Tyre Stretching

D

docttor999

Member
Hi guys,

I was looking at purchasing some rims from someone on here and wanted to gauge some opinions on the tyres. I have stock 108s. I am looking to fit some Eibach lowering springs as well.

The upgraded rims are 215/35 r19 front and 235/35 r19 rear ET40 fronts (8.5"), and ET45 rears (9.5").

Any opinions on stretching the tyres and also the profiles are different as well, I know they look better but any effect on the speedo etc?

Thanks
 
docttor999 said:
Hi guys,

I was looking at purchasing some rims from someone on here and wanted to gauge some opinions on the tyres. I have stock 108s. I am looking to fit some Eibach lowering springs as well.

The upgraded rims are 215/35 r19 front and 235/35 r19 rear ET40 fronts (8.5"), and ET45 rears (9.5").

Any opinions on stretching the tyres and also the profiles are different as well, I know they look better but any effect on the speedo etc?

Thanks
Click to expand...

I don't believe those tyres are a problem on those wheel widths. The only thing to remember is you have very little protection for the rim of the wheel but as long as you are not a kerb scuffer that won't be a problem.
As for the speedometer you will be travelling at 71.25mph when your speedo is reading 70mph due to the change in rolling radius. Not really enough to worry.
 
I was wondering is I increased the profile height from say 35 to 50 would this help ride quality? Any downsides other than speedo reading incorrectly and accerleration being a little slower? More stress on wheel bearing and bushes? e.g rear is currently 255/35/18 i would put on 245/50/18... would this be a bad idea? :-)
 
Dav the wheel nut said:
docttor999 said:
Hi guys,

I was looking at purchasing some rims from someone on here and wanted to gauge some opinions on the tyres. I have stock 108s. I am looking to fit some Eibach lowering springs as well.

The upgraded rims are 215/35 r19 front and 235/35 r19 rear ET40 fronts (8.5"), and ET45 rears (9.5").

Any opinions on stretching the tyres and also the profiles are different as well, I know they look better but any effect on the speedo etc?

Thanks
Click to expand...

I don't believe those tyres are a problem on those wheel widths. The only thing to remember is you have very little protection for the rim of the wheel but as long as you are not a kerb scuffer that won't be a problem.
As for the speedometer you will be travelling at 71.25mph when your speedo is reading 70mph due to the change in rolling radius. Not really enough to worry.
Click to expand...

Sorry got to disagree, I've got 265/30/19 Falken 452's on a 9.5J wheel and they are stretched offering no kerb protection, IMO a 235 on a 9.5J wheel is to small if you could even get it to fit. As for the speedo it actually seems more accurate now than it did when I had 17's.
 
I actually said in my post that there will be no protection for the rim with that size tyre so we do agree on that.
You can fit that size tyre to a 9.5 rim but you will have a harder ride because the sidewalls have not got enough curvature to make them flex on rough roads.
Nowhere however did I suggest it was an ideal fitment.
As for speedometer readings your size wheels and tyres would only give you a 0.93% difference in circumference which in real terms is only 0.65mph difference from stock wheels.
 
265 on a 9.5" rim is not a stretch! 215 on a 9.5" rim is a stretch :thumbsup:

I do agree though, no rim protection on them, but then drive properly and dont kerb your wheels :rofl: Never once kerbed any wheels ive owned, baring getting up on a pavement as an ambulance was coming the other way and had no choice.

Stretching is really a personal thing, either you like it or you dont. Personally i do, but not a mad stretch as ive seen on some.

Depends on the wheels as well imo
 
I'm intrigued by this tyre stretching idea.

I've seen it on a few Corsa's, VW's and Punto's where it seems style is way more important than any sort of performance, but why do it on a performance sports car?

Sure it might make it possible to squeeze an over wide rim under a given arch, but the downsides seem far too great:
Just a couple of quotes:

Dunlop
"RIM WIDTH
Correct rim width ensures flex at the designed flex point in a tire sidewall for optimum tire performance.
If the rim is too wide, the flex point moves towards the rim area, causing heat buildup in the lower sidewall, which reduces tire life and could result in failure. Either too narrow or too wide of a rim can result in uneven tread/pavement contact pressure causing uneven wear and potentially reduced traction, or increased vulnerability to bead dis-lodgement. "

Toyo
"Serious personal injury or death can result from failure to select the proper tire and rim: Tire MUST match the width and diameter requirements of the rim.
 
Good point, and may i add. If you are ever going to do a track day etc, then stretching tyres is not the way. A slight stretch will cause no problems, but thats say a 245 on a 9.5" rim, which is no stretch at all basically. But as you say, people do it for cosmetic reasons, and are not going to go mad on public roads obviously. Even on extreme stretched rims i have never seen or heard of any failures from standard driving, however if you love drifting round roundabouts then dont go for stretched tyres!

Its more a VW scene, and thats where ive come from to a certain degree. But i think a good stance, and a decent ride height and pretty much any car will look good, and stand out (clean of course).

M3 boys have done it, and personally wouldnt on that sort of horse powered car, well not to the degree of say 215's on a 9.5" rim, which i see being done. But each to there own, and do it on decent tyres, not fullruns etc :lol:
 
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