Instrumented Test
All-season tires are a North American phenomenon; virtually nowhere else in the world do cars run on a single set of tires year-round when the climate can get cold enough for snow. Instead, drivers in those markets run summer tires when the weather is favorable and switch to winter rubber for the colder months.
In the U.S., however, all Focus STs prior to the 2015 refresh bucked the trend by coming factory-fitted with summer-only rubber, which apparently left a lot of northern buyers miffed about having to fork over a grand or more in late fall so as to not get stuck after a light dusting of white stuff. (While the investment may seem big at the time, running winter tires makes your summer set last longer overall and you’ll have much better grip for turning and braking when the weather turns. That’s our short pitch on winter tires. Give them a try if you haven’t already.) Ford heeded the gripes and decided to offer an all-season tire as a $30 option for the performance-oriented ST hatchback; this coincided with an update that brought mildly restyled front and rear ends, minor interior revisions, and upgraded infotainment tech.
Because rubber compounds tend to work best when formulated for a specific temperature range, all-season tires have compromised grip in warm and cold conditions, hence the playful “no-season tire” nickname they’ve earned in some circles. The results of our two grip-centric tests—lateral acceleration and braking—show a dramatic decline in dry grip with the new Pirelli P Zero Nero All-Season tires fitted to our test car versus the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 summer rubber (both are sized 235/40R-18 all around). Braking from 70 mph to a stop consumes 186 feet, about 20 more than other STs we’ve tested, and lateral acceleration dips to 0.87 g, a decrease of about 0.07 g. For perspective on what’s been lost, consider that the Honda Accord Sport betters the ST’s braking by 11 feet and ties it for lateral grip. While the Accord is sporty for a family sedan, most of its sportiness comes by virtue of the “Sport” in its name; the ST should be able to walk all over it.
If all you’re looking to do is go quick in a straight line, the mud-and-snow tires don’t hinder acceleration from the 252-hp turbo four, as the ST returned a zero-to-60 time of 6.3 seconds, as well as a quarter-mile time of 14.9 seconds. Although we’ve had 6.3-second STs in the past, 14.9 makes this ST ever so slightly pokier in that measure of the four we’ve evaluated. It’s doubtful the tires are to blame—a tenth of a second is well within the tolerance for production variance. The Volkswagen GTI, with either its manual or dual-clutch automatic transmission, will walk away from the ST, however.
Ford also worked over the ride and handling for 2015, and the results are more profound than what we expected after reading the brief. Most of the work was carried out on the front end, with a stiffer subframe, springs, and bushings. (The rear also got firmer bushings.) A choppy ride was one of our few complaints of the ST when it launched, and Ford’s removal of some play in the front has done wonders. The ’15 car makes use of the firmer springs without the harshness of, say, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution or the Mini John Cooper Works.
Ford also revised the electrically assisted steering—which is actuated via a new flat-bottom steering wheel that improves ingress and egress—although the effect of this change is harder to pinpoint. Overall, though, the car feels more refined. It’s smoother in transitions than before and doesn’t beat you up nearly as much. However, the ride is still firmer than the GTI’s, and without driving a ’15 on OE summer rubber, we can’t definitively rule out that the newfound road compliance is due to a potentially softer tire sidewall of the all-season rubber.
Yet we would never go with the one-tire option, as we wouldn’t want to sacrifice grip at both ends of the thermometer, which is where all the fun happens. Speaking of fun, we’re also but a few months away from another grip-related Focus development in the form of the all-wheel-drive Focus RS. With a confirmed 345 horsepower, it has a very strong chance of tipping the performance needle in Dearborn’s favor, albeit at a price. And there’s no way we’d run that one on all-seasons, either.
