Larger Rear Wheels - Tacky or Acceptable?

[Orly]

This idea never crossed my mind since I've always owned front wheel drive cars (/duckandcover), but say you put 16x8's on the back with 16x7's on the front (or a similar variation) to get a semi staggered look you see on other sporty RWD cars - Tacky? Acceptable? Useful for drifting? Over the top for this little car? Ok for the weekend?

Whats your opinion?

[Infernal]

im not sure but id imagine smaller thinner wheels would be best for drifting - thinner contact patch means less grip and more sliding around - plus - the smaller the whee. the less torque is required to spin it, therefore being able to wheelspin because less of your available torque is used up trying to spin a big 22 inch wheel around.

i guess it depends on what you want. Id like big wide wheels personally because id like the car to be getting better traction off the line - some will want less traction because they want to slide all over the place

[RRnold]

That is fairly common for RWDs. Some of the dudes on the Supraforum run 18 fronts and 17 rear just so they can shoe on bigger rubber.

I say it's a must on this car

[Biggie™]

Originally Posted by Infernal

im not sure but id imagine smaller thinner wheels would be best for drifting - thinner contact patch means less grip and more sliding around

Just an FYI... Drifting is all about grip, the more grip you have the faster you can drift.

[Matador]

Originally Posted by Orly

This idea never crossed my mind since I've always owned front wheel drive cars (/duckandcover), but say you put 16x8's on the back with 16x7's on the front (or a similar variation) to get a semi staggered look you see on other sporty RWD cars - Tacky? Acceptable? Useful for drifting? Over the top for this little car? Ok for the weekend?

Whats your opinion?

...... You have got to be kidding me...

Originally Posted by Biggie™

Just an FYI... Drifting is all about grip, the more grip you have the faster you can drift.

I know jack all about drifting (outside of what is required while rallying) but... that just doesn't sound logical, or you left out a big part of the equation.

[Midship Runabout]

Some cars came with a staggered width. Like the mr2

[Orly]

Matador - Something confusing? Its a simple question of what people prefer, what works and what doesn't.

[RRnold]

If they are AWD then the wider ones go in the front. Other than that, staggered wheels on this car is a must.

[VenomRush]

Originally Posted by MatadorRacing_F1

I know jack all about drifting (outside of what is required while rallying) but... that just doesn't sound logical, or you left out a big part of the equation.

you need grip for control.. drifting is all about control

[TheStig]

Kind of alot of questions you threw in there. But to answer it simply: I would love it. Not necessarily for drifting, but simply for added stability and...(I have to admit) for looks!

There are quite a few cars that use staggered setups, just to name a few: 350/370Z, G35/37, S2000, Most BMW's w/ Sport pack, RX-8, etc.

[mike2100]

Originally Posted by TheStig

Kind of alot of questions you threw in there. But to answer it simply: I would love it. Not necessarily for drifting, but simply for added stability and...(I have to admit) for looks!

There are quite a few cars that use staggered setups, just to name a few: 350/370Z, G35/37, S2000, Most BMW's w/ Sport pack, RX-8, etc.

RX-8s don't come staggered. At least the 04-08s didn't

If you go staggered you better know what the hell you are doing (same goes for any mod that affects driving dynamics). IMO sacrificing drivability for looks when performing any modification is dumb.

[Blokatos]

Different sized wheels/tyres combo front to rear comes natural only in mid engined/ rear drive or rear engined/ rear drive cars.

In a front engined car, different sized wheels/tyres combo are a way to mask suspension setting issues and poor chassis R&D.

[OldSkoolToys]

Originally Posted by Biggie™

Just an FYI... Drifting is all about grip, the more grip you have the faster you can drift.

^^^^^

Its a common misconception that drifting is complete and total loss of the rear wheels. There's actually still grip going on in the rear during a slide, and its that grip, countersteer, and throttle management that keeps you from spinning out.

If you put smaller wheels on the rear (in my picture, the rear wheels are the 1986-1987 factory 'snowflake' alloys, coming in at 14x5.5, 1.5 inches smaller than my fronts) and crappier tires, you create oversteer, but you also lose grip in the rear, making it MUCH harder to slide at any speed worth noting. Its extremely easy to spin out.

You have to find a balance between creating oversteer and maintaining some form of grip in the rear. Part of creating oversteer has nothing to do with the tires (though matching your tires with this part is very important) or wheel selection, rather, damper and spring rates on the both the front and rear.

There's obviously the other end of the spectrum. Too much contact patch in the rear / too sticky a tire (for your power output) and you'll have a very hard time creating a drift you can control.

[TheStig]

Originally Posted by mike2100

RX-8s don't come staggered. At least the 04-08s didn't

If you go staggered you better know what the hell you are doing (same goes for any mod that affects driving dynamics). IMO sacrificing drivability for looks when performing any modification is dumb.

Explain to me how it sacrifices drivability.

The only major downside is if the car doesnt have close to 50/50 weight distribution, then either the front or rear tires will wear faster.

I have had staggered tires on numerous cars that I have owned, including my current 135i which has aftermarket 19's on it. 19x8.5 and 19x10. It drives just as great as it did when I had the stock 18's on it. I have never had any problems with anything...

[TheStig]

Originally Posted by Blokatos

Different sized wheels/tyres combo front to rear comes natural only in mid engined/ rear drive or rear engined/ rear drive cars.

In a front engined car, different sized wheels/tyres combo are a way to mask suspension setting issues and poor chassis R&D.

...really, so you are telling me that every S2000, 350Z, 370Z, G35, Corvette, Camaro, Mustang, Every BMW sold with a Sport Package, every Mercedes SL, SLK, E, CL, CLK, all AMG cars, etc ALL had poor chassis R&D. I dont think so. And this is just a few of the manufacturers that use staggered setups.

Because last time I looked the automakers I just listed were some of the largest in the world and somehow I trust the billions they spend on R&D and some of the smartest engineers in the world over internet hearsay....but maybe thats just me.

[4agze]

lotus exige are staggered size

[RegisBou]

Originally Posted by 4agze

lotus exige are staggered size

[ft86Fan]

Originally Posted by 4agze

lotus exige are staggered size

They sure are and its not because they want to hide any chassis problems. As a matter of fact, all three cars that I own now have a stagger setup.

[Biggie™]

Even the R35 GT-R has Staggered Wheels. The wider rear tires help on corner exit.

[S2KtoFT86]

Originally Posted by ft86Fan

They sure are and its not because they want to hide any chassis problems. As a matter of fact, all three cars that I own now have a stagger setup.

Kick ass, you own a CR!!!

[NESW20]

one major disadvantage to staggered setups is that you can't rotate your tires, so wear patterns can develop more easily, reducing the overall life of your tires.

and it's not weight distribution that kills tires, it's alignment angles. my MR2 used to EAT through tires when i had a more aggressive alignment. it handled perfectly (for my preferences) and had plenty of grip, but i paid for it in tires. now that i have a much less aggressive alignment, my tires last considerably longer.

-Mike

[Midship Runabout]

Originally Posted by TheStig

The only major downside is if the car doesnt have close to 50/50 weight distribution, then either the front or rear tires will wear faster.

What?

Originally Posted by NESW20

one major disadvantage to staggered setups is that you can't rotate your tires, so wear patterns can develop more easily, reducing the overall life of your tires.

and it's not weight distribution that kills tires, it's alignment angles. my MR2 used to EAT through tires when i had a more aggressive alignment. it handled perfectly (for my preferences) and had plenty of grip, but i paid for it in tires. now that i have a much less aggressive alignment, my tires last considerably longer.

-Mike

please read this