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Staggered Tire Sizes front/rear

22180 Views 125 Replies 31 Participants Last post by  JPWhite
One of the video reviews mentioned that the id.4 has wider tires on the rear (?). Does anyone know if that is just the FE, or FE & RWD Pro, or all id.4s? And are the wheels different, or just the rubber mounted on the wheels?

Sounds like it would make rotating tires impossible. Either dealers will be horrified at their inability to do rotations, or happy to sell replacement tires 30% sooner.
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One of the video reviews mentioned that the id.4 has wider tires on the rear (?). Does anyone know if that is just the FE, or FE & RWD Pro, or all id.4s? And are the wheels different, or just the rubber mounted on the wheels?

Sounds like it would make rotating tires impossible. Either dealers will be horrified at their inability to do rotations, or happy to sell replacement tires 30% sooner.
All the ID.4s have wider rears. FE & Gradient have 255/45R20 on rears and 235/50R20 on fronts. Pro & Pro-S have 255/50R19 on rears and 235/55R19 on fronts. The 20" wheels are 20×8" in the front and 20x9" for the rear. The 19" wheels may be 19×8" all around but are unconfirmed.
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Related: I'm typically not a fan of larger rims. As an example we purposely turned down the optionally installed 19" on my wife's GLA and asked the dealer to rather install the standard 18". This afforded a taller tire profile sidewall and therefore a bit more comfort and pothole protection. It also provided our preferred silver vs. black rims, but that's another subject matter. ;)

I get tho' that in more moderate year 'round climes many like to "fill the wheel wells" with larger rims for improved aesthetics.

However I find the 20" rims on my FE to be sublime from both driveability and aesthetics viewpoints. And the hybrid silver-black "swoosh" pattern is appealing even to someone like me who doesn't appreciate all-black rims. Well done VW !!

Back on subject: RWD vehicle rear tires are more likely to wear out sooner then the fronts. But you can just replace those two rather than all four when the time comes so pretty much a moot issue wrt rotation. You can also rotate side-to-side on the same axle as long as the tires are not directional type.
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It’s been talked about here pretty exhaustively. I suspect the surprise/concern comes from folks not familiar with RWD vehicles. Combination of a rear weight bias and RWD likely led to VW’s decision to put wider wheels/tires in the rear, as it helps both stability (makes ID.4 less likely to oversteer) and traction (straight line and turning). Indeed, makes rotating front to rear not possible, but you can still rotate side-to-side.
On Porsche the right rear wears out the fastest so if your concerned about maximizing tire wear you’d definitely want to rotate side to side mainly on the rear. Front tires will wear darn close to the same. In the end you’ll probably get 2/3k mikes more from the tires By swapping side to side. Is the lost time to make extra visits worth it? You’ll have to decide that
VW has on all the 77 kwh versions the staggered wheel setup for their 19/20/21 inch's 235/255

for their 52kwh battery version they have also an 18 inch version [Falun], but no info about that, my expection is 235 all around, same for their 19 inch, its says 235 all around. 19 inch rim for this version is the same as that from the 77kwh version [Hamar], but the 52kwh versions is lacking power (204 -> 149 bhp).
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On Porsche the right rear wears out the fastest so if your concerned about maximizing tire wear you’d definitely want to rotate side to side mainly on the rear. Front tires will wear darn close to the same. In the end you’ll probably get 2/3k mikes more from the tires By swapping side to side. Is the lost time to make extra visits worth it? You’ll have to decide that
My old Mercedes had the same issue. Plus, the run flat high performance tires only lasted 8,000 miles in the rear. My service advisor said the right wheel wear had to do with how the car sent power to the wheels.

My RWD Tesla has fairly even wear between left and right.
My old Mercedes had the same issue. Plus, the run flat high performance tires only lasted 8,000 miles in the rear. My service advisor said the right wheel wear had to do with how the car sent power to the wheels.

