tire stretching...

[Slymm]

hey guys, new to the forum here, hopefully u guys are a little more helpful than vwvortex, im buying some new rims, the new asa ar1's, black with polished lip 17x7's and my question is, what is the best size tire to get put on these, i am looking for a little bit of stretch, but nothing extreme, i still want it to be "fuctional" and not have to worry about rubbing on my fender when i load up my car or taking turns hard. my car is lowered if that makes a difference. all the guys are the tire shop told me NOT to do it, and im just gonna blow a tire the minute i hit a bump in the road. im thinking maybe a 215/45?? again im sort of new to the whole idea of stretching and have been having a hard time finding info on it thanks guys! get a good stretch lookin like this maybe...
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/Slymm/gallery5Ccarshoots5Cdermini5Cbig5Ci.jpg

[SnowboarderX]

whats the pictures of the mini about? you got a mini, the strech, the wheels or all of the above :D welcome to the site...

you dont need to stretch 17's unless your dropped wickedly low, i could be wrong, someone will have the right answer for you, i just got 17's and didnt go stretched and still looks good...

[golftdibrad]

[QUOTE=Slymm]tire stretching...[/QUOTE]

Is dumb.

It started in the late 70's and early 80's in europe. It was started b/c of the lack of low profile tires on the market by european racers to allow wider rubber and stiffer sidewalls. This led to better handling and faster lap times. The tyre (for our euro btethen:)) industry responed with more low profile tire sizes.

This practice eventually became synomious with the 'euro' look. And thats all it is nowadays, a look. With modern DOT regs stretching can be safe(er) but hampers preformance more than it helps. The Tires are not designed for it, and modern radials loose grip because of it(stretching).


So, to sum up. Go with a properly fitted low profile for the best mix in looks and preformance - which translates to saftey for the street.

If your doing it strictly for looks, i have no advise to give as i've never looked into it for the above reasons.

And, after rereading the above it comes off as assholeish. Not my intention at all, just trying to help you in your tire size choice. Good luck with you decision!

-Brad

Ps.... post pics of your ride!!!

[1sikJetta]

I love stretch, but as Brad said, it's strictly for that "euro" look. If it's going to be your show car, go for it. Otherwise, stay away as it will negatively affect your performance and with the slighest decrease in tire pressure, you'll have this:

http://img155.echo.cx/img155/7150/04012600039mz.jpg

http://img155.echo.cx/img155/4629/04012600099kr.jpg

but when you do it right, it looks DAMN GOOD:
http://img24.echo.cx/img24/357/roller8yv.jpg[url="http://img24.echo.cx/img24/357/roller8yv.jpg"][/url]

[Slymm]

hey guys thanks a lot, yeah i am goin for function more than looks, my car is far from a show car, but here are some pics of what i got...
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/Slymm/DSC00342.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/Slymm/DSC00349.jpg
im gettin ready for spring, i just picked up a gli front spoiler, getting that hood filler peice put in, and gettin new rims obviously, and getting front bumper repainted as well, btw those crappy ebay fogs are long gone, i retro'd some hella projectors into the lower grills and iv got teh piaa crystal ion bulbs put in, just havnt gotten pics yet, just did that over winter

[rodney]

:thumbsup:

[repeelS]

I don't think it looks good. I'd never stretch on my car. I like tires that fit the rim, and that rim protection lip actually does its job.

my vote, no stretchy.

[ibid]

hey, that's the first time I saw someone actually show what happens easily to the 'stretched' tire! kudos!


For me, it is very unsafe... and only for show people who basicly don't drive on them on a daily basis (only drive to/from shows on them or even mounte them up at the show)

[DuffMan]

225/45 17

Welcome to the site BTW!

[Slymm]

[QUOTE=DuffMan]225/45 17

Welcome to the site BTW![/QUOTE]

thanks for the warm welcome, lol
so overall though, none of u guys are FOR tire stretching? what if i got 18's? id be losing ridability then, probably start getting to be a pretty rough ride, yes?

[1sikJetta]

you can slightly stretch the tire and be fine. for example, on a 8.5 inch or 9 inch wheel, 225 tires will stretch but not enough to be a hazard. if you keep the tire pressure at 35 psi or above, you will not have any problems.

[mk4gtiboy]

if u want ur wheels to stick out a lil y don t u just get wheel spacers?

[ImStillMikeVR6]

17x7's aren't going to give you the wide-stretched look that you want anyway. In order to get any kind of stretch whatsoever, you'd have to go 195/40 or something similar - - NOT good for handling/comfort.

If you want stretch on 17s, 17x9s with a 205/45 is nice-

[Slymm]

if i get a 17x8 rim, get wheel spacers, could i still get a stretched look? if so what size? btw anyone know if the bolts are long enough if i get spacers? how big do the spacers have to be? the offset on these wheels are 35

[vw Neo]

[QUOTE=Slymm]thanks for the warm welcome, lol
so overall though, none of u guys are FOR tire stretching? what if i got 18's? id be losing ridability then, probably start getting to be a pretty rough ride, yes?[/QUOTE]

18s will be okay with the proper suspension and tire combo. I'm doing it right now on my Jetta. 18 x 8.5 / 215/40-18

[dub_show]

to stretch, go with an 8" or more wide rim. no one stretches on 17x7s... i run an 18X8.5 with a 225/40/18. looks good. AND! different tires stretch diffently. for example, i had some toyo t1s and they had a medium stretch. then i had some khumo asx's and they sat flush. now there are some falken azenis st115 and they have mad stretch on them.

[kampfire]

[QUOTE=Slymm]/IMG]
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/Slymm/DSC00349.jpg[/QUOTE]

Damn, whos focus is that? It fricken sweet. ;)

[Slymm]

even though no one stretches 17x7's, iv asked someone over at the rack, they said to pick up 205/50/17 and id get a lil stretch but they surely wouldnt be squared up, what tires are good/safe for stretching?

[1sikJetta]

toyo proxxes t1-s are the best if you can still can get them. if not, most falken tires stretch pretty nicely

[blackwidow_dc]

i have a slight stretch on my 18s but im runnin 8s in the front and 9s in the rear....

i havent had any problems with it at all. but again it is a slight stretch...

http://www.eclubvw.com/forums/vbgarage.php?do=getimage&id=283