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Anyone out there running a staggered wheel setup?

Been wondering about running 16x7 up front and 16x8 in the rear. The wheels I want I seem to only be able to find in staggered sets. Would be kind of cool +35 front and +30 rear, so it would fit flush, well just inside the fender edges. Just have fatty tires in the rear which wouldn't hurt handling at all IMO as the rear is light anyways and it would be giving it a bigger footprint and I would think it would add to the handleing.

Any thoughts? input welcome.

I like your idea. I wish our cars were RWD with big wheel wells in the back so I could fit some fat tires in there (my Charger has 295s in the back and there's still room there

Yeah, I had 275's on my RX8 and it was a freakin beast!

But I think there are advantages to be had even in a FWD car.

Err... The advantageous setup for an MX-3 would be wider wheels up front, and skinnier in the rear, If I'm not mistaken.

Extra traction on the drive wheels has obvious benefits, narrower footprint on the "free" wheels would mean less rolling resistance. If anything, the biggest benefit you would notice would be in fuel economy. You might not notice a difference between 6.5"(stock) and 7" width for example, but a jump to 8" could cost 1-2 MPG easily, especially if the wider wheels weigh in heavier.

mitmaks wrote:I like your idea. I wish our cars were RWD with big wheel wells in the back so I could fit some fat tires in there (my Charger has 295s in the back and there's still room there

I want your Charger btw. '68, '70 are my favorite years. I hated the front end on the '69s.

MrMazda92 wrote:

mitmaks wrote:I like your idea. I wish our cars were RWD with big wheel wells in the back so I could fit some fat tires in there (my Charger has 295s in the back and there's still room there

I want your Charger btw. '68, '70 are my favorite years. I hated the front end on the '69s.

Ya I don't like "I" beam in the middle myself

Exactly! I prefer the '68 grill to that of the '70, but the Chrome bumper underneath is what throws it off for me. If only the '70 had less chrome all around, it'd be perfect for me.

Josh wrote:Anyone out there running a staggered wheel setup?

Been wondering about running 16x7 up front and 16x8 in the rear. The wheels I want I seem to only be able to find in staggered sets. Would be kind of cool +35 front and +30 rear, so it would fit flush, well just inside the fender edges. Just have fatty tires in the rear which wouldn't hurt handling at all IMO as the rear is light anyways and it would be giving it a bigger footprint and I would think it would add to the handleing.

Any thoughts? input welcome.

You wont gain much in handling... If it does affect handling you'll end up with more under steer then anything... If you want better handling you'll want the wider tires up front...

Once I get my 323 completely set up for SMF class in autocross, I plan on running 275/285 - 15's on the front and 225 - 15's on the rear...

Well I knew it would be more beneficial to run wider up front for traction purposes. Hmm then perhaps I should run the 8 widest up front then the 7's in the rear with the spacers that way they have the same overall width.

I can dig the staggered look, obviously meant for RWD but some FWD cars can pull it off if done right,
yeah I reckon it might understeer a tad but doubt you'll actually feel it on the road..

Im looking at 9's for the rear but basically for the staggered dish look it will give not for wider tyres.

youdirtyfox wrote:yeah I reckon it might understeer a tad but doubt you'll actually feel it on the road..

i think he tracks his car from time to time

Thats when you probably will feel it then, unlucky.

I will have to check around and see if I can find anyone running staggered on a FWD. I know several guys who do but for show they are not function. When I dragged my RS I ran staggered but your only going in a straight line and that was when it was FWD. I plan on hitting up Auto X a fair amount this year. Currently the car is running 225/45/15's which is rather large, but nice! There is just a bit too much tire role under heavy cornering for my liking.

Thanks for the input guys!

Josh wrote:I will have to check around and see if I can find anyone running staggered on a FWD. I know several guys who do but for show they are not function. When I dragged my RS I ran staggered but your only going in a straight line and that was when it was FWD. I plan on hitting up Auto X a fair amount this year. Currently the car is running 225/45/15's which is rather large, but nice! There is just a bit too much tire role under heavy cornering for my liking.

Thanks for the input guys!

You run a smaller side wall then I do for autocross right now... Are you playing with tire pressures? What kind of tire? Lots of other factors play in tire role then just the size...

FYI, right now I run a 205/55/14 Toyo RA1's for my autocross tires right now... All though this summer I plan on stepping up and trying out some used 225/50/14 Kumo V710's...

My buddies who sell tires asked me if I wanted to do a staggered setup for my new tires for the 8. Ended up doing some research and apparently wider in the rear creates understeer, so with the relative low torque of the rotary, until I got some power boosters, I won't run staggered, but I'd rather a balanced setup anyway.

On the mx-3, the next set would of been larger in the front for improved handling (see Pontiac GXP)