young768 Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 What has been your experience with staggered wheel setups on the Shelby GT regarding how it has affected the handling of the car? Did you need to make any corrections to the alignment of the front to handle understeer or possibly oversteer problems? I have 20x9 on the front and 20x10 on the rear and although I like the look, I cannot decide if it has hurt the handling of the car. It does feel different but I am not sure what has changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccsl7578 Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 I'm also interested in this.... I would like to upgrade to 18x9.5 wheels all around or 18x9 in the front and 18x10 in the rear. For those of you that autocross/track your cars, are you better running say 275's all around or going larger on the rear. Also is a 295 too wide for a 9.5 wheel for autocrossing? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voodoo Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 Drastic improvement on the handling of my car. tires make a big difference too. Nothing like burning through the curves of the South Texas Hill Country!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Braaaaaaaaaaaaaap!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voodoo Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 I'm running 20x9 and 20x10 with 245s up front and 275s out back. Very nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EL SHELBY Posted May 10, 2012 Report Share Posted May 10, 2012 There is more to consider than staggered width, such as tire height. Most professional race cars run a staggered width wheels/tires but have identical or nearly identical height. The Mustang naturally pushes thru the corners which can be exaggerated by wider rear tires. This can be compensated thru suspension set-up and tire pressure. The only way to truly know what works best to establish balanced handling is thru trial and error. For the casual track junking I wouldn't concern myself with the effects of staggered wheels/tires. Frankly, and not that it will handle poorly, but running a 20" wheel and low profile tire on the track will effect your handling and braking more than the staggered width. I chose to go with same size wheels and tires at all four corners not so much for handling but for tire life. Running a soft NT05 275/40/18 on 18x9 wheels allows me to rotate all four which helps me extend the life of the tire for both street and track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagleridge4 Posted May 11, 2012 Report Share Posted May 11, 2012 I ran 285/35/20 and 315/30/20 staggered R888's last year on 9.5 and 11.0 inch wide wheels and the car handled great on road courses. Have changed to 265/35/19 and 295/30/19 on 9 and 10 inch wide rims this year to get a wheel that would clear big rear brakes without spacers. As long as the stagger is not too great (I'd keep it within 3 sizes) and the rest of your suspension is setup correctly the extra tire in the back is nice to have. That said, some people prefer to have them all the same to better manage tire wear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voodoo Posted May 11, 2012 Report Share Posted May 11, 2012 Just drive it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccsl7578 Posted May 11, 2012 Report Share Posted May 11, 2012 I saw a 2007 GT500 recently at a car show that was running 18x9 with 275's up front and 18x10 with 295's on the rear and it looked awesome! The 295 sidewall was a little bulged on the 10" wheel, probably should have been on an 11" wheel? But if I can run a 295 on a 10" wheel that would be great... and I wouldn't have to have it widened! Mine is a 07 SGT. Thanks Guys for your input! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
young768 Posted May 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2012 Thanks for everyone's feedback. I love the look on the car but as I said something just felt funny to me. After seeing what others are running for tire sizes I think my problem is the front tire is a little too narrow compared to the rear. I never liked the way the front tires looked on the rim and had planned on changing them out. From what I am learning, I think that should solve my problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2007_Shelby_GT Posted May 13, 2012 Report Share Posted May 13, 2012 18 X 9 on the front, 18 X 10 on the rear for me - American Muscle "Anthracite" Bullits with Nitto 555 tires, (size 255/40 front, 275/40 rear). I like the way this combo fills the wheel wells and the stock ride/handling hasn't been compromised. Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry T Posted May 13, 2012 Report Share Posted May 13, 2012 255 and 295 here ... love the way they look and feel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Patten Posted May 14, 2012 Report Share Posted May 14, 2012 IMO ,If you are still using the basic suspension style components and are looking for a staggered setup I've used an 18x9 on front with a 255/45-18 tire and a 18x10 on back with a 285/40-18 tire but there are a very limited tire brand selection available. You want to have a tire that has a sectional width that is one inch wider than the rim width to place the tire sidewalls parallel to each other . On my personal car I run a 275/40-18 on a 18x9.5 wheel on all 4 corners which allows me to rotate (helps them last longer) , reduced the understeer and adjust/balance out the handling at different tracks by adjusting tire pressures. Also to mention with equal size wheels and tires comes a consistant wheel/tire weight factor on the unsprung weight factor. From what I've been told the S197 platform was originally designed with a 19 inch diameter in mind. I've also used the 19x9 wheels on front with a 255/40-19 Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 and rear 19x10 wheels with a 295/35-19 PS2 tire and I got to say that car not only drove nice , it handled great and looked killer. I used the Saleen 5 spoke wheels with that but , they are heavy. I'm sure if you have gone with a SLA front suspension ($$$$$) and a rear with relocated shock (and bumpstop) mod you can squeeeeeze in more tire . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WYTSNKE Posted May 14, 2012 Report Share Posted May 14, 2012 18 X 9 on the front, 18 X 10 on the rear for me - American Muscle "Anthracite" Bullits with Nitto 555 tires, (size 255/40 front, 275/40 rear). I like the way this combo fills the wheel wells and the stock ride/handling hasn't been compromised. Sam I'm running an almost identical setup as Sam, with the only difference being 255/45-18 (front) and 285/40-18 (rear) tires, and handling is both sharp and predictable on my '07 Shelby GT (fairly neutral handling at the limits with a hint of understeer). The only non-stock suspension modification that I have is Steeda chrome moly rear lower control arms to manage wheel hop. It's interesting to note that professional autocrossers -- for example, Sam Strano (2007, 2008, and 2009 SCCA F-stock National Champion in an '07 Shelby GT) -- prefer to run a "squared" wheel / tire combination for the best handling. Sam typically ran 315/30-18 Hoosier A6's on Enkei 18 x 10.5's with a 45mm offset. Yet, stock Shelby GTs seem to handle incrementally better with staggered tires per Motor Trend testing. 2007 Shelby GT Bullitt 18 x 8.5 in, cast aluminum wheels 235/50ZR18 97W M+S BFGoodrich G-Force T/A KDWS tires Lateral acceleration -- 0.91 g (avg) Figure eight -- 25.7 sec @ 0.72 g avg Reference -- "First Test: 2007 Ford Shelby GT" located at http://www.motortren...gt/viewall.html 2008 Shelby GT/SC American Racing Razor Series 20 x 9.0 in, cast aluminum wheels 265/35 Nitto NT555 tires 0.92 g (avg) 25.4 sec @ 0.73 g (avg) Reference: "Tuners: 2008 Shelby GT/SC" located at http://www.motortren...8_shelby_gt_sc/ 2008 Shelby GT-C American Racing Razor Series 20 x 9.0 in, cast aluminum wheels 255/35R20 97Y; 275/35R20 102Y Pirelli PZero tires (staggered setup) 0.97 g (avg) 24.9 sec @ 0.76 g (avg) Quote: From straight lines to curves, the GT-C continued to excel. Reynolds notes, "The Shelby's superior 0.97 g and 24.9-second figure-eight time are indicative of the commendable chassis tuning. That said, it does get upset by mid-corner bumps and is more prone to oversteer." Reference -- "Comparison: 2008 Roush Stage 2 Mustang vs. 2008 Saleen S281-3V Mustang vs. 2008 Shelby GT-C Mustang" located at http://www.motortren...st/viewall.html Note: Different types of tires are used in each article, which has a significant impact on handling and cannot be accounted for in the results. Bottom line: Run staggered wheels / tires primarily for the aesthetics, but at the same time the combination appears to more enhance than handicap handling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank S Posted May 14, 2012 Report Share Posted May 14, 2012 "The conclusion is based on experiments incorporating design/execution flaws that corrupted the data, but believe it anyway"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WYTSNKE Posted May 15, 2012 Report Share Posted May 15, 2012 I do believe that the information is still pertinent / useful, despite the different tire types used in the articles (I imagine there's a good reason Shelby American went with the staggered tires on the normally aspirated GT-C in the third article), and I've been more than pleased with the handling provided by the staggered setup on my Shelby GT. Per the bottom line indicated in my post: "Run staggered wheels / tires primarily for the aesthetics, but at the same time the combination appears to more enhance than handicap handling." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccsl7578 Posted May 15, 2012 Report Share Posted May 15, 2012 It looks like the biggest advantage to running the same size wheel & tire front & back is being able to rotate the wheels/tires to even out wear. Which is important, it just looks so much better with the wider rear wheel/tires! