amw896

Hey All,

Before I get flamed let me point out that I definitely should have done my homework about staggered awd setups beforehand. So here is the scoop, I traded my 250 rear drive in for a 350awd and I transferred the staggered 19" f sport rims along with it.

Measurements for the wheels are:
19"x8" rim size front and 19"x9" rim size rear. Tires are as follows:
225/35zr19 front and 255/35zr19 rear.

So, I used a few rolling diameter calculators and it seems the diameter is over an 1" bigger in the rear (someone please chime in if my math is wrong).

The issue...
I put the rims on as soon as I got the car pretty much so I'm not sure how much wobble it had before but I can say I immediately noticed wobbles/vibrations/harsh shifts/etc. I thought it was the normal AWD issue that seems common for these cars but it seems to have gotta a bit worse at certain speeds. Anyway, I'm putting the stock 17"s back on this weekend but is there anything I can check for underneath for damage while I'm there? Also, I like the f sport rims and they need new rubs soon anyway. Can I increase the profile of the fronts to say 225/40zr19 to increase roll diameter and would this look stupid?

Thanks!

Gville350

iTrader: (10)

Just wait until after you install the factory 17s back on and report back on what you feel...if anything.

amw896

Thanks Gville....The wobble is pretty much gone and so are the harsh jerks when gears change. Man I feel pretty stupid for leaving the other tires on for that long but oh well! That said, when switching out my aftermarket rubs for the factories, I noticed the inner shoulder tread was almost toast on both sets of tires and I do have a persistent rubbing noise. I was thinking the tire could have been off balance but since its on both sets I'm now thinking my suspension might be le jacked. There is a pretty good sized gouge in the sidewall of the factory tire which leads me to think the previous owner baked a curb at some point. Any thoughts? I think the alignment is good as it doesnt pull in any direction.

minato

iTrader: (1)

you can check underneath the car if cv boots are leaking or bent in any way, if not you should be fine
CL has a tyre calculator which I have been using and has not failed me till date , I have been staggerred for awhile now and put a whole lotta km's on the car . I advice using that calc and stay with it

rubbing ? are you on stock awd height ? or car is lowered ?
did you have an alignment done after 17 install or nah ?

amw896

I checked everything when I was swapping the tyres and it all looked clean. Sorry, I mean a rubbing/whirring sound when at city speeds (~50km/h) and I have not gotten an alignment done yet. I figured the dealer would have checked all the specs when they sold it to me but it doesnt look that way....

minato

iTrader: (1)

where is the sound coming from? rear or front ? is it just rubbing ? or is there a grind to it ? does sound go when you go faster ? its not road noise right ? I would get that checked asap , how long did you drive car for with rwd staggered specs ?
also after that is checked you should get an alignment

still under warranty right ? just bug the dealer and let them have it checked

Gville350

iTrader: (10)

Definitely get that alignment done ASAP. How bad is that tire damage? Got pics?

amw896

rubbing/whirring....sounds like a un balanced tire. Yea, seems to disappear with speed. It's definitely coming from the right front tire which is wearing un-evenly on the inside shoulder. I was on the staggered set up for about 10k kilometers over about 4-5 months. Yes, still have warranty. Thanks!

amw896

It's not the worst thing I've seen but it is pretty bad. I will bring it in for an alignment asap and try to get a pic posted. Thanks again!

NYKnick101

The harsh shifting and wobbling could be because you rode with improper rolling diameter so it could have grounded down some gears on the tranny/differentials. did you get any Check AWD CEL?

You may not see a leaking on the boots but I would drain the diff fluid and see if you see any metal shavings in it. If not you may be good to go, I know some cars have diff's that can correct for any gear slipping. Do what gville says and put the OEM's on and see if the ride changes for better or worse?

If it doesn't change, I would take it to the dealer (if still under warranty) with the OEM wheels and say you got this issue going on. DON'T tell them you had staggered wheels on because then it voids the warranty and becomes an improper user error which is not covered by the warranty.

After all is said and done, fix the tires on your wheels and your good to go. front should be 225/35 rear should be 255/30. Or you can replace the front with a 225/40 but on a 19 inch wheel that might be big

amw896

Thanks man. I put the OEM's back on this past weekend. It's in for an alignment and full suspension check up as we speak so I will repost shortly about the news. Even though the oem17's look terrible on the awd, I must say the ride is much better. The wobble is still there a little bit but I think it's because my alignment must be off or something, considering the inner tread on both sets of rubs (front passenger only) is wearing crazy quick. Anyways, I'll re post with an update this afternoon. Oh, and no CEL lights were coming on.

NYKnick101

then you should be good to go as long as you get the correct tire sizes. I would do the diff fluid just as preventative maintenance though to make sure there were no metal shavings or grinding of gears. If there is none, then you should be happy that now you have clean diff oil. Clean/ fresh diff oil rides a lot smoother IMO

amw896

Good call. I'll see what they tell me today. I dropped it off for an inspection and alignment like 6 hours ago so I'm starting to get worried LOL

amw896

Here are the results of the alignment. Hopefully they did a good job - it feels a lot smoother now but it could be pure placebo LOL

Gville350

iTrader: (10)

Looks like they made the camber more "neutral" and fixed that rear toe issue to be back in spec.