Is it bad to run 18in rims on the back and...

Yoshiwrx

New member
Is it bad to run 18in rims on the back and 17in rims on the front of my AWD Subie? A friend told me I can't...why is that?

 
Don't do that.

Heres a good explanation on why not:

Ray: Here's what happens. On all-wheel-drive cars -- cars that are permanently in four-wheel drive or can be left in four-wheel drive all the time -- there's a part called a center differential. This is a clutch assembly or viscous coupling that's so complicated, we couldn't possibly explain how it works without using our hands. And maybe the hands of at least two or three innocent bystanders.

Tom: When the car is going straight down the road, the center differential doesn't have to do anything. It just sits there. But when the car turns, the front and rear axles need to turn at different speeds to keep the wheels from binding up and the car from flipping over. The job of the center differential is to allow the axles to turn at different speeds.

Ray: The problem is that if the front and rear tires are different sizes, then the front and rear axles are always turning at different speeds. Even when the car is going straight ahead. That means the center differential is always working -- and that wears it out.

 
You actually could as long as the front and rear tires rolling circumference is the same.

 
lol, he quoted Tom and Ray from the newspaper
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Dammit, well this sucks, I've been looking for a set of rims with tires for inspection. Anyone selling a set of rims with tires..of same rim size?

 
Take a look on Nasioc and NES forums if you don't see anything on here. They might have something up there!

 
Dammit, well this sucks, I've been looking for a set of rims with tires for inspection. Anyone selling a set of rims with tires..of same rim size?
You're going to buy a new set of rims and tires just for inspection?! Just borrow from someone, or get tires for your rims that aren't bald. or something...

 
As long as you don't have LSD front or rear diff, you could run small tires on one side, and big tires on the other. The center would never know the difference!

ABS would probably be wicked upset. heh heh. And it would drive strange, but hey, wouldn't hose your center.

 
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