Staggered vs normal

[yee7402]

Hi! Can anyone tell me what would be the difference in terms of driving dynamics by having staggered and normal 4 the same wheel?What are the pro and cons?Thanks

 

[yee7402]

Any advise bros?? Cannot decide which to should I change to staggered or remain?

 

[B33mEr]

Hi! Can anyone tell me what would be the difference in terms of driving dynamics by having staggered and normal 4 the same wheel?

What are the pro and cons?

Thanks

Staggered = under-steer handling, Normal = Neutral handling

Having said that if you have staggered set-up from factory i.e. 225/40/18 Front and 255/35/18 Rear you can increase the tire size to 235(or 245)/40/18 on the front and still remain within the 3% rule to decrease understeer handling.

If you go for 245/40/18 front make sure the tire doesn't rub on the fenders lah

 

[jasonnn]

Staggered
Pros:-
Looks good, wider rear wheels.

Cons:-
can't do wheel rotation.

 

[jarance]

Staggered
Pros:-
Looks good, wider rear wheels.

Cons:-
can't do wheel rotation.

because Tyres size are different. :smokin:

 

[yee7402]

Ah! Suddenly got some quick response.. haha.. Thanks all... Am currently on 18/40/225 all round..planning to change my rubber in 2-3 weeks time and toying with the idea should I increase the rear...

Am planning to reduce from 18-17 due to harsh ride on the 18..

Will consider the 17 and staggered first than since it was mention that it will improve handling... Wonder by how much and what would the fun factor amounts to..

 

[B33mEr]

^ Uh bro ... since when anyone said staggered set-up will improve handling???

 

[jarance]

^ Uh bro ... since when anyone said staggered set-up will improve handling???

maybe because wider wheel base at the rear..:smokin:

 

[B33mEr]

maybe because wider wheel base at the rear..:smokin:

Not in the cornering and handling department bro :rock: More rubber at the rear to push but less rubber on the front to steer :wink:

 

[yee7402]

So does that means that staggered is more on aesthetic reason... and the best combination will be the normal 4 the same setup?

 

[xstatic]

•The term "staggered," when used in reference to wheels and tires, refers to having wider wheels on the back of a vehicle than are used on the front. Installing wider wheels on the back of a car is common on muscle cars, sports cars and super cars and is primarily used by manufacturers to provide additional traction at the rear while keeping the steering at the front light and responsive. Ferraris, for example, often combine wide rear tires with much narrower front tires. Installing staggered wheels is also a popular modification for cars that had the same size wheels and tires at all four corners as delivered from the manufacturer.
More Traction
•Cars that can take advantage of a staggered wheel package are generally powerful, rear-drive cars. The wider the tire can be on the back the better, since the power can be used without causing the wheels to spin. This is why horsepower-rich super cars like the Porsche 997 Turbo and Ford GT use a massive rear tire. This also helps handling, since it makes it easier to apply the power when exiting turns without causing the vehicle to power oversteer, which is where the back end comes around.
Lighter, More Responsive Steering
•By fitting a narrower tire at the front, the steering of the vehicle can potentially be lighter and more responsive as well as provide more feedback to the driver. Wider tires make a car's steering heavier and can also dull the responsive and fine feedback that is delivered to the driver. By combining narrow front tires and wider rear tires, the driver can potentially have the best of both worlds: grip from the rear for putting down the power and feedback from the front so that she is aware of what the car is doing.
Better Appearance
•Another reason for installing a staggered wheel and tire package is the more aggressive appearance that wider rear wheels and tires give a vehicle. Because the rear wheels are wide, they usually come out to the edge of the wheel arch and in turn produce a better stance, which is how the car sits visually on the road.
Can Potentially Cause Unbalanced Handling
•A potential downside to installing staggered tires is that the handling balance can become spoiled, particularly in a vehicle that does not have a chassis optimized for a staggered wheel and tire setup. Wider rear tires provide more grip than narrower front tires, which can potentially cause understeer, which is where the front tires slide towards the outside of the turn and are in effect being "pushed" by the rear tires, which are sticking better to the pavement.
Cannot Rotate the Tires
•A staggered wheel and tire package cannot be rotated, since the rears are side than the front. The wheels can only be switched from side to side on the front and back rather than from the back to the front. This can potentially have an impact on tire wear.

