at my church. So now I’m driving a 2001 Ford Taurus.
The thing is, I just put brand new tires on the Contour, back in late November 2014. Those new tires probably have less than 1,500 miles on them (I only commute around town, mostly to and from work), and I am in fact still repaying my sister after she helped me out with getting them.
I would like, if possible, to transfer those new tires to the new car. The Contour may turn out to be not worth the expense of fixing, and I’d hate to send it to the junkyard with those brand new tires on it, especially since I’m still paying for them. The tires on the Taurus have considerable wear. Not bald or unsafe, but clearly nowhere near new.
The problem is that the Taurus has larger wheels and lower-profile tires than the Contour. I’ll need to measure to confirm, but at a glance the outer diameter of the tires appear to be the same on both cars. Both cars have 5-lug wheels.
If the tires do indeed have the same outer diameter, would it create either a safety or performance problem to simply swap the complete wheel/tire assemblies between the two cars?
according to this site,
the lug pattern is the same, wheels and all, but the Contour wheels are only 14" wheels while the Focus wheels are 15". Same bolt pattern, same lugs, same counterbore, and same offset.
4x108mm bolt patterns
Ford Contour (1995+) - 14"x6" rims - 12x1.5 lugnuts - 63.9mm centerbore - High offset
Ford Focus (2000+) - 15"x6" rims - 12x1.5 lugnuts - 63.9mm centerbore - High offset
I found a Focus website that says that if the brakes are factory, the 14" wheels will fit on the Focus (pre 2004).
http://forums.focaljet.com/showthread.php/617109-What-other-wheels-fit-the-Focus
It will make your speedometer read fast (you will think you are going faster than you really are) and could affect your mileage (although since the odometer will also be reading high, you will probably see an increase in observed MPG).
But, yeah, it should work.
The new car is a Taurus, not a Focus 
Looks like the Taurus has 15x7 rims … so maybe “no”?
Oh, Crap! So much for my reading comprehension.
Yeah, the wheels will not fit, the bolt pattern is different.
Maybe you can find a tire shop that will cut you a deal for some slightly used 15" tires in exchange for your newish 14" tires.
Yes, well you can keep the tyres and sell them ! Free rims !
Blegh. Well, maybe I’ll see what I can do about getting the Contour at least running again, and then see what I can get for the whole car. I know there are some car dealers around here who will outright buy used cars. Then I can use the proceeds to pay off my sister. I know I can’t just leave it sitting there dead, indefinitely, in my apartment complex parking lot (and I certainly can’t leave dead, parked on the street).
Given that the link excavating (for a mind) posted says the 14" rims used in older Tauruses had the same bolt pattern as the 15" ones used on yours, you may be able to grab a set of cheapo 14" steel rims or some used rims from one of the gazillion old Tauruses littering up our nation’s junkyards. You might still wind up a tiny bit ahead cash-wise after the cost of mounting/unmounting versus buying new tires, plus if you ever wanted to do winter tires you’d have an extra set of rims!