Walk around a 911, a GT-R, an M3 or a 370Z and you will notice the rear wheels are wider than the fronts. That is a staggered setup. It looks great and it puts more rubber where a rear-drive car needs it. It also makes buying wheels and tires a little more involved. Here is everything you need to know.
What staggered means
A staggered car runs a different wheel width (and often a different offset) on the rear axle than on the front. Some cars even run a different diameter front to rear. A few real factory examples from our Fitment Finder:
- Nissan GT-R (R35): front 20x9.5 +45 with 255/40R20, rear 20x10.5 +25 with 285/35R20
- Toyota GR Supra (A90): front 19x9 +32 with 255/35R19, rear 19x10 +40 with 275/35R19
- BMW M3 / M4 (G80/G82): front 18x9.5 +20 with 275/40R18, rear 19x10.5 +20 with 285/35R19
- Porsche 911 (992): front 19x8.5 +52 with 235/40R19, rear 20x11.5 +67 with 295/35R20
Factory staggered vs staggered optional
Some cars only came staggered (Porsche, GT-R, the Z cars, M cars, Supra). Others offered both: many BMW 3 and 4 Series, Lexus IS and RC, Infiniti Q50, Mercedes C and E-Class, Kia Stinger, Genesis G70 and the Mustang all had square and staggered packages. On those cars you can choose either. Square is easier to live with. Staggered gives the factory performance look.
How to buy a staggered set
- Same wheel, two sizes. You need two front wheels and two rear wheels in the same style and finish. The fronts and rears have different widths and offsets.
- Two tire sizes. Front and rear tires are different sizes too. Keep each one within about 3% of its factory overall diameter.
- No front-to-rear rotation. Because the sizes differ, you can only swap tires side to side if they are non-directional. Plan on the rears wearing faster.
Our Fitment Finder does this for you. Pick your car, choose Staggered, and each result is a matched front and rear pair with the right tire sizes listed for each axle. The Tires tab lists front and rear sizes for every wheel diameter.
Can I run a square setup on a staggered car?
On cars that offered both from the factory, yes. On cars that were only ever staggered (especially AWD cars like the GT-R and many Porsches), running square changes the handling balance and, on some AWD systems, the front and rear tires must stay close to the factory rolling-diameter ratio. Talk to us before going square on a factory-staggered car. Get a free fitment consultation.