it seems as of late there is a metric assload of hate directed towards those of us who run stretch or about stretch in general. thought i would throw this up to educate or help out those of you with questions.
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 17x10.5et26 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.
| Quote, originally posted by 02blkgtivr6 » |
what if you get a puncture in the tire from a nail and you're going 65mph and the tire loses air rapidly, will it stay beaded (proper term?) as long as a regular sized tire would? do stretched tires need to have above a certain tire pressure to stay beaded?
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one thing about running stretched tires, the driver tends to be a bit more careful because of the cost of the wheels, i definately drive more alert with the tramonts than i do my stock wheels.
and as far as loss of pressure is concerned, i tested my wheels the other day after putting them on, i drove around one day (~60 miles mixed highway/city) and one tire was at 10psi, no visual or performance cues.
the main reason for a tire popping a bead is sidewall flex, not internal pressure. like i said, it took ~90lbs to mount my one set, there is no way taht driving forces would add to exceed that pressure, let alone the 40lbs it took to do this set
| Quote, originally posted by LA20 » |
From my understanding, stretching tires is just putting smaller tires on a bigger rims, like 215 on a 19"x8.5 or something like that. But to get that tire outside the fender, dont we need spacers or something? or as long you have stretch tires, you will achieve "the look" on the rear wheels?
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-you can do one of 2 things: 1- use spacers, 2- pick a wheel or have one made that provides an offset such that when mounted it will have the look you want
| Quote, originally posted by LA20 » |
oke, it seems clear now. what et usually gives that kind of look? and with that kind of offset or by using spacers, wont the tire tread falls under or outside the fender just like that? It it is, then why we need to stretch the tires again??
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answer:
| Quote, originally posted by tivs31 » |
the thing is that in most cases people are running a wide, low offset wheel, which would allow them to run a large amount of dish....
the proper offset for a mark 4 front fender is about 30-32 with an 8.5" wheel, but with the strech idea, one could run a 20-25 (would poke outside the fender about 1/2") without rubbing and without being against the law.
the addional 1/2" outside the fender would also allow you to run a 9" wide wheel in the front as well http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif
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feel free to post up your opinions, i'll add them to this post as i see necessary
| Quote, originally posted by tivs31 » |
| what is the english conversion for a metric assload? |
-2.8738 metric assloads = 1 US assload
helpful links
mk4 stretched tire example thread:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2237406
wheel offset calculator
http://www.1010tires.com/WheelOffsetCalculator.asp
tire size calculators
http://gs.tolan-hoechst.com/tirecalc.htm
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalcold.html
Modified by billcosbyluvsvr6s at **** PM 10-12-2005
Modified by billcosbyluvsvr6s at 12:34 AM 10-13-2005
Modified by billcosbyluvsvr6s at 1:00 AM 10-13-2005
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