 

[xstatic]

Ah! Suddenly got some quick response.. haha.. Thanks all... Am currently on 18/40/225 all round..planning to change my rubber in 2-3 weeks time and toying with the idea should I increase the rear...

Am planning to reduce from 18-17 due to harsh ride on the 18..

Will consider the 17 and staggered first than since it was mention that it will improve handling... Wonder by how much and what would the fun factor amounts to..

A potential downside to installing staggered tires is that the handling balance can become spoiled, particularly in a vehicle that does not have a chassis optimized for a staggered wheel and tire setup. Wider rear tires provide more grip than narrower front tires, which can potentially cause understeer, which is where the front tires slide towards the outside of the turn and are in effect being "pushed" by the rear tires, which are sticking better to the pavement.

 

[mizhan]

staggered set up looks cool. dats why all my 3 cars are set up laidat

 

[yee7402]

Thanks Mizhan

so out of curiosity is the E46 325 consider a vehicle with a chassis optimized for a staggered wheel setup? I know the M's are but what about the normal ones..

 

[astroboy]

Looks aside, on the practical side, the only reason for a wider rear tyre set up is when u take off, u have too much rear wheel spin, have problem biting the tarmac, so u put wider rear tyres.. or when cornering, you have serious over steer problem, so u put wider rear tyres to gain extra grip. In other word, for a 6-potter BMW, most of it comes with stagger set up because if not, the rear tyre wears out fast due to its power, which drives the rear wheel.

I doubt any one would notice u have a stagger tyre set up. Many just play with rims with stagger look (different offset), yet mounting with same width tyres.

I don't like stagger tyre set up because the car is very nervous in the wet. When front tyre roll over wet surface, it actually disperse water and create a less water path for the rear tyre to roll over. It works fine with 4 wheel equal width tyre set up but when u have a wider rear tyre, the path cleared by the front tyre is not wide enough for the rear tyres to roll over, so the rear tyre has to work harder to thread water, the car felt nervous when this happen.

 

[jasonnn]

Thanks Mizhan

so out of curiosity is the E46 325 consider a vehicle with a chassis optimized for a staggered wheel setup? I know the M's are but what about the normal ones..

My E46 non M-sport 325 is on a staggered setup. Rims are from the M-sport. No significant difference to me as compared to previously's stock rims, except that it looks good with the wider rear tyre. Maybe I didn't push the car to the limits as well.. hmm.. hmm..

 

[kevster30]

Looks aside, on the practical side, the only reason for a wider rear tyre set up is when u take off, u have too much rear wheel spin, have problem biting the tarmac, so u put wider rear tyres.. or when cornering, you have serious over steer problem, so u put wider rear tyres to gain extra grip. In other word, for a 6-potter BMW, most of it comes with stagger set up because if not, the rear tyre wears out fast due to its power, which drives the rear wheel.

I doubt any one would notice u have a stagger tyre set up. Many just play with rims with stagger look (different offset), yet mounting with same width tyres.

I don't like stagger tyre set up because the car is very nervous in the wet. When front tyre roll over wet surface, it actually disperse water and create a less water path for the rear tyre to roll over. It works fine with 4 wheel equal width tyre set up but when u have a wider rear tyre, the path cleared by the front tyre is not wide enough for the rear tyres to roll over, so the rear tyre has to work harder to thread water, the car felt nervous when this happen.

Agree 100%:rock:

 

[mizhan]

Thanks Mizhan

so out of curiosity is the E46 325 consider a vehicle with a chassis optimized for a staggered wheel setup? I know the M's are but what about the normal ones..

if BMW offered staggered set up for E46 MSport like one on my 330i, who am i to argue. as such, don't see anything wrong with your 325i being similarly specced.

 

[2wenty6]

The understeer vs neutral handling tendencies will only really matter if you're doing some competitive driving (track, autocross etc). If you're just gonna daily drive your BMW and/or the occasional spirited drive, you can really go with whichever makes you feel happier.

Most rear drive cars come with wider rears as a safety design. From the factory, cars are tuned to understeer at the limit because understeer is easier to control for almost everyone. If you're going to go with a square setup, just be mindful of what might change when you break the limit of traction.

Hope that helps!

 

[gizmoz82]

mine e30 coupe also running on staggered...no issue on handling..hehe