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WYTSNKE Posted May 15, 2012 Report Share Posted May 15, 2012 ... it just looks so much better with the wider rear wheel/tires! Exactly! It's the main reason people go with the staggered wheels / tires... B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GT500-2007 Posted May 15, 2012 Report Share Posted May 15, 2012 18 X 9 on the front, 18 X 10 on the rear for me - American Muscle "Anthracite" Bullits with Nitto 555 tires, (size 255/40 front, 275/40 rear). I like the way this combo fills the wheel wells and the stock ride/handling hasn't been compromised. Sam I like this post...the picture is from last year's Sebring Event and that's me sucking down Sam's exhaust after he passed me....another picture of defeat to add to my collection.... On a serious note though has anyone run the 285/40-18 Nitto NT-01 (or a similar track duty tire) on all four corners of the GT500 and if so how did that work out? Some have said that the wider tire upfront helps with the braking and turn in especially with the added front end weight for the GT500...not to hijack the thread but just trying to see if there is any truth to what I was told or if the staggered setup is the better route (beyond the aesthetic issue). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mywickedshelby Posted May 15, 2012 Report Share Posted May 15, 2012 255 and 295 here ... love the way they look and feel. me too.......18x9 in front, 18x10 in rear.....GT4 wheels....love the set up .....and the Nitto Invos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGT0225 Posted May 16, 2012 Report Share Posted May 16, 2012 me too.......18x9 in front, 18x10 in rear.....GT4 wheels....love the set up .....and the Nitto Invos! Wider rear tires reduces tire spin under hard acceleration, and in a turn there is more rubber on the ground keeping you from a nasty spin out. It is a very safety concious decision. There was no other way. Who wants to rotate tires anyway? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyGJ Posted June 1, 2012 Report Share Posted June 1, 2012 I sure would like to upgrade my ride to a set of 19 inch rims, but not much out there that looks great for our SGTs. In the 20 inch, I do like the CS40s and CS69s, but don't like the narrow tire profiles you get with the 20's...trying to find a happy medium (19s)...and the $$$ to buy them!! Andy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Patten Posted June 1, 2012 Report Share Posted June 1, 2012 Saleen Speedlab still has some 5 spoke chrome or silver 19" wheels - 9" wide fronts and 10" wide rears . Check em out . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EL SHELBY Posted June 1, 2012 Report Share Posted June 1, 2012 Exactly! It's the main reason people go with the staggered wheels / tires... B) Better yet, go with four W-I-D-E wheels and tires. The 302R wears 18x10 on all four corners. More rubber, better balance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greaser Posted June 1, 2012 Report Share Posted June 1, 2012 I'm running 20x9 and 20x10 with 245s up front and 275s out back. Very nice. Same and it works great for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Patten Posted June 2, 2012 Report Share Posted June 2, 2012 I support El Shelby , Sam Strano and others on the square set up and no I'm not interested in a years subscription of your magazine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SGT3477 Posted March 24, 2013 Report Share Posted March 24, 2013 time to revive an old one... http://www.americanmuscle.com/black-shelbyrazor-18x10-0513.html?source=igodigital&utm_source=bm23&utm_medium=email&utm_term=iGoRecommendations&utm_campaign=TRIGG+Category+Abandon&utm_source=bm23&utm_medium=email&utm_term=All+Dynamic+Links&utm_content=&utm_campaign=TRIGG+Category+Abandon&_bta_tid=3.LYg.BzJ1jg.DfZV.3wPY..AW7d0g.g....b.UU7ocw.UU7ocw.EufSWg&_bta_c=du8yjoccdrpv1p2v0qtb1bvmbquo0 is there "Any" reason "not" to run these on all four corners of the car? and if its OK, what the best size tire to "fill in" and not rub? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
young768 Posted March 24, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2013 The reason I went with the 20"s was to fit the Baer Brakes. I did go with a staggered setup as I liked the look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IASHELBYGT Posted March 25, 2013 Report Share Posted March 25, 2013 I got the new Shelby Alcoas and I think I'm going to run 20 X 9 on all 4 corners with 255 35ZR 20 Michilen Super Sports. I need the 20's for the big brakes, but am thinking there is some benefit to being able to rotate the tires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Rodgers Posted March 25, 2013 Report Share Posted March 25, 2013 I got the new Shelby Alcoas and I think I'm going to run 20 X 9 on all 4 corners with 255 35ZR 20 Michilen Super Sports. I need the 20's for the big brakes, but am thinking there is some benefit to being able to rotate the tires. I love those CS66's, to me they look better than the Alcoa's, but it is good to change things up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry T Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 I run CS56 rims with Nitto 255/35/20 and 295/35/20 and love them !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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