Tire stagger


GT@50

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Dec 14, 2019
852
Issaquah
I'm not a racer so wondering about the large front to rear tire difference. I don't recall seeing such a difference on a car before. Is it to keep hood profile lower, and inner fender clearance for turning radius?
 

Specracer

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Nov 28, 2005
7,081
MA
 

GT@50

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Dec 14, 2019
852
Issaquah
Great, thanks. I do have Bridgestones now. Much softer, quieter ride. Still haven't been out in 50F or above so haven't tried grip yet.
 
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gtjoey

Keep Smiling - GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Oct 14, 2005
3,454
GT, Scott hit it on the nose...…...The difference with the Bridgestone are about 8 years newer technology as both are old now.
The width and height make a much larger patch on the road with the Bridgestones.
The DRONE will not return till 12,000 miles or so which will begin at 3,000 miles on the GOODYEARS.
Its just technology. The bridgestones are also MUCH softer compound.
Ive driven around the world almost in the rain , not over 150 mph but fast , the bridgestones are perfect for THAT car.
They tried many MANY combos when testing against the 360.
They had BBS wheels and would adjust the wheel lip sizes until all the criteria was met....
Tire wheels were gold in a lattice pattern. All different sizes were tried with Denis Breitenbach swapping them out.
Enjoy the ride.
GTJOEY1314
P.S. They wanted a tire that lasted at least 5,000 miles on average.last I recall.
 

Indy GT

Yea, I got one...too
Mark IV Lifetime
Jan 14, 2006
2,526
Greenwood, IN
GT, Scott hit it on the nose...…...

Ive driven around the world almost in the rain , not over 150 mph but fast , the bridgestones are perfect for THAT car.

GTJOEY1314


Joey, I am always amazed on how technical you try to be. Let’s let Scott and Mr. McGowan be the true sources of tire/ride/suspension information on the 05-06 since they were actually on the Ford GT build team and know the true car specifics. They are both very talented Engineers and know the technical aspects of that model.


By the way, did you (and McGregor’s) round the world GT driving experience include driving on the continents of Asia, South America, Africa or Australia? I’ve forgotten…..
 
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Gary

GT Owner
May 11, 2006
471
Festus, Missouri
Wish i had read this article prior to Nov 8th, 2019. (Day of my crash on a cold clear dry day). The first day i drove my 05 GT when it was cold, About 20 degrees F.
 

BtwoG

GT Owner
Dec 8, 2013
1,039
Atlanta, GA
Under static conditions, the contact patch size is a function of pressure and load and does not vary with the width of the tire. However wider tires perform better for a given slip angle and ultimately provide better cornering.
 

gtjoey

Keep Smiling - GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Oct 14, 2005
3,454
Indy, No Race till August my friend...…...Was adding my two cents of laymen driving not track at 200 mph all day.
That's all, Buy the book ,it goes to the Veterans in the end and relive all our glory days.....
You guys under lock and key or just restricted?
gtjoey1314
 

Indy GT

Yea, I got one...too
Mark IV Lifetime
Jan 14, 2006
2,526
Greenwood, IN
Indy, No Race till August my friend...…...Was adding my two cents of laymen driving not track at 200 mph all day.

That's all, Buy the book ,it goes to the Veterans in the end and relive all our glory days.....

You guys under lock and key or just restricted?

gtjoey1314

??? If you are talking about postponing the Indianapolis 500 why don’t you start another thread??? Or that “Race” means specifically the Indianapolis Race. Not to be confused with the Races at Atlanta, Le Mans, Canadian Grand Prix, Silverstone, etc. Fail to see what the Indy 500 race has to with the topic of Tire Stagger? See the comments by BtwoG regarding tire patch.


