Staggered for a reason?

[mfan]

I have an '01 M Roadster with original wheels and tires. I thought that I might beef up the front end by putting a set of standard rear wheels on the front so that all four wheels/tires would match. IF they would fit, is there a downside in terms of handling?, steering?, other? In other words, is there a performance reason behind the staggered configuration? If I could put rears on the front, it would make the car look more muscular, and would allow me to rotate the tires.

[B R]

First of all, just know that you wouldn't be able to do that without some modifications, but of course anything is possible.

Think about this, why do other performance & race cars have staggered setups?
Answer, the front wheels do a different job than the back wheels(is further explanation on this necessary?).

So you can either optimize by using 2 different size wheels & tires for the 2 different jobs, or you can compromise & use the 1 size of wheels & tires to do 2 different different jobs.

Most passenger cars use same size all around, yes, & is that a compromise? Yes!. Why is it that big trucks & semi-tractors don't have the same wheels up front that are in the back(like duallys)? Are they racing? No, but I hope you grasp the concept at this point. I'm not going to explain the compromises(or benefits) in your proposal, they are fairly obvious.

Good luck if you decide to go this route, your car will indeed look more muscular, & isn't that the most important aspect of a sports car?