Hello all, I am considering some new wheels for my Limited Coupe. They are currently factory staggered, and I was wondering if anyone has gone to standard/same size wheels all around to appropriate proper ability to rotate and balance etc? If so, how big did you go on your wheels. Any other thoughts on it?

Any help appreciated, and Merry Christmas!

Jason Kerr

 

Moved to appropriate forum

At least a few have gone to 18" all around, but not so much to rotate tires. Personally, I see no reason to rotate tires on a car that gets, at most, 18 to 22 thousand miles on a set of tires, and neither did the manufacturer.

Also, your tires are likely unidirectional, so to rotate you are going to be moving tires from wheel to wheel - seems like asking for trouble to me.

You bought a sports car, not a grocery getter or work truck. I"ve had three roadsters over twelve years, I've never rotated tires. If I drive like my grandmother would, I can get 30,000 or so miles on a set.
The way I drive it, I get 12,000 to 18,000. By the time I am down to wear marks, yes, the tires wear unevenly, but not enough that rotation will deliver more than maybe 3000 more miles. I rotate my truck's tires, but not the Crossfires.

 

I have seen several with 18 all around. The problem is the offset from front to rear. The rears will be tucked way under the quarter panel and very unattractive. Could spacers on the rear help, not sure.

 

I think John (BoilerUpXfire) ran 19s all around on that base he had. But curiously, he did not do that on the new(er) Graphite limited.
It would be interesting to ask him why he didn't - I'd bet it was a performance/handling thing.

 

I was wrong, it was 20's. I asked John and he said:

Hey Mark! I ran 20s all the way around on the base coupe and that's what I blame for the accident. The front tires were so such low profile when I lost pressure it basically threw me off the road. It was all cosmetic. I really think the staggered sizes do set the car off, I'm running Mercedes AMG 18/20 stagger now on lowered suspension and love it, looks and handling.

You can't change wheel/tires sizes and not change the way the car acts - the wheels and tires are ALL that contacts the road surface.

 

I have not done this but it seems to me if you bought tires with symetrical tread patterns you could demount, rotate them then remount them for maximum life. I agree with Pizzguy our xfires by design were never intended to be used as commuters. My xfire is my fun and enjoyment outlet. Many people stop me and comment how much they like the car and are especially surprised when they find out its age. The different size wheels and suspension system were implemented for technical reasons.

 

There are 4 tire tread patterns when considering tires for any car: Directional (Unidirectional), Symmetrical, Asymmetrical, & Directional/Asymmetrical. I'm not in favor of mounting a Directional Tire (Unidirectional or Asymmetrical) because any amount of rotation calls for unmounting & remounting the tire unless you run the same wheel/tire size on all fours (like your consideration) which would allow you to rotate front to back & vice-versa. I don't see the benefit. And to dismount, remount & re-balance the wheel/tire is a cost that far exceeds any benefit you might get from being able to rotate side-to-side. In addition, the extra handling of the wheels being removed & relocated to another location just creates the possibility of additional wear & tear on alloy wheels. Not many tire shops will take the care to handle the wheels properly.

That leaves Symmetrical & Asymmetrical tires as your most reasonable options:

Asymmetrical - Asymmetrical tire tread, most commonly found on sports cars (Crossfire), is a bit of hybrid in that it combines a variety of tread patterns for maximum grip on both wet and dry roads. Usually, the inside and middle parts of the tire will be designed for wet and/or winter traction (all-weather design) while the outside of the tire will have large tread blocks for maximum cornering capability on dry surfaces. To ensure that the tires are positioned correctly on the car (to maximize handling capabilities), the sidewalls are marked "outside only" and "inside only." With the staggered wheel/tire setup on the Crossfire, you could at least rotate front side-to-side & rear side-to-side to possibly improve tire wear. I have these on my Coupe but I've never rotated the tires. I won't take the chance of damaging the wheel when removing & re-mounting side-to-side. And I know I'm careful but **** happens!

Symmetrical - Symmetrical tire tread has the same pattern – continuous grooves and/or independent lugs – across the whole tire. This type of tire is the most common and found on most non-high-performance passenger cars because it is typically quiet and long-lasting. Symmetrical tires can be rotated in many different ways, which helps to prolong the life of the tires and makes them more versatile. (Note: This only is a benefit if the same wheel/tire setup exists at all four locations, which is typical of the "non-high-performance passenger car".)

Whichever tire design you choose, then add whether the tire is designed for summer or all-weather use. The summer-use tire will typically be a softer tread compound for maximum grip (performance-oriented), and gets less mileage life than the all-weather tire. Another dsign consideration is the speed rating of the tire. In the "good old USofA", you can mount any speed rated tire on a car but in Europe & many other countries, if the car is capable of say 155 mph max speed (Crossfire design), the tires have to be rated for that! Makes sense, but not where I live!

I've told others this story but I will share it with you. When I found my Crossfire, it was on a Mercury/Mitsubishi dealer's lot in KCMO. Was visiting parents at the time and saw the Crossfire on the lot as I drove by on my way from MCI to parent's house. When I went back to look the Crossfire over, I ended up asking the salesman how they came by the car since it only had 1500 miles on the ODO. He told me the original owner complained about the ride of the Crossfire - said it drove like a sports car! When he was asked what he thought he had purchased, he said he thought it was a CHRYSLER!

Others have chimed in about tire wear & I'm pretty much aligned with their positions. You'll probably not get much more than 30-35k from a set of tires if they are quality tires from a reputable manufacturer (and that doesn't mean expensive tires). The Crossfire is a sports car and for quite a few of us, it is driven as such. No different than the Owners of Corvettes, Porsches, etc. Not many owners I know of those sports cars trying to make their cars drive like the family cruiser!

So much for this being a Quick Reply!

 

Dedwards your points are all good ones. My suggestion is directed at our xfires having factory wheels, 18" fronts & 19" rears and mounted with symmetrical tread tires. Taking this as a given the only way tire wear can be optimized is by demounting and remounting. The rears, as you know, will encounter uneven wear which demounting, and remounting will help to compensate for. Personally, I am not interested in going through this exercise. I will just replace the tires when it is time.

 

Great and needed info! Huge thanks.

 

How many come on her complaining about the ride? IMO, we should tell them, "Sell me your car and go be happy".

Quote:

The Crossfire is a sports car and for quite a few of us, it is driven as such. No different than the Owners of Corvettes, Porsches, etc. Not many owners I know of those sports cars trying to make their cars drive like the family cruiser!

Post of the day.

 

Almost peed my pants laughing on this one. HAHAHAHAHAHA!