Fitting a tyre on a wheel is easy. To stretch a narrower than suitable tyre to a wider wheel require a different set of skills as the regular practice will prove almost impossible. This exploding propane technique is one of the many homemade ways to stretch a tyre onto a wider wheel. Though we’d not recommend this.
If you care to understand the culture, when it’s all about stance, stretched tyres can really compliment and complete the look of a car especially when you can run really wide wheels in smaller diameters to achieve a really low and flushed to fender stance.
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?
from what i have seen, 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 size/offset wheels are the best for a staggered look
its all about personal preference. me, i have 17x9et26 and 17×10.5et26 and i couldnt ask for a better setup. some may not like the look but thats why people build their cars for themselves
arent you worried about curbing a wheel?
take a look in the classifieds and count the number of wheels on regular tires compared to those on stretched tires with damage.
As quoted from: http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?2234638
