Destaggering. Is that even a word?

[wattsmonkey]

Hey chaps,

I have staggered 16" Hartges on the M, fronts 7.5", et 13; rear 8.5", et 25.

When fitted to the e24, they should have 225/50 on the front and 245/45 on the rear.

This is what I ran on my 635 for a while, but I was never completely happy with the rear setup and with staggered wheels in general having found I preferred the car on a square set.

So, what I'm wondering is this: should I fit the same size (225/50) tyres to the rear with a 12mm spacer, making a sort-of square set? The only difference will be the wider wheel, the offset will be the same.

Is this a bad idea? Eibach spacers are relatively cheap: the cost of a new tyre with the longer bolts.

Thoughts appreciated,

Rob

I have a spare set of Hartges, so I could make a true square set, but they need a refurb and time's of the essence.

[sansouci]

Square tires? What a great idea!

[wattsmonkey]

It is...but if you leave the car standing for too long they go round!

[Brucey]

one of the virtues of running the same tyres all round is that if they are fitted to the same rims, too, you can swap the rears for the fronts, i.e. rotate the wheels.

IME when everything is set up right the fronts wear on the shoulders and the rears wear in the middle, so tyre rotation can keep everything sweet. Or sweeter, for longer, anyway.

When I ran a staggered set I didn't get anywhere near the full life from the tyres in good part because I couldn't rotate them in the usual way.

On the E24 the rear track is wider than the front anyway, but spacing the rear wheels out a bit more probably won't hurt, although with those 8.5" et25 rims you will lose the ability to rotate tyres/wheels front to rear.

If you use the same tyres and the same rims front and rear (7.5" et13) then you can rotate the tyres/wheels in the normal way. It would leave you with an odd set of 8.5" rims though....

cheers

[wattsmonkey]

Thanks Brucey,

Sets of the rears fit five-stud e30s, obviously meaning M3s or converted cars, but it's a limited market. I'm tempted to try it in any case.


The other factor is the dearth of 245/45/16 tyres available

[wattsmonkey]

Spacers trial-fitted today - extremely good fit, made by Bimecc.