Why do I care? I dont neccesarily want staggered, but the rims I'm getting turn out to be staggered. I really wanted the M45 rims, so much so that I neglected to check for such a thing like if they're staggered. So will I keep them, or move on?

I've searched this forum and several others to try to get a definitive answer on the issue. At first I couldn't even understand why different widths would matter. From what I gather, more traction in the back would cause more stress on the diff for one. I also read that wider tires will be taller, even if the measurements are the same. Are these the issues here?

How much stress does it really put on the diff? Some people make it sound like the worse thing you could ever do to it, while others say the effect is minimal as the AWD is full of fancy technology and gadgets.

I've read about a few members who've been driving staggered without pulling the fuse... Any follow up here? Alls well? I don't want to pull the fuse, because really, thats not why I got an X.

The widths are 225 and 245. Someone had just said to run a 245 on the 225. Any reason why that wouldn't work?

If I were to do some damage to the diff, would I be able to drive into the dealer, as in after I've thrown the stocks back on to get in on the warranty that I paid so dearly for?

Thanks in advance for any input, I've already learned alot here just by reading and good ol' searchin'.

Running different width tires shouldnt be much of an issue, its overall diameter thats important.

I don't think anyone really knows how dangerous it is to run different diameter front to back. It would put stress on the diff mostly from 0-15mph when the from wheels are being powered ~40%. After that the car should be rwd.

Running wider in the rear shouldnt hurt anything as long as front and back both have the same overall diameter.

That really depends on the make and model of the tires...

Correct a mundo! As long as the circumference of the front and back tires are the same, you are OK. You don't' want to run different sizes because of the center diff. It will over heat if you run it too long. Same goes for different sizes on left right (donut spare), only put as many miles as needed to get it back to normal or the diff will suffer.

Yep that's why our X's come with a full-size spare. I would suggest just buying 19" rims and starting fresh with a new set of 245/40/19 tires all around
edit: this is assuming you're going with 19s

I like the idea of fresh tires all around. Will 245s on a 225 rims look awkward at all?

Heres the ones I'm waiting for btw.

running staggered should be fine as long as your rolling diameter is within within 1% difference