Staggered tires can cause over-active traction control issues

[KoolBRZ]

I got 2 225/45/17 tires to try out as winter tires. I left my stock 215/45/17 tires in the front. I noticed my nanny's kicking in more and more often, but I thought that was just from the increased body roll of having softer sidewalls on the new winter tires. Then after my traction control light lit up at 50mph on a straight stretch of road in dry weather for no reason at all, I knew something else was causing the problem. I knew there are speed sensors in all 4 wheel hubs, and figured that the speed difference between the front and back tires is causing the problem. I like my new tires, so I'll be getting 2 more for the fronts, and that should cure the over-active traction control problem I have. Just thought I should post this for anyone else out there who is running mismatched tires.

[go_a_way1]

Originally Posted by KoolBRZ

I got 2 225/45/17 tires to try out as winter tires. I left my stock 215/45/17 tires in the front. I noticed my nanny's kicking in more and more often, but I thought that was just from the increased body roll of having softer sidewalls on the new winter tires. Then after my traction control light lit up at 50mph on a straight stretch of road in dry weather for no reason at all, I knew something else was causing the problem. I knew there are speed sensors in all 4 wheel hubs, and figured that the speed difference between the front and back tires is causing the problem. I like my new tires, so I'll be getting 2 more for the fronts, and that should cure the over-active traction control problem I have. Just thought I should post this for anyone else out there who is running mismatched tires.

Just so you know you should get narrow tires for the winter. Our cars are very lights and wide winter tires means you may have less traction as they will get up and "float" on the snow much like a wide ski is used to ski in deep powder. Increased surface area will also mean less weight for a given area witch means you may also lose traction on ice vs a skinny tire where there will be more force per inch and in theory will have more grip.

Correct me if I am wrong but thats just my thinking. I run stock size winter tires so I have not actually tested my theory hahaha.

[KoolBRZ]

Originally Posted by go_a_way1

Just so you know you should get narrow tires for the winter. Our cars are very lights and wide winter tires means you may have less traction as they will get up and "float" on the snow much like a wide ski is used to ski in deep powder. Increased surface area will also mean less weight for a given area witch means you may also lose traction on ice vs a skinny tire where there will be more force per inch and in theory will have more grip.

Correct me if I am wrong but thats just my thinking. I run stock size winter tires so I have not actually tested my theory hahaha.

They're only correct for the most part. But, there are always exceptions. I don't usually get snow or drive in snow where I'm at, so I wanted a taller tire to give a better ride, and a wider tire for good dry traction. These tires also have a special compound for better wet grip. These give a better ride at this size, plus they have more wet grip than the stock Michelins. They even have better wet grip than my Michelin PSS's. They are also one of the only winter tires to get all good reviews on tire rack.com. They are Continental ExtremeContact DWS-06.

[go_a_way1]

Originally Posted by KoolBRZ

They're only correct for the most part. But, there are always exceptions. I don't usually get snow or drive in snow where I'm at, so I wanted a taller tire to give a better ride, and a wider tire for good dry traction. These tires also have a special compound for better wet grip. These give a better ride at this size, plus they have more wet grip than the stock Michelins. They even have better wet grip than my Michelin PSS's. They are also one of the only winter tires to get all good reviews on tire rack.com. They are Continental ExtremeContact DWS-06.

Ah I see haha that totally makes sense!

[chaoskaze]

How are those tires? I heard they are the best daily tires. O.O what do you think of them compare to PSS & Stock? More quiet & comfy?


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[wparsons]

Correction to the title, this has nothing to do with staggered widths, it's the difference in diameter that does it. You can easily run staggered widths with matching diameters, or different diameters with square widths.

That said, the difference in diameter between 215/45 and 225/45 shouldn't be enough to make it throw a fit. You're looking at a 1.4% difference with those two sizes.

[Digitalanalog]

Or 2 different compounds gripping differently is setting off the nannies....

[KoolBRZ]

I got the second set installed yesterday. It rides like a normal car now. I can actually drive over sewer caps without biting the tip off my tongue. I used to say, "my car never hit a sewer cap it didn't hate." If you want a better ride, start with softer 225/45/17 tires. There is a definite squishy affect though. The tires are a bit too wide for the rims. An alignment is my next priority. They also vibrate a bit at first. It smoothed out when I dropped the pressure down from the 40 psi, to a more reasonable 35 psi. I drove through some 90 degree corners to test stability, and it didn't kick in once. My tune was a bit weak though, so I couldn't push it. It was one of those "Not enough, too much" tunes. I tune with an OFT and usually have 4 experimental tunes with 1 known-good tune. I'll post some more about traction control as soon as I figure out how to use tech stream to reset TC, AS, and SC back to defaults. I would definitely recommend these tires for DD. Just not for deep snow though, need skinnier tires for that stuff, it hardly ever snows here, it rains a lot though. I'm going to run these all year, and see how they do.

[MGPAX]

I tried Continental ControlContact Sport AS 225/45 on the stock rims and loved the ride but at any air pressure at all they wandered all over the interstate....like dangerouly!!

I ended up replacing them with same size Michelin A/S 3s and except for some over night flat spotting below 65* F they are awesome!! Much better than stock.
I also added 20mm spacers all around and had to put on splash guards but am really happy with setup.

[WNDSRFR]

I don't think the tire stagger is causing your problem. I have 235/45/17 on the rear and 215/45/17 on the front and have no issues. But then I automatically turn off the traction control as soon as I start the car. (Except in the rain, don't need to worry about snow.) I would much rather worry about the tires spinning than to have the engine "stall" when you least want it to.
I think your problem probably has more to do with 40 psi than anything else. I have to fill mine with 32 psi just to turn off the alarm. It handles better with 30 psi. A couple pounds seems to make a large difference. And at 32 psi the wear is always uneven. The center of the tire always wears before the edges.

Also, don't you have the Phantom ESC? Maybe that may also come into play?

[mav1178]

Originally Posted by KoolBRZ

I got 2 225/45/17 tires to try out as winter tires. I left my stock 215/45/17 tires in the front. I noticed my nanny's kicking in more and more often, but I thought that was just from the increased body roll of having softer sidewalls on the new winter tires. Then after my traction control light lit up at 50mph on a straight stretch of road in dry weather for no reason at all, I knew something else was causing the problem. I knew there are speed sensors in all 4 wheel hubs, and figured that the speed difference between the front and back tires is causing the problem. I like my new tires, so I'll be getting 2 more for the fronts, and that should cure the over-active traction control problem I have. Just thought I should post this for anyone else out there who is running mismatched tires.

I ran a staggered setup for the better part of 2 years.

Zero issues.

-alex

[reeves]

Benn running staggered with 225/45/17 in the back with the stock size 215/45/17 up front for about 2 years too now with no issues.

[SkAsphalt]

Turbos will totally cause your nannies to act up