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We don't know what Caddy this is. It is unlikely to have staggered sizes as OEM. I don't think even the current CTS-V has staggered front and rear wheels.
It could have different tires because two wore out first and the previous owner replaced two instead of four. They could have ruined a tire with a puncture and replaced two.
When I had a Jaguar S-type 4.0, it wore out rear tires much faster than the front. Its OEM tires were Pirelli, and I replaced the rears first with Michelin.
The 2012 CTS-V does indeed come factory with a staggered set-up, it has 255/40 R19 front and 285/35 R19 rear. Source
The 2012 CTS-V does indeed come factory with a staggered set-up, it has 255/40 R19 front and 285/35 R19 rear. Source
Well that was easy enough to determine, wasn't it?
For those who say one set wears out faster than the other on a car that uses the same size all around-you're not rotating your tires as you should be.
I have staggered size unidirectionals on my car. I'm going to have to break the fronts off their wheels and swap them side to side, due to a camber issue that has worn the inside more than the outside.
Whether this matters totally depends on what kind of Cadillac you are talking about. Assuming it is a CTS or STS, those are both RWD and while only the V models came with staggered wheels (as far as I can recall) it would not be unusual for someone to have put larger rear wheels on the car. Generally this is done to aid traction as wider wheels = better traction on a RWD car. The only time this would really be a concern is if the overall diameter of the rear wheels was significantly different from the fronts.
Well that was easy enough to determine, wasn't it?
For those who say one set wears out faster than the other on a car that uses the same size all around-you're not rotating your tires as you should be.
I have staggered size unidirectionals on my car. I'm going to have to break the fronts off their wheels and swap them side to side, due to a camber issue that has worn the inside more than the outside.
Rotating tires is not universally agreed to as mandatory. I haven't rotated tires on one of my vehicles in over 20 years. I am perfectly happy replacing two instead of four if that is what wear dictates.
We tend to wear through front tires quickly. Our roads are so bad that it is not really possible to keep a car properly aligned. Thus, you eat up front tires faster than rear. Sometimes certain sizes of tires become very very expensive. It may be they needed to replace only front or rear and the size had become prohibitvely expensive. It could also be that they had a great deal on some tires, or maybe used tires that were not the same size, but still workable.
Another possibility is that snow tires are not made in all sizes. Frequently, people think that they need snow tires only on the back (RWD) or front (FWD). They may be snow tires in the onl size that was available.
Whether this matters totally depends on what kind of Cadillac you are talking about. Assuming it is a CTS or STS, those are both RWD and while only the V models came with staggered wheels (as far as I can recall) it would not be unusual for someone to have put larger rear wheels on the car. Generally this is done to aid traction as wider wheels = better traction on a RWD car. The only time this would really be a concern is if the overall diameter of the rear wheels was significantly different from the fronts.
Since the OP is talking about an 05 Cadillac, it could then very well be that it comes staggered from the factory, if it's an STS.
Good pickup, I didn't realize the regular STS had staggered tires. If that's the car the OP has, then there's his answer. They're staggered because they're supposed to be.
Are they supposed to be different sizes?
I remember working at a dealer many years ago and once in a while if a used car came in with newish tires the boss would tell me to take off the newer tires and put old ones on the car,then he'd exchange the newer tires with brand new tires on un unsuspecting customer who just bought a new car then selling the tires off the new car as brand new.
Dealers have some very creative ways of maximizing profit.
Dealers are as dirty as can be. A ex neighbor of mine worked in the parts dept at toyota & he told me all about the thieving they did.
The 1st gen SRX came with staggered tires too. It helps create neutral handling (or more prone to understeer which is safer and more predictable for amateurs) in the cars as well, wether it is the non performance version or not. My wife's G35S sedan has them too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by steel7
Dealers are as dirty as can be. A ex neighbor of mine worked in the parts dept at toyota & he told me all about the thieving they did.
More then likely this guy was stealing from the dealer to line his own pockets and these practices weren't sanctioned by the dealer.
Last edited by Tourian; 06-01-2012 at 12:01 PM..
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