3.3TT Different Tire Width in Front and Rear

[Stoicc]

I have just purchased some new rims for my AWD GT Stinger and I was wondering if there was anything bad about having different tire widths on the front and back?

My current tires are for the stock stinger rims and they are 255/35/ZR19 on both front and rear. I have 20x9 front rims and 20x10.5 rear rims. I'm looking at getting 255/30/20 front and 285/30/20 rear but didn't know if there was a problem with just the rear tires being wider than the front tires in an AWD car.

Will these work? Do I need different sizes all around or is it just fine to go ahead and purchase these tires?

 

[MerlintheMad]

Assuming that they fit without rubbing, having wider tires in the rear will reduce this car's tendency to oversteer. Once you've passed the "sweet spot", going yet wider in the rear will bring on understeer. Other than that, I don't believe that AWD induces any particular concerns with having wider rear tires than the front tires. After all, the OE setup is half an inch wider in the rear as it is.

 

[Oryan]

I think the only issue with AWD is that it may be more finicky with the differences in rolling diameter front to rear. Aside from that I don't think anything on the car would notice or care. On that note, you may wanna go with 245/35/20 front as that is nearly identical in rolling diameter/height to your 285/30/20 rears. I don't see why 255 wouldn't work without doing some math or pulling up some tire size site thingy but I know for a fact that 245/35 is dead on with 285/30 as that's what I used to help make the choice for my setup.

 

[Stoicc]

@Oryan Did you have any fitment issues like fender rubbing? Or did you offset the tires?

 

[Luc343]

The rolling diameter needs to be the same for both the front and back on AWD stingers, otherwise the car has problems. There are posts I have read that people had problems because of different rolling diameters from front to back. I think they ended up changing their wheels to fix the problem.

 

[Oryan]

@Oryan Did you have any fitment issues like fender rubbing? Or did you offset the tires?

245 and 285 width tires will fit under a Stinger just fine. What's gonna matter are the offsets of the wheels. The fronts need enough backspacing to clear the brakes and still not rub. Offsets in the low-mid 30s seems to work pretty well. Rear clearance should be less of an issue; there's miles of room back there for higher offsets but if your offsets are too low you may run into rubbing issues. My sizes and offsets are in my signature and I'm on lowering springs and I have yet to see or hear any signs of rubbing after over a year of driving on them.

 

[Stoicc]

@Oryan Can you post a or send me a pic of your car and wheels? I'd love to see what it looks like since we have the same Aurora black Stinger and most of our build will be about the same. Thanks!

 

[AWDGT2]

To your initial concern, the only downfall I see is you still don't have the ability to rotate. AWD Stinger burn through rears 2x faster, why??? I have no idea, LOL but I'm living it now. I opted for 8.5" on all 4 corners, having rear tires go bald 10k before the fronts was enough for me to make that decision.

 

[Montanaman]

The GT1 AWD I just got comes stock with wider rear tires so I don't understand the question.

 

[Stoicc]

The GT1 AWD I just got comes stock with wider rear tires so I don't understand the question.

My GT2 didn't come with wider rear tires. Therefore I didn't know if staggered wheels on AWD would cause any issues.

 

[MerlintheMad]

My GT2 didn't come with wider rear tires. Therefore I didn't know if staggered wheels on AWD would cause any issues.

I thought that was answered above and elsewhere: the OE staggered setup deliberately has wider rear wheels (by only half an inch), when equipped with Michelin Pilot Sport summer tires, like my AWD does. The only issue is rear tread wear, which cuts the treadlife warranty in half.

 

[colnago1331]

The GT1 AWD I just got comes stock with wider rear tires so I don't understand the question.

My 2021 GT AWD also came stock with different tire sizes - 255/35 rear and 225/40 front.

I thought that was answered above and elsewhere: the OE staggered setup deliberately has wider rear wheels (by only half an inch), when equipped with Michelin Pilot Sport summer tires, like my AWD does. The only issue is rear tread wear, which cuts the treadlife warranty in half.

Mine came with the all-season grand touring tires - Michelin Primacy Tours.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Mine came with the all-season grand touring tires - Michelin Primacy Tours.

Kia has changed how they equip the AWD cars. Is your A/S setup squared or staggered?

 

[colnago1331]

Kia has changed how they equip the AWD cars. Is your A/S setup squared or staggered?

See above. Staggered from the factory - 255/35 rear and 245/40 front.

 

[Montanaman]

My AWD GT1 also came with the Michelin Primacy tires ( staggered) and I'm happy about that. The PS4's are a better track, high speed tire but they are a "summer tire" and operating below temps of 40 degrees is not optimal. I had them on my Corvette and changed them out immediately as I will be driving occasionally at lower temps. KIA did the right thing with the AWD model.

 

[colnago1331]

My AWD GT1 also came with the Michelin Primacy tires ( staggered) and I'm happy about that. The PS4's are a better track, high speed tire but they are a "summer tire" and operating below temps of 40 degrees is not optimal. I had them on my Corvette and changed them out immediately as I will be driving occasionally at lower temps. KIA did the right thing with the AWD model.

Completely agree. The PS4s are awesome if you're in a warm weather climate (assuming you don't mind buying tires on a regular basis ). But for those of us who live in locations where highs are regularly in the 40s or lower during the winter months, having the car come with PS4s standard would require the purchase of winter or all season tires, an additional expense of at least $800.

 

[Montanaman]

Completely agree. The PS4s are awesome if you're in a warm weather climate (assuming you don't mind buying tires on a regular basis ). But for those of us who live in locations where highs are regularly in the 40s or lower during the winter months, having the car come with PS4s standard would require the purchase of winter or all season tires, an additional expense of at least $800.

Yep. The PS4"s are a great performance tire but it ends there. I know some will want to auto cross or track this car but I bought this car for what it is supposed to be. A near luxury Grand touring sport's car with a ton of power, good handling and can also be a comfortable road trip or daily driver with some room. If I wanted a dedicated sports car I would have gotten another Vette, 911 or the like.