Staggered wheels...why?
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 3,142
Likes: 1
From: SE Coast FL
Staggered wheels...why?
So, whats the reason for 18 front, 19 rear if your only going to offset it with alternating tire height? There's a difference of 29mm or .14 inches overall diameter between the two.
2 hrs later I think it may have just dawned on me... is it so you can 40mm+ wider in the rear?
2 hrs later I think it may have just dawned on me... is it so you can 40mm+ wider in the rear?
Last edited by jpuli28; Nov 17, 2011 at 04:09 AM. Reason: light bulb
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 11,331
Likes: 18
From: Missouri City Texas
Why would the wheel diameter have any effect on how wide of a wheel you can run?
Turn that light bulb back off
My guess would be it's for aestethic reasons and the ability to run a taller rear tire (more contact patch/traction versus the same width tire that is shorter) without having a ton of sidewall showing.
I'm also not sure where you got a difference of .14 inches. The difference is 1.2 inches with 25.7" front and 26.9" rears.
Turn that light bulb back off
My guess would be it's for aestethic reasons and the ability to run a taller rear tire (more contact patch/traction versus the same width tire that is shorter) without having a ton of sidewall showing.
I'm also not sure where you got a difference of .14 inches. The difference is 1.2 inches with 25.7" front and 26.9" rears.
Last edited by FloydSummerOf68; Nov 17, 2011 at 08:42 AM.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 3,142
Likes: 1
From: SE Coast FL
Your guess answers the first line of your post, I think lol. It also corroborates my "dawning". As you can see, it was also 2am, I was bored.
I compared the two tires on 1010tires.com calculator.
Sometimes it is safer to keep the lights out
I compared the two tires on 1010tires.com calculator.
Sometimes it is safer to keep the lights out
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,320
Likes: 58
From: Benicia CA
why does the car come with 245's in the front and 285's in the rear? does anyone run the same width all around? i have that setup on my M3 and it made the car more neutral and more fun to drive than my C6.
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 11,331
Likes: 18
From: Missouri City Texas
Well my car runs a 345 in back...I certainly can't run that in front
I don't think it does, as the first line of my post was a facetious question.
Wheel diameter has nothing to do with wheel width and it certainly doesn't corroborate your coming to the conclusion that 18s are on front and 19s are on back is because a 40mm wider tire is on back.
Wheel diameter has nothing to do with wheel width and it certainly doesn't corroborate your coming to the conclusion that 18s are on front and 19s are on back is because a 40mm wider tire is on back.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 41,732
Likes: 1,718
From: Springfield MO
Why would the wheel diameter have any effect on how wide of a wheel you can run?
Turn that light bulb back off
My guess would be it's for aestethic reasons and the ability to run a taller rear tire (more contact patch/traction versus the same width tire that is shorter) without having a ton of sidewall showing.
I'm also not sure where you got a difference of .14 inches. The difference is 1.2 inches with 25.7" front and 26.9" rears.
Turn that light bulb back off
My guess would be it's for aestethic reasons and the ability to run a taller rear tire (more contact patch/traction versus the same width tire that is shorter) without having a ton of sidewall showing.
I'm also not sure where you got a difference of .14 inches. The difference is 1.2 inches with 25.7" front and 26.9" rears.
Last edited by JoesC5; Nov 17, 2011 at 12:57 PM.
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 3,724
Likes: 9
So, whats the reason for 18 front, 19 rear if your only going to offset it with alternating tire height? There's a difference of 29mm or .14 inches overall diameter between the two.
2 hrs later I think it may have just dawned on me... is it so you can 40mm+ wider in the rear?
2 hrs later I think it may have just dawned on me... is it so you can 40mm+ wider in the rear?
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,745
Likes: 35
From: Turlock CA
I've always thought that it may be a deal with Goodyear as, I think, only they made the EMT tires in the OEM sizes at first (in '05/06) and then, later, Michelin came out with PS's to fit -- at a much greater cost.
It's possible Goodyear cornered the market for a couple of years. I can imagine having standard "performance alignment" specs specified which are known to eat tires and are of no benefit to 95% of the owners.
In exchange, Goodyear might have supplied the factory with a real cheap price on the 1st set -- or more -- using odd size tires that could have just as easily been existing sizes.
But, I'm just feeling a little conspiratory this evening.
--Dan
It's possible Goodyear cornered the market for a couple of years. I can imagine having standard "performance alignment" specs specified which are known to eat tires and are of no benefit to 95% of the owners.
In exchange, Goodyear might have supplied the factory with a real cheap price on the 1st set -- or more -- using odd size tires that could have just as easily been existing sizes.
But, I'm just feeling a little conspiratory this evening.
--Dan
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Verdad Gallardo
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,058
Likes: 9,817
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
I remember reading about the C5 when it came out. Everything was about styling. They had a body design and the chassis and powertrain engineers had to design their respective components to fit the design. The low cowl and hood were a must and they spent a lot of money getting the engine low enough in the chassis(the ultra shallow oil pan with wings) to fit under the hood. The other was the wedge shape with the high rear end. They needed larger diameter wheels/tires in the back to keep the rear quarter panel proportions correct. The C6 was a carry over of this design, even though they raised the cowl height(and the roof height) in order to fit the larger DOHC Northstar engine under the hood for the XLR version. If you review the original C5 concept sketches, the staggered tires was really dramatic. They toned it down, a bunch, for the production version.
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