Staggered/Offset Wheels for 2011 FX35 AWD

B

BigRed415

Member
Car
2011 FX35
Name
Harold
Hello All,

I am new to the forum scene and I could not find the exact info I was looking for on here.

I was wondering if you recommend putting staggered wheels on my AWD FX35? The place I inquired about wheels from advised me that I shouldn't put staggered wheels due to me having drivetrain and transmission issue in the future.

What are your thought or recommendations? I was looking for either a 22" or 24" set up.
 
If your tire size is under 1% difference in rolling diameter, you will not have issues with the AWD system. I ran staggered 22"s for 3 years without issue on my AWD. Just use a tire size calculator to make sure your rolling diameter is within spec. The wheel shop seems a little uninformed, the only thing that would potentially break is the transfer case. The transmission itself would not see excess wear from improper tire size. And the chances of long term damage are probably minor, if tire sizes are incorrect, the system will go crazy and basically put you in limp mode to prevent damage.

Having said that, make sure you're getting staggered wheels for a good reason. The FX can hold pretty wide wheels in front, so unless you're running 12"s in back, there's not much point in running staggered. I had 9"/10.5" wheels and got a good deal on them since they were used. But if I had to buy new, I would not buy 9"/10.5 or 9"/11", whatever the common staggered sizes are. No point in running 2" lip in front and 4" lip in back or similar. I'm running 10.5" all around now and square wheels handle better. And I get the same concaveness front and back.
 
shadow191 said:
If your tire size is under 1% difference in rolling diameter, you will not have issues with the AWD system. I ran staggered 22"s for 3 years without issue on my AWD. Just use a tire size calculator to make sure your rolling diameter is within spec. The wheel shop seems a little uninformed, the only thing that would potentially break is the transfer case. The transmission itself would not see excess wear from improper tire size. And the chances of long term damage are probably minor, if tire sizes are incorrect, the system will go crazy and basically put you in limp mode to prevent damage.

Having said that, make sure you're getting staggered wheels for a good reason. The FX can hold pretty wide wheels in front, so unless you're running 12"s in back, there's not much point in running staggered. I had 9"/10.5" wheels and got a good deal on them since they were used. But if I had to buy new, I would not buy 9"/10.5 or 9"/11", whatever the common staggered sizes are. No point in running 2" lip in front and 4" lip in back or similar. I'm running 10.5" all around now and square wheels handle better. And I get the same concaveness front and back.
Click to expand...

Hey Shadow,

Just to confirm, I can run 20x9.5+45 and with rears 20x10.5+30, tires would be front 265/50/25, rear 295/45/20 without any issues on 2012?

thanks!
 
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