what would happen if... (rears on front)

[holliwud]

what would happen if i bought some rear oem wheel and tires and put them on the front of my 09 pure. i was just wondering if they would rub and won't work out good. any advice you have will be very well appreciated. i don't really care for rims, i just want to replace my front skinny tires.

[jetfuel]

..it will ride sooooooo much better....

jetfuel

[NCC1701]

Ok, I've got a relevant question. Quite a while back there was a discussion regarding spare tires/wheels. The consensus seemed to be that the spare should be the size of the OEM fronts to avoid rubbing in the front.
Was that total BS?

Jet, care to elaborate on what improvements can be expected? One benefit would be the ability to rotate tires. Would it reduce skittish handling? That would be sooo worth it.

Are they the same overall diameter?

[Suze]

this thread is a watcher...

[jetfuel]

...the wider stance will make for a better ride all the way around, cornering and leaning will improve too...buffering from wind and trucks is greatly reduced
..why do you think the OEM wheel don't last much on e-bay when people go after market

jetfuel

[Suze]

Originally Posted by jetfuel

...the wider stance will make for a better ride all the way around, cornering and leaning will improve too...buffering from wind and trucks is greatly reduced
..why do you think the OEM wheel don't last much on e-bay when people go after market

jetfuel

but, but, but.... why did smart put different size on the front?

[NCC1701]

So, there is no rubbing problem? And, what Suze said ...
Someone, somewhere, said the narrower tires were to cut through snow. Sounded fishy to me. So ... ?

[jetfuel]

...gas mileage....and some talk about the impact zone for absorption...

jetfuel

[Suze]

Originally Posted by jetfuel

...gas mileage....and some talk about the impact zone for absorption...

jetfuel

try that again with full sentences Jet - waddaya mean "...the impact zone for absorption..."?

I'm confused...

[fortow]

I have 15x6 wheels front and back with 195/50 tires on them. No rubbing problems, fuel mileage was not affected, ride is less harsh, no real noticable difference in handling.
An OEM front wheel/tire is stored behind the passenger seat to act as a spare.

Why did I do this? - to be able to rotate the wheels, to have a usable spare, to improve the ride quality, to be able to buy a more easily and less expensive tire when replacement is required, to reduce the tendency to understeer.

This tire size is as close to the original tire diameter as you can get.

Holliwud - you certainly can put the OEM wheel/tire on the front. It will not rub and will work out just fine.
The skinny front tires were spec'd to make the car understeer. MB was concerned that with this rear engine, rear wheel drive, short wheelbased car, that snap oversteer under emergency conditions or on slippery roads perhaps would be a problem for inexperienced drivers. With the rear negative camber and Electronic Stability Control oversteer is almost impossible. There are many people who have symmetrical sized tires front and rear.