Stretched Tyres - Safe?
Discussion
After having been to a VW show on Sunday I've seen enough deep dished wheels and smoothed bumpers to last a lifetime. Whilst I love the wheels I'm not so convinced on the stretched tyres many of them utilise. I have entertained the notion of some deep dish rims for mine and have had people saying use stretched tyres to ensure arch clearance. It's always struck me as something not especially safe for road use, especially when combined with crazy camber. So is it safe or would you avoid it on anything remotely quick?
Were you at Ultimate Dubs perchance?
I attended the previous 2 as well as this year's and the stretched tyres thing has grown and grown.
I'm intrigued as to the safety too - personally I'd drive round with fingers crossed expecting a blow out any second. And let's not get started on the kerbing issues!
Needless to say, the Mk2 in my dreams has Ronal Turbos on it but the tyres won't be stretched!
I attended the previous 2 as well as this year's and the stretched tyres thing has grown and grown.
I'm intrigued as to the safety too - personally I'd drive round with fingers crossed expecting a blow out any second. And let's not get started on the kerbing issues!
Needless to say, the Mk2 in my dreams has Ronal Turbos on it but the tyres won't be stretched!
Where was the show? I went past about ten VW's in a convoy north bound on the M6 around Birmingham on Saturday, all of them with the tiny wheels and stretched tyres. They looked a bit odd to be honest. Oh, and every single one of the drivers were on their phone, one was even texting as he was driving..
SamHH said:
Beyond the obvious, what are they? If some tyres are not the correct size for a particular use, why not buy some that are the correct size?
It's not that, it's a style thing, apparently. Personally I think it looks a bit naff like you couldn't afford the proper size tyres, also those godawful Ronal Turbos wheels that are on every "euro style" car under the sun...It was Ultimate Dubs, which was at the International Centre near Telford. Dubs aren't really my thing but it was a good day out nonetheless. I believe the reason it's done is so you can get the car lower due to a smaller sidewall. Also, I can't imagine having such a large camber on a fwd car does much for stability or handling
accident waiting to happen IMHO.
Certainly don't think plod / insurance companies would look kindly on you if you stacked your P&J whilst running on tyres which are TOO SMALL for your wheels.
I'm sure I've seen posts on other VW forums from people who've had blow out's whilst running on stretched tyres. I know it's a "scene" thing but keep it for the show and shine if that's what you like. I think they look a bit silly myself
Certainly don't think plod / insurance companies would look kindly on you if you stacked your P&J whilst running on tyres which are TOO SMALL for your wheels.
I'm sure I've seen posts on other VW forums from people who've had blow out's whilst running on stretched tyres. I know it's a "scene" thing but keep it for the show and shine if that's what you like. I think they look a bit silly myself
Tyre manufacturers list the recommended rim widths for all their tyres. I suspect if you go outside that recommendation, the car would be judged to not be road worthy if it came to an insurance claim. I'm surprised a car like that can pass an MoT to be honest.
Plus it looks bloody ridiculous and adds massively to the unsprung weight.
Plus it looks bloody ridiculous and adds massively to the unsprung weight.
crofty1984 said:
I think the law is that the tread must not protrude from the body of the car, so they have wide wheels but this is a get-out so that you don't have to put wider arches on.
In Germany, the equivalent of the V5 sets out what sizes of wheels and tyres are allowed for the car.As someone who has actually run stretched tyres in the past (funnily enough on a Corrado VR6) I feel able to offer some perspective on this.
Modern low profile tyres have incredibly strong sidewalls but inevitably how much of an additional risk you introduce running a stretch depends on (a) how 'big' the stretch is and (b) what, how & where you drive with them like that.
For my part I ran 205x40R17 width tyres on an 8" width for 5 years without any problems, including at a number of trackdays. The dimensions described above were equivalent to perhaps ½" of stretch on each side. The car rode, handled and looked really well. The main difference I noticed was that under track use the (stretched) edge of the tyre took a lot more punishment than would have been the case without it, and this translates to the road in that if the car is "driven" at all the edges will wear faster than would otherwise be the case.
Now that Polo has a lot more stretch than I used to run (that looks like 195x40R16 stretched over 8"-8½" from here) but frankly a Polo is so small it's probably not going to be too much trouble... but... the danger with a ma-hoo-sive stretch like that is that it renders the sidewalls a greater risk to damage from cuts, stones and the like. It's also very difficult to keep those exposed polished rim lips free from damage.
Frankly it's either your thing or it isn't. It's massively popular in VW tuning and has been for years. Personally I think they look amazing, but I drive my cars far too hard to go as extreme as the stretch in those pics.
Modern low profile tyres have incredibly strong sidewalls but inevitably how much of an additional risk you introduce running a stretch depends on (a) how 'big' the stretch is and (b) what, how & where you drive with them like that.
For my part I ran 205x40R17 width tyres on an 8" width for 5 years without any problems, including at a number of trackdays. The dimensions described above were equivalent to perhaps ½" of stretch on each side. The car rode, handled and looked really well. The main difference I noticed was that under track use the (stretched) edge of the tyre took a lot more punishment than would have been the case without it, and this translates to the road in that if the car is "driven" at all the edges will wear faster than would otherwise be the case.
Now that Polo has a lot more stretch than I used to run (that looks like 195x40R16 stretched over 8"-8½" from here) but frankly a Polo is so small it's probably not going to be too much trouble... but... the danger with a ma-hoo-sive stretch like that is that it renders the sidewalls a greater risk to damage from cuts, stones and the like. It's also very difficult to keep those exposed polished rim lips free from damage.
Frankly it's either your thing or it isn't. It's massively popular in VW tuning and has been for years. Personally I think they look amazing, but I drive my cars far too hard to go as extreme as the stretch in those pics.
Edited by corozin on Monday 10th March 18:59
tGassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff