Gravity GT First Drive and Orders information

[JeffSter]

1 second faster on the Nurburgring.

I doubt there will be a non-staggered option since the outside diameter of the front and rear are different. The car would not have the correct ride height and the wheel well openings would not match the tire sizes.

I think the wheel opening are equal across all tire sizes offered. The brake clearances seem more important which is why I used Authorized wheels… the snow tire set.

 

[JeffSter]

It's not enough to put me off buying a Gravity, but whatever performance gain one may get from the staggered tires doesn't seem worth the decrease in practicality. An extremely small fraction of owners are going to push its performance limits, but tire maintenance and replacement will be something that every vehicle owner needs to deal with.

Tesla simply put a software tire selector in to correct for software issues like speedo calibration etc… I too recall that it was an aesthetic difference and thus I don’t want it unless it creates a safety hazard to change it. I will if possible swap mine to the most efficient aero wheels… how about bringing back moons to really cut the drag… JK… but I don’t care if it looks like a van or wagon to others. I also like vans and wagons… they are very functional. Cheers.

 

[Elfin]

I think the wheel opening are equal across all tire sizes offered. The brake clearances seem more important which is why I used Authorized wheels… the snow tire set.

The front tires are 30.4" diameter and the rear tires are 31" diameter.

Tesla simply put a software tire selector in to correct for software issues like speedo calibration etc…

As far as I know Tesla does not offer different outside diameter tires on any of their vehicles.

 

[JeffSter]

The front tires are 30.4" diameter and the rear tires are 31" diameter.

As far as I know Tesla does not offer different outside diameter tires on any of their vehicles.

You folks may be tech correct on tire specs but I don’t wanna buy staggered sets and get half the tire warranties etc. So I would rather have a square set of wheels. They did say it was aesthetics that made them choose it… love to hear functional or safety reasons. Trying to figure out why squaring is a bad idea.

 

[Elfin]

You folks may be tech correct on tire specs but I don’t wanna buy staggered sets and get half the tire warranties etc. So I would rather have a square set of wheels. They did say it was aesthetics that made them choose it… love to hear functional or safety reasons. Trying to figure out why squaring is a bad idea.

The car was designed to use those tire diameters (meaning the suspension, anti lock braking system, and stability control system). They could have designed a car with a square setup and achieved the same performance but they didn't do that.
I would wait for the mid size model if you want a square setup. High end cars are designed to be expensive to own for no good reason.

 

[WeighingGravity]

You folks may be tech correct on tire specs but I don’t wanna buy staggered sets and get half the tire warranties etc. So I would rather have a square set of wheels. They did say it was aesthetics that made them choose it… love to hear functional or safety reasons. Trying to figure out why squaring is a bad idea.

I'd encourage you to read this post by PeteVB that explains some of the problems. It also happens to quote another member who had asked Lucid and been discouraged from doing so. If you read that entire other thread it becomes clear that Pete knows his $hit.

 

[Bdr100]

It is quite common for higher performance cars to have staggered wheel setup.

With regards to tire warranties, in my 40+ years of car ownership, I have maybe claimed $500 to $1000 total on warranty claims. I am much more likely to make a road hazard warranty claim, which is bought from installer and not tire company. These tire warranties are pro-rated, so if you ever do make a claim, you are lucky to get 10-20% of tire price back.

So when buying a $100K plus vehicle, I am not going to fret about losing out on a possible $500 warranty claim a couple years down the road.

 

[Elfin]

It is quite common for higher performance cars to have staggered wheel setup.

Is there another SUV with staggered tire diameter?
The only cars I'm aware of with staggered tire diameter have a rear weight bias (like Porsche 911).

 

[hmp10]

You folks may be tech correct on tire specs but I don’t wanna buy staggered sets and get half the tire warranties etc. So I would rather have a square set of wheels. They did say it was aesthetics that made them choose it… love to hear functional or safety reasons. Trying to figure out why squaring is a bad idea.

The responses from Lucid personnel about an aesthetic choice were in answer to questions about the staggered diameters. The staggered width is another matter entirely and, given the rear torque bias programmed into the car for many performance situations, you are dealing with a different kettle of fish in tampering with that. Every high-performance car I have owned -- Corvette, 3 Audi R8's, Mercedes SL55 AMG, Model S Plaid, Lucid Air Dream Performance, MB McLaren SLR -- has used staggered wheel diameters, at least on their performance wheel options.

Engineers who design 800-1100 hp luxury performance cars don't usually worry too much about having to replace tires more often than on an econobox.

 

[Bdr100]

Is there another SUV with staggered tire diameter?
The only cars I'm aware of with staggered tire diameter have a rear weight bias (like Porsche 911).

Yes, most all of the current high performance SUVs run staggered tire setups - Mercedes GLE63, BMW X5M, Porsche Cayenne GTS, Austin Martin DBX. So the standard for performance SUVs appears to be staggered tire setup. If you don’t like that, go buy a Honda Pilot.

 

[Bdr100]

Sorry if that came off as trash talking. Just trying to bring some humor to this discussion.

 

[Elfin]

Yes, most all of the current high performance SUVs run staggered tire setups - Mercedes GLE63, BMW X5M, Porsche Cayenne GTS, Austin Martin DBX. So the standard for performance SUVs appears to be staggered tire setup. If you don’t like that, go buy a Honda Pilot.

staggered tire diameter?

Diameter not width?
In a car with staggered tire width you can run a square setup (often you'll actually gain performance doing this if you run front tires as wide as the rears.)

Sorry if that came off as trash talking. Just trying to bring some humor to this discussion.

No worries.

 

[hmp10]

The responses from Lucid personnel about an aesthetic choice were in answer to questions about the staggered diameters. The staggered width is another matter entirely and, given the rear torque bias programmed into the car for many performance situations, you are dealing with a different kettle of fish in tampering with that. Every high-performance car I have owned -- Corvette, 3 Audi R8's, Mercedes SL55 AMG, Model S Plaid, Lucid Air Dream Performance, MB McLaren SLR -- has used staggered wheel diameters, at least on their performance wheel options.

Engineers who design 800-1100 hp luxury performance cars don't usually worry too much about having to replace tires more often than on an econobox.

Correction to above post: I meant my performance cars had staggered tire widths, not staggered wheel diameters.

Sorry, missed the edit window.

 

[Bdr100]

Diameter not width?
In a car with staggered tire width you can run a square setup (often you'll actually gain performance doing this if you run front tires as wide as the rears.)

No worries.

Yes, Most of those cars I quoted run same wheel diameter front and rear but the rear wheels and tires are wider. This still has the same impact of not being able to rotate and therefore, affect the tire warranty

 

[hmp10]

I don't mean to sound snarky here, but I just don't quite get the concern about rotating tires to extract more tread life on a 6,000-pound car with more than 900 ft lbs of torque. It's simply not a vehicle that someone who is set on getting 40-60,000 miles out of a set of tires should be considering.

 

[Elfin]

I don't mean to sound snarky here, but I just don't quite get the concern about rotating tires to extract more tread life on a 6,000-pound car with more than 900 ft lbs of torque. It's simply not a vehicle that someone who is set on getting 40-60,000 miles out of a set of tires should be considering.

I switch between summer and winter wheels so rotation is free.

 

[Elfin]

The staggered diameter may also make it impossible to carry a spare. Though the diameter between front and rear isn't that different so maybe the car won't freak out.
I've seen Teslas on the side of the road with flat tires over a hundred miles from the nearest service center. Doesn't look like fun.

 

[borski]

I don't mean to sound snarky here, but I just don't quite get the concern about rotating tires to extract more tread life on a 6,000-pound car with more than 900 ft lbs of torque. It's simply not a vehicle that someone who is set on getting 40-60,000 miles out of a set of tires should be considering.

dno, you could just put minivan tires on it

 

[Elfin]

dno, you could just put minivan tires on it

Aren't those the Hankook Ions?

 

[borski]

Aren't those the Hankook Ions?

I dno, I don't drive minivans