My RWD Tesla has fairly even wear between left and right.
Yes absolutely due to power delivery. I haven’t seen how the Taycan is doing as far as rear tire wear as we don’t have any clients with enough miles. Interesting to see if it’s more even.
What does this mean for compact spare tires? Is there a size that can fit on both axles if I want to travel with a spare? Sorry...likely a dumb question
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What does this mean for compact spare tires? Is there a size that can fit on both axles if I want to travel with a spare? Sorry...likely a dumb question
I am not sure for a compact spare, but I have a spare 18" wheel laying around that I will probably put a 235/60/18 on. That is a 29.1 diameter which is 0.1" larger diameter than the rears and -0.2" smaller than the fronts. Pretty much equal. I think as long as you find one that is between 29 and 29.3 in diameter you would be fine on both the front and back. A full sized spare is not compact, but on a trip it makes me feel better having one even though the odds of a flat are very low

here is a good conversion calculator: Tire Size Calculator
I am not sure for a compact spare, but I have a spare 18" wheel laying around that I will probably put a 235/60/18 on. That is a 29.1 diameter which is 0.1" larger diameter than the rears and -0.2" smaller than the fronts. Pretty much equal. I think as long as you find one that is between 29 and 29.3 in diameter you would be fine on both the front and back. A full sized spare is not compact, but on a trip it makes me feel better having one even though the odds of a flat are very low

here is a good conversion calculator: Tire Size Calculator
Where would you store a full size spare in a car like the ID.4 that isn't designed to carry a spare? You don't really want it to be tumbling around in the back...
Where would you store a full size spare in a car like the ID.4 that isn't designed to carry a spare? You don't really want it to be tumbling around in the back...
I carry a tire plug kit - in a pinch it can be used to patch a small leak. A more serious issue still requires a tow truck.
What does this mean for compact spare tires? Is there a size that can fit on both axles if I want to travel with a spare? Sorry...likely a dumb question
As long as the overall diameter is close, you are ok (just only drive as far as needed on the spare). If you do go with a smaller radius wheel (i.e. 18"), just make sure the wheel clears the brakes. As the base ID.4 has 18" wheels in Europe, it should be ok but always best to check beforehand.
As long as the overall diameter is close, you are ok (just only drive as far as needed on the spare). If you do go with a smaller radius wheel (i.e. 18"), just make sure the wheel clears the brakes. As the base ID.4 has 18" wheels in Europe, it should be ok but always best to check beforehand.
You should be okay to go 18" on the RWD version since it is offered in Europe, but the AWD version has larger front brakes and 19" might be the minimum.
Where would you store a full size spare in a car like the ID.4 that isn't designed to carry a spare? You don't really want it to be tumbling around in the back...
the plan was in the cargo area, and as big as it would be it would be a pretty tight fit and not prone to move around. And it could always be strapped to the cargo tiedowns. My thought was just for long trips on the highway. Have had flats with compact spares in the middle of nowhere and it is not fun, and I hate waiting on roadside service. To me it is easier to throw the tire in the back and change it myself if I need to. I know flats are rare these days and it has been forever since I have had one, I guess I am still old school! and getting older
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Where would you store a full size spare in a car like the ID.4 that isn't designed to carry a spare? You don't really want it to be tumbling around in the back...
If you have an F.E. or AWD, you can get a hitch mount :)

1998
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If you have an F.E. or AWD, you can get a hitch mount :)

View attachment 1998
Ah, I had the thought of wondering if this was a thing! Just didn't have the chance to look it up yet.
If you have an F.E. or AWD, you can get a hitch mount :)

View attachment 1998
That is great!! Thanks for the lead. Will definitely check it out!
All the ID.4s have wider rears. FE & Gradient have 255/45R20 on rears and 235/50R20 on fronts. Pro & Pro-S have 255/50R19 on rears and 235/55R19 on fronts. The 20" wheels are 20×8" in the front and 20x9" for the rear. The 19" wheels may be 19×8" all around but are unconfirmed.
Looks like 8" on all corners according to this:
Looks like 8" on all corners according to this:
The rims are 8" on all corners, tires are 235's in the front and 255's in the rear.
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