Quote:
Originally Posted by Lee Stewart
Do you know why they used two different sized tires on the AAR Cuda and T/A Challenger?
Both the Cuda and Challenger could only go up to E60 for the front due to the design of the front fenders. F60 would rub if the front springs went to max compression. So they used a specially made rolled lip fender for Hemi cars which got an additional Fender Tag: Hemi Fender to allow the use of F60s in the front. Having to buy 5000+ Hemi Fenders for one year only cars was deemed too expensive. So instead they increased the rears from F60 to G60 (no issue) and left the fronts at E60 (no added cost). Then Marketing decided to make Lemonade out of Lemons and waxed lyrical about the two different sized tires which had never been done before on a Muscle Car.
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Speaking of odd sized tires:
My wife and I bought a used (2007) Cadillac SRX a while back; Pretty nice car but needed new front tires.
In looking it over I noticed it has smaller front tires then it does on the rear. That’s factory, per the SPID label and the RPO code (ie, one code shows the two different tire sizes).
I wondered why that might be; perhaps there was some obscure design criteria like “wheel house clearance tire flops with snow chains installed” or something bizarre that I could ignore in order to put the same size tires all the way around, so that I could rotate them. So I started scouring our internal org chart, looking for the SRX program level engineering manager, or a Chassis system engineer, or a tire/wheel guy, who might know why this was.
While I was doing this my phone rang, and I ignored it (…as is my custom…) and then my “instant messenger” lit up. It was someone named Jeff B, who I did not know, so while he was typing his note I checked him out on the org chart.
He is the Program Engineering Manager for the SRX program.
Can you believe that? He heard I knew something about vintage Pontiacs and was writing to ask for help finding a carb for a 70 Firebird.
I told him that this was an amazing coincidence and shared with him the situation, and then asked my question. He researched it and let me know the rationale, per the Chief engineer and a subsequent service bulletin.
But for him to call me out of the blue? When I’ve never spoken with him before? While I was in the act of looking for someone in his position (him specifically, actually)?
I have no explanation for that.
BTW - the reason the front and rear tires were different on the SRX? They found that the same sized tires could cause oversteer during an aggressive maneuver, like a freeway exit ramp at high speed. He said that he could not formally endorse putting the same size tire all the way around, but did share he had "anecdotal evidence" that it had been done without incident.
K