I know I have read some different threads with regards to staggered tire sizes on coupes. Despite what seems to be the most common reason for many to want to go non-staggered, the arguement given by some about the "need" to stay with wider standing tires in the rear seems to make perfect sense to me.

Oh yeah, for those of you who might not have read the same threads I read, basically in short... some peeps want non-staggered to facilitate the rotation of tires which obviously helps out with the overall longevity of the tires, which leads to some $$$ savings in the long run. So it's said.

However though, the arguement is that staggered set up for coupes is mandated due to the ease of spinning out when opening up the throttle a bit more than the norm on a turn or curve.

Both to me, in my elementary view of the subject, sound legit.

Now my question though is this; if 245's are OEM sizes for the rear tires, wouldn't setting up the same size up on front tires keep the overall effect of the spin-out theory in the rear untouched due to the overall width of rear tire remaining the same therefore performance should remain the same with regards to traction?

Hope that question/thought made sense. I'm curious because I would like to go with a non-staggered set up if possible for a few other reasons, but dont want to ruin my overall performance with regards to safety on my car.

What do you guys think?

Thanks.

 

sure, going to the same width up front will not induce any additional traction issues on the rear, it would actually make handling better, which is why I recommend going to 245 in the front. It will reduce some of the inherent understeering and add needed grip up front. However, that is in regards to width alone. The OEM coupe setup is staggered in both width and height, and your reasoning only addresses one of those. The staggered height from front to rear also plays a role in the vehicle's overall handling dynamics. The staggered raked stance was optimized for ideal handling based on the car's weight distribution. By going nonstaggered in height by using the same tires all around, you shift the weight balance and loading of the car towards the rear which in turn will mess up the balance of the car. It can also potentially cause VDC/TCS issues since the system uses the relative rates of rotation of the front and rear axles compared to each other.

In short: nonstaggered widths with staggered height=great idea for handling(ie 245/35/19F 245/40/19R). nonstaggered widths with nonstaggered height(ie 245/40/19F 245/40/19R)=bad idea. staggered widths with nonstaggered heights(ie 245/35/19F and 275/30/19R)=even worse idea

 

Hmmmm.... I see!!!

However the varience in staggered height at this size, 245/35/19F 245/40/19R, would be soooo minimal wouldn't it? Hard to believe such minimal height difference would really negatively effect the handling.

Please note though, Im not argueing your point, God only knows I dont have the knowledge on this to do so, but again, analyzing this under an elementary mindset on this subject, it just seems hard to believe such little height difference in front vs rear tires could really make or break a handling issue. We are talkiing about something like 5mm right?

Thanks.

 

1" is hardly minimal

 

I've been driving with a non-staggered setup on my 04 Coupe for the last year with no noticeable difference in handling. I have 17" factory rims. I do not rotate due to the difference in rim widths on the factory 17s.

 

these arguments are too general.

is not only the tires and wheels it is the materials
of the tires, psi, suspension alignment, spring/damp
settings, how you drive, driving conditions, etc. etc.

the stock suspension driving on regular public roads
have A LOT of tolerance.