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to stagger wheels or not?

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Old 03-03-2010, 12:38 PM
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Default to stagger wheels or not?

hello all track expert, i'm new to RWD and s2k. i'm going to purchase some new rims soon, and i want my car to handle well and neutral on the track.

for AP2:

should i go for
17x8 + 45 for front and 17 x 9 + 45 rear ?
or
17 x 9 +45 all around?

i know the OEM set up is stagger, but i'm not sure if i should keep a stagger set up for my aftermarket wheels to get the best for tracking. or get more width in the front?

thanks all!
Old 03-03-2010, 12:53 PM
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If you have little to no experience with tracking and/or performance RWD cars, I'd recommend you take it nice and easy, and keep the staggered setup. Why not go with 235/40R17 and 255/40R17 on 17x9 all around, and once you get a hang of things, and by the time your front tires wear out, you can move on to non-stagger?

This can be done as easily as replacing the worn 235/40R17 tires with 255/40R17. If your front tires wear out quicker than the rears for some reason, you can use the old rear tires in the front, and use the fresh tires in the rear.
Old 03-03-2010, 01:09 PM
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When you change the sizes of the tire contact patches, the balance of the car changes. If you go non-staggered, you'll have to do some suspension work to rebalance the car.

It's a can of worms.
Old 03-03-2010, 01:13 PM
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And if it wasn't clear, you can have nonstaggered wheels and staggered tires.
Old 03-03-2010, 01:38 PM
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Originally Posted by CKit,Mar 3 2010, 05:13 PM
And if it wasn't clear, you can have nonstaggered wheels and staggered tires.
Old 03-03-2010, 04:54 PM
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Originally Posted by VitaRenovatio,Mar 3 2010, 01:53 PM
If you have little to no experience with tracking and/or performance RWD cars, I'd recommend you take it nice and easy, and keep the staggered setup. Why not go with 235/40R17 and 255/40R17 on 17x9 all around, and once you get a hang of things, and by the time your front tires wear out, you can move on to non-stagger?

This can be done as easily as replacing the worn 235/40R17 tires with 255/40R17. If your front tires wear out quicker than the rears for some reason, you can use the old rear tires in the front, and use the fresh tires in the rear.
thats a good idea changing wheels is a PIA. 235/255 is a nice you don't have to mess with swaybars and springs you can just get on with driving

Old 03-03-2010, 08:46 PM
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You might want to consider a wing as well if you are going non stagger.
Old 03-03-2010, 09:21 PM
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Considering that you're new to RWD, I would just get some good tires on the stock wheels and have some fun.
Old 03-04-2010, 12:49 AM
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thx everyone for the valuable input.

but just curious, isn't running a 235 tire on a 9" wide rim not the optimum size and cause the tire to stretch a bit thus not perform well?

or is the stretch not significant? (unlike those people who slam their car and run 215 tires on 10" wide rims?

thanks!
Old 03-04-2010, 03:10 AM
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Rim width range for a 235/40-17 is 8" - 9.5".
Rim width range for a 255/40-17 is 8.5" - 10".

235/40-17 fronts and 255/40-17 rears on 9" wheels all around is no problemo.


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