ever heard of tire stretching? ahem.. *cracks fingers*

what is stretch?
- "stretch" refers to stretching a narrower tire over a wider wheel, the sidewalls stretch from the lip to the tread

why do stretched tires?
- well the whole thing started in germany/belgium, local laws required that the tire tread be within the fender line. well that doesnt allow one to run wider or lower offset wheels, so they put narrower tires on the wheel to maintain legality

- when you would like to run really wide or low offset wheels and keep the tire tread at the fender

- when you would like to go really low and not rub

isnt this unsafe?
- there hasnt been any soild evidence that running a stretched tire is any more dangerous than a regular tire.

where can i get tires stretched?

-any reputable wheel/tire shop should be able to do it. i know when i did a 215-45 kumho on a 8.5" wheel, it took one shop 90lbs to pop the bead. getting a 225-45 on a 9 and a 245-40 on a 10.5 took another shop 50 lbs

can't you afford the right tire size?
- the tire that stretch the most tend to be at the top of the price list, so it isnt an issue

what tires stretch best?
the best tires with regards to stretch are:
toyo t1-s
dunlop sp9000
dunlop sp8080e
falken fk451

im sure there are more, but look for a tire with a rounded shoulder and a lip protector, they tend to give the "desirable" look


but staggered wheels are stupid on fwd cars, arent you worried about handling?
- its all about looks, you wont see anyone with low offset deep dish wheels flopping around the autox course.

-

-what is the english conversion for a metric assload?



-2.8738 metric assloads = 1 US assload


helpful links

mk4 stretched tire example thread:

VWvortex Forums: stretched tire pictures - ~~ mk4 ~~ - examples of what you would like to run

wheel offset calculator

Wheel Offset Calculator

tire size calculators

http://gs.tolan-hoechst.com/tirecalc.htm

Tire size calculator

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comments, e-thug remarks?