I thought you had an arrangement with McGreggor to share some of the book selling proceeds to him. Did he get his proceeds??
 

sahlman

Ford GT Team Alumni
Jul 21, 2011
329
Verona, WI
I'm not a racer so wondering about the large front to rear tire difference. I don't recall seeing such a difference on a car before. Is it to keep hood profile lower, and inner fender clearance for turning radius?
Well yes and no...it was purely styling and matching the GT40 MkI and MkII appearance / proportions of the body and the wheels in sizes and sidewall heights. So the result is yes it works well for the lower front hood and big rear "hips" as Camilo likes to say. So fender clearance for turning was a by product. Not an intent. (Another topic I could talk at length on and my first all nighter on the program working on tire clearance envelopes...I think I may have talked about this on the forum somewhere)

But Camilo's show car tire sizes were were very close to final at the front (245/45's vs 235/45's), but he used only 285/40R19's at the rear. And I did quick math and went to the 315/40R19's at the back. So a pretty big difference. Regardless, those big side walls for the retro look are great for ride and impact harshness, but very tough for steering response and directness / predictability and handling behaviors. Our chassis team, especially the development guys like Mark McGowan and Jeff Walsh, worked very hard with Goodyear to make those tires behave near our targets. And meet extremely difficult high speed durability requirements (205 mph) - the reason for two pressures on the FGT. We went through the alphabet nearly twice on constructions and compounds of tires in finding the best combination. We did not change tire sizing, tread pattern or any dimensions (the tire molds were fixed from the beginning except one rear tire shoulder shape change for clamshell clearance that did not match GY's original CAD we used) at all throughout.

Hopefully this helps.
 
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Indy GT

Yea, I got one...too
Mark IV Lifetime
Jan 14, 2006
2,526
Greenwood, IN
And there you go 05/06 guys, straight from the one of the design engineers ACTUALLY responsible for suspension/tire size selection. He also makes some aftermarket shock absorbers for the GT (his own design) which not only function superior to the OE shocks, are adjustable and are pure jewelry in aesthetics. Thanks Scott for giving owners the inside story of tire selection. And Mark’s stories of having Goodyear go thru the alphabet twice (one alphabetic code per tire approval submittal) is very interesting.

Again, in all fairness to you 05/06 owners seeking factual and accurate information on your GT, it is ill advised to trust GT Joey’s “technical” meanderings about your car. Joey should just go back to trolling the Aston Martin forums.
 

GT@50

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Dec 14, 2019
852
Issaquah
Well yes and no...it was purely styling and matching the GT40 MkI and MkII appearance / proportions of the body and the wheels in sizes and sidewall heights. So the result is yes it works well for the lower front hood and big rear "hips" as Camilo likes to say. So fender clearance for turning was a by product. Not an intent. (Another topic I could talk at length on and my first all nighter on the program working on tire clearance envelopes...I think I may have talked about this on the forum somewhere)

But Camilo's show car tire sizes were were very close to final at the front (245/45's vs 235/45's), but he used only 285/40R19's at the rear. And I did quick math and went to the 315/40R19's at the back. So a pretty big difference. Regardless, those big side walls for the retro look are great for ride and impact harshness, but very tough for steering response and directness / predictability and handling behaviors. Our chassis team, especially the development guys like Mark McGowan and Jeff Walsh, worked very hard with Goodyear to make those tires behave near our targets. And meet extremely difficult high speed durability requirements (205 mph) - the reason for two pressures on the FGT. We went through the alphabet nearly twice on constructions and compounds of tires in finding the best combination. We did not change tire sizing, tread pattern or any dimensions (the tire molds were fixed from the beginning except one rear tire shoulder shape change for clamshell clearance that did not match GY's original CAD we used) at all throughout.

Hopefully this helps.
Not often you get an answer like that, usually just well educated input. Thanks for building this car and being active on the forum.
 

Specracer

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Nov 28, 2005
7,081
MA
Scott is not only a great guy in person, he also continues to support our group, and provide fantastic insight.

And as Indy mentions, ha also has a kick ass shock and spring package for the 05-06 GT. Im a happy customer.
 
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Howard

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Apr 26, 2007
1,135
Florida/North Jersey
Me, too.
 

sahlman

Ford GT Team Alumni
Jul 21, 2011
329
Verona, WI
Not often you get an answer like that, usually just well educated input. Thanks for building this car and being active on the forum.
Absolutely GT@50. Glad to participate as well. Thank you for the continued support Specracer and Howard. And this community in general.