Staggered vs Non-staggered

[kbtitan]

Newbie question here. I was curious about what the differences are between a staggered setup and a non-staggered setup. I tried using the search but couldnt find what I was looking for so i thought id ask here.. Im looking to purchase a set of Thruxtons but can't decide whether i want 18x8 fronts and 18x9.5 rears or just 18x8 all the way around. I know having a staggered setup would prevent from being able to rotate, but is that the only disadvantage? I would much rather have the staggered setup, but if it cuts down on overall tire life too drastically then id rather avoid it. So basically, i want to know what the advantages/disadvantages are of having the staggered setup vs the normal setup. Any help is greatly appreciated!

[burnt goat]

the main issue is fender rub, with a 9.5 inch rim in the back, you will want probably a 275mm tire, this will rub on the rear fender and probably cut up the tire, so to run a staggered set up you will have to roll or cut the rear fenders. Now even with say 18X8's all around you might still have a rub due depending on the tire brand, some run wider than others, so the staggered look is much better IMO, and also provides a larger contact patch in the rear, but you have to accomidate those larger tires by altering the fender. with the non-staggered look, you might not have to mess with the fenders

[Dan00Hawk]

IMO, The extra amount you spend on a 9.5" wide wheel and corresponding tire on the rear could be spent on stickier/better tires that are all the same size and can also be rotated. Question is: Is a bigger contact patch better than a smaller stickier tire?

Just something to consider... :)

[H82GO55]

One disadvantage is not being able to rotate. My rears are starting to show some age, only had them a year basically. At the rate I'm going, I could make it to early summer before having to replace them. Fronts still look new though!

[svede1212]

there you go. i don't rotate and my rears wear out twice as fast as the fronts. i only have to buy two then :). over the years i found that when i rotated i just replaced all four at the same time and didn't really gain much in savings in tires x miles. for instance if i pay $175/tire and got 15,000 on the rears and 30,000 on the fronts i pay $1,050 for 6 tires at 30,000 miles not rotating. if i rotated i paid $700 at 22,500 miles for 4 tires and pro-rating at 30,000 i pay $933. a whopping $117 over 30,000 miles. not worth the effort and if i have alignment problems they aren't masked by the rotation. i know which wheel has the problem.

[GT086]

Also, with wider tires in the rear, there will be slightly more understeer. It probably wouldn't be noticeable to anyway but the most discerning person though.

I personally would not buy a set of wheels that weren't staggered. This car needs more rubber to get the power to the ground. You can get narrower but stickier tires but they usually are worse in the rain and wear much faster.

[Mikey340]

+1^^

[1969+37=2006]

Sticky stock size tires = fast wear out

[H82GO55]

I notice that I don't get squirlly like some do when mashing on the loud pedal. She stays pretty straight. The Toyo's are a decent tire, seem to handle very well in wet weather also.

[smokehouse]

I have a 235 front and a 275 rear. Not only does this eliminate the front strut rub issue, it gives me better grip in the rear. Personally, this car does not like 245’s in the front and I think that putting 235’s on the rear would be neutering the car (like the stock 18” 2005/2006 goats get).

I have Corvette wheels and the different offset helps in the rear, no rubbing at all with 275’s. Now, the fronts are a different story but after going to a 235, I don’t have any strut rub there either. It's a win/win.

The end product? Little notable loss in the steering department and better rear end grip. Sure, I can’t rotate the tires but my car isn’t a daily driver either.