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Directional tires aren't sold because the manufacturer or dealer wants you to buy more tires. The best winter stud-less tires are directional, and so the race-car tires for driving in the rain. Also ATV and UTV mud tires are directional for a reason.
What SUV do you have that has staggered tire widths?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Electrician4you
I dont know about his but my mom went and bought a X5 last week and it has different tires front to rear. The rears are some steam roller looking tires.
I have staggered wheels on my X5 from the factory also.
I'd guess your aggressive driving did not push your vehicle far enough for the grip difference in having the tires on the wrong end of the car to really show. The suspension is designed with the tire sizing in mind to under or over steer to a certain extent as you approach the limits of maximum grip. If the tires are on the wrong end, it will make a very noticeable affect on the vehicle's behavior at the limit of adhesion.
I dont know about his but my mom went and bought a X5 last week and it has different tires front to rear. The rears are some steam roller looking tires.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SVTLightning
I have staggered wheels on my X5 from the factory also.
275-40-20 fronts
315-35-20 in the rear
Must be a BMW thing, I've had SUVs from a lot of manufacturers (GM, Jeep, Dodge, Mitsubishi, Lexus, Acura, Porsche, Mercedes) and they always have the same tires/wheels all around, even the performance variants.
I'd guess your aggressive driving did not push your vehicle far enough for the grip difference in having the tires on the wrong end of the car to really show. The suspension is designed with the tire sizing in mind to under or over steer to a certain extent as you approach the limits of maximum grip. If the tires are on the wrong end, it will make a very noticeable affect on the vehicle's behavior at the limit of adhesion.
So, the question is... how far do you need to push these tires to get an advantage? 6/10, 7/10/ 8/10, 9/10, 10/10?
How appropriate is it to push this hard on the street?
I dont know about his but my mom went and bought a X5 last week and it has different tires front to rear. The rears are some steam roller looking tires.
X5’s are notorious for eating rear tires. They’re heavily cambered.
So, the question is... how far do you need to push these tires to get an advantage? 6/10, 7/10/ 8/10, 9/10, 10/10?
How appropriate is it to push this hard on the street?
I think your really asking two questions in this. One is about whether high performance tires themselves are worth it. The other is whether it is more beneficial to have staggered sizes.
I know a fairly high level Vehicle Dynamics Engineer who absolutely hates staggered tire sizes in any application due to the increased tendency it creates for understeer. Yet engineers at other OEM's quickly go to staggered setups. So his experience and opinion is either not universally shared, or even if it is, loses out to other priorities in the setup of a performance car's handling dynamics. In that regard, whether staggered setups are worth it or not is not easily answered on an enthusiast forum when the top engineers in the industry disagree.
Now, whether high performance tires that wear out quicker than all seasons are worth it, that can be more easily answered. Yes they are, if the priority for the vehicle is to maximize grip and feel as you approach the grip limits (and want to raise those limits). Enhancing grip (whether turning, accelerating, braking, etc) with the tire compound is always a tradeoff in tire longevity vs ultimate grip. So in a car being engineered and marketed for high levels of performance as a priority, the tradeoff is going to happen.
Whether that is worth it for you is another question too, but if its not then you would want to ask yourself why bother paying extra for a high performance vehicle, if you do not want the ongoing maintenance costs for that level of performance and capability.
X5’s are notorious for eating rear tires. They’re heavily cambered.
Yeah I don’t know much about the X5. But I told her it won’t be cheap to replace anything on the car. It definitely has some get up and go. I drove it. She was test driving it when she came by. I have not takes to her but I assumed she bought it ecause her bf was yammering a mile a minute
When it comes to tires the biggest ripoff is filling them with nitrogen.
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