what's the verdict? has anyone done this before? my last awd i didn't stagger, but i've seen mixed reports. does anyone know the impact of doing this?

 

plenty of people with gs350awd and is250awd with staggered setup, no problem. key is to maintain the overall rolling diameter very close between front and rear

 

I don't think staggering with AWD is a good idea.
BMW,Lexus etc stagger their sport model non AWD's but don't with the AWD's but I guess some other auto companies may.
I think driving on wet icy roads and snow would cause a problem.

 

i'm sorta reluctant to stagger also. but looking for the same size rim all around w/ the right offset is proving to be a PITA.

 

If you find the right set up,you can have staggered set up for 8-9 months and then get snow tires on the stock rims for winter use.Although we don't usually get that much snow,it's nice having the extra traction when we do.

 

that's sort of what i did on my fx. still didn't stagger tho. the RX is the daily and i haul my wife and kids around in em. i'd hate for something unexpected to happen and i'm not around. i think i'm going to stay the same size all around.

i was looking at mrr h2s and they do 8.5x35. from what i've been reading the front should be flush and the rear off by around ~20mm?

 

Nice wheel and easy to clean too.

 

yeah my wife and i are big 5 spoke fans. previous cars:





i wasn't even remotely thinking about getting wheels (i'm still reluctant to increase the noise), but as i was signing the papers the missus what kinda rims we were getting.

 

like i said, as long as rolling diameter is close, no problem. awd is done by traction, nothing to do with width of tires. tons of audi quattro cars on staggered setup, never heard a problem. asked wheel expert before as well, not a problem. key is always on the diameter, if they are off much, then that's treated as "slip" causing the awd to overwork.

quite a few gs350awd with staggered never a problem. a few people got the wrong tires and immediate awd malfunction.

if in the snow, the wider tires in the back grab but the front don't (or vise versa), then it's the time for awd to kick in anyway?

 

what would be considered close? 1%? 0.5%? i'm a few months off before i decide on a set, but it's good to know i have *some* options.

 

That may be true Henry,but why does BMW and now the IS350 go from a staggered to a non staggered set up with the AWD?

 

no one will ever be able to tell you the exact %, but for example, if you do 245/35/20 and 285/30/20 (this is setup for gs), you are totally fine. but someone accidentally did 245/30/20 and 285/30/20 and it triggers error right the way

joe, if you look on lexus website, for all is with staggered setup, the front and rear rolling diameters are not the same. the rear has larger rolling diameters compared to the front. i don't think lexus awd was ever offered with staggered setup

for bmw, i can't find any information. bmwusa.com actually shows the same size tires on all their 3 series, and i can't seem to find any sport package info with staggered wheel setup.

if look at the industry, porsche awd on the 911 turbo with staggered wheel setup. lamborghini awd on their cars and staggered wheel setup. although awd system itself can be different, but the theory is the same. they base on slips to determine distribution of power. if the wheels aren't slipping, it doesn't matter on the width. at least that's how i understand it

 

Makes sense,I guess it's fine!

 

ok, i will put on my lawyer outfit and say i hold no responsibility

but seriously, if today i get an audi s5, i will do staggered