Typical Tire Wear

3

370Z

Member
Location
Montana
I'm interested in the possibility of staggered sizing on an AWD FX. Does the AWD typically wear out back tires more quickly?

On my Z I would go through 2 sets rear for 1 set up front. Do you guys experience this with the AWD FX?

Running the numbers for a possible summer wheel/tire option, I see I could run 265/50 20 on 20x8.5, and 295/45 20 on 20x10. Overall height calcs to 30.433 and 30.453 respectively. 2 hundredths can't be significant.

The wheels I like are MRR GT1's Black. The 8.5 comes in 20, 35, and 40 offset, and the 10's come in 25 and 43 offset. Which offset?

Should I just stick with 20x10 with 295/45 20 all the way around?
 
Not too many with staggered setups with AWD systems. I would stick with the same all around. Even if you venture into staggering make sure its not too different as it will throw off the AWD system
 
Thnks. I just got back from my adventure of obtaining my FX45. Bought it on ebay last week. Silver 04 w/tech pkg. I like it. One way ticket to Chicago from Montana, via Seattle Alaska air.
Drove from Chicago to St Cloud MN same day Friday, and Saturday made it to Sidney, MT.
Drove across MT today. Average speed for over 400 miles was 78 mph, including McDee's drive thru. I drove the car for over an hour north of 110mph. Got 2 traffic citations, 1 was 95 in a 70, other 65 in 45.
Chicago area traffic sucks, just sayin.
Love my Nav.
So, inevitably I compare my FX to my Z. The Z feels fun near the limit. Still have confidence there. The FX feels sketchy near the limit.
HST, everyday driving, the FX is nice. Very Z feeling to me. Can feel the extra torque. Suspension feels good. Love the bells and whistles, the whole cockpit adjustment at startup.
Need sat radio in MT, badly. Gotta research that.
The wheels, I think the staggered setup is out. Still want springs and probably 20x9's with some different summer tires. Will run these rims with winter tires in... not summer.
 
Lowered w/ suspension mods, and your FX will transform into a real throw around toy. Stock sucks. Feels like a boat, but the beast lies whithin.
 
gto said:
Lowered w/ suspension mods, and your FX will transform into a real throw around toy. Stock sucks. Feels like a boat, but the beast lies whithin.
Click to expand...

+1 I dare say my that FX handles just as well as my G37c.... Much better than the M35 for sure (M really feels like a giant boat). Suspension mods work very nicely on the FX.
 
get some coilovers and gtspec braces and you can throw it a lot of corners if you got the ballz, you will be surprised!!! just a little uncertainty until you are in the corner.
 
fx handles really good if it's lowered & stiffened a bit, reduces a lot of body roll. when you push it hard at the limits it does understeer, but doesn't loose it's composure & is predictable with the right tires at least

as far as staggered it can be and has been done, you have to get the front & rear diameters very close & then there are no issues. I'm running 22X11" rear wheels with 22x9.5" fronts, 315/30-22" rear & a 265/35-22" front. a few guys are running GTR wheels in 20's also staggered & also AWD, the key is the tire diameter matching very close front-rear. don't just look at generic calculated diameters, look at manufacturers specs for the tire's actual diameter & revolutions per mile. a difference of .1" diameter, like 3-4 revolutions per mile is close enough to work fine.

def has good handling potential with some mods

1


far as tire wear, I've never had a set from new all the way till dead to even say for sure, but I think too many variables to say which will wear sooner, depends on alignment tire pressure & driving style more than anything else I'd say. the fx is pretty close to 50/50 weight distribution, if anything I'd say the front tires probably wear a little more than the rear, at least with aggressive driving, but for the most part most will change all 4 when there done because they wear pretty evenly front to back I think
 
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Mongolian said:
+1 I dare say my that FX handles just as well as my G37c.... Much better than the M35 for sure (M really feels like a giant boat). Suspension mods work very nicely on the FX.
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I'm surprised to hear you say RE: G37c just as well. Good to know.

Driving it some more, especially around my favorite tight radius hairpin followed by a long radius opposite corner, I think its the AWD that changes the way it feels compared to the Z.

I've experimented 100 different ways to go through these corners in my Z, and braking hard prior to entering, and hammering the throttle at *or just before* the apex of the hairpin yields the most satisfying result. The throttle brings the ass around in massive oversteer just short of drift. When I do that with the FX, I don't get that oversteer I am used to, I almost feel energy tranfer to the front outside; just so different.

But I'm wondering what strut tower and chassis braces would do to that, firm things up.
 
Be glad you don't have RWD. Bye bye rears long before fronts. I probably should have rotated more often, but that doesn't matter now. No more rotations ever for me.
 
Any strut brace, coilovers or springs, diff wheels/tires & GT Spec. That what you need. Understeer wont be corrected until the GT Braces are on. Until then, it wont have even half the potential of a Z
 
turbocad6 said:
fx handles really good if it's lowered & stiffened a bit, reduces a lot of body roll. when you push it hard at the limits it does understeer, but doesn't loose it's composure & is predictable with the right tires at least

as far as staggered it can be and has been done, you have to get the front & rear diameters very close & then there are no issues. I'm running 22X11" rear wheels with 22x9.5" fronts, 315/30-22" rear & a 265/35-22" front. a few guys are running GTR wheels in 20's also staggered & also AWD, the key is the tire diameter matching very close front-rear. don't just look at generic calculated diameters, look at manufacturers specs for the tire's actual diameter & revolutions per mile. a difference of .1" diameter, like 3-4 revolutions per mile is close enough to work fine.

def has good handling potential with some mods

1


far as tire wear, I've never had a set from new all the way till dead to even say for sure, but I think too many variables to say which will wear sooner, depends on alignment tire pressure & driving style more than anything else I'd say. the fx is pretty close to 50/50 weight distribution, if anything I'd say the front tires probably wear a little more than the rear, at least with aggressive driving, but for the most part most will change all 4 when there done because they wear pretty evenly front to back I think
Click to expand...

Thanks for your incite; and I love that track photo, very cool!

---------- Post added at 01:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:12 PM ----------
StuLax18 said:
Be glad you don't have RWD. Bye bye rears long before fronts. I probably should have rotated more often, but that doesn't matter now. No more rotations ever for me.
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yeah but with RWD I'll bet you get a lot of oversteer with the throttle which is so dang fun. I would go staggered with RWD without a doubt. For the look and performance. Why no more rotations? With staggered you don't rotate, just buy 2 sets rear for every set of fronts.

---------- Post added at 01:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:18 PM ----------
gto said:
Any strut brace, coilovers or springs, diff wheels/tires & GT Spec. That what you need. Understeer wont be corrected until the GT Braces are on. Until then, it wont have even half the potential of a Z
Click to expand...

Thanks, it really makes that much difference huh?!?
GT brace. Is that the big square structure that goes underneath?
I see a Stillen brace and an NRG brace and GT Spec, what's consensus on the way to go here?
I'm still leaning eibach springs, but see H&R makes them too.
 
On the cheap, change the springs out. go Eibach if handling is what your after. H&Rs are soft.
Stillen/NRG/GTSPEC brace in same category is a strut brace. Any strut brace will do, but neither will cure the plow.
GT SPEC makes all the stuff underneath. That's where the magic happens. Rear tie, lateral, mid ladder, front engine tie.
Mate that with a good set of wheels & tires & off you go competitively to the track
 
370Z said:
Thanks for your incite; and I love that track photo, very cool!

---------- Post added at 01:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:12 PM ----------



yeah but with RWD I'll bet you get a lot of oversteer with the throttle which is so dang fun. I would go staggered with RWD without a doubt. For the look and performance. Why no more rotations? With staggered you don't rotate, just buy 2 sets rear for every set of fronts.

---------- Post added at 01:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:18 PM ----------



Thanks, it really makes that much difference huh?!?
GT brace. Is that the big square structure that goes underneath?
I see a Stillen brace and an NRG brace and GT Spec, what's consensus on the way to go here?
I'm still leaning eibach springs, but see H&R makes them too.
Click to expand...
I have directional tires, so that plus staggered means I can't even rotate side to side.
 
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