stretch tires?

[2.5GT]

anyone stretch their tires before? gives that aggressiveness impression.

I might do this on 17'' wheels, but any idea on stock 16" wheels? and what size tires do i need? 225/50/16?

[DOOK]

yes... i am a nisssan whore... stretching tires has been a part of my life for many years... what are the wheel specs you are going to be running and how much stretch do you want... some tires stretch better than others also so I'll make some suggestions there too.

[LegacyRob]

What the hell is stretching tires???? Do you put a 16" tire on a 17"rim??

[DOOK]

no, it means running a narrower tire than you normally would for a given rim width.. I.E. 205 45 on a 9 inch wide wheel instead of say a 245 40 or whatever... makes the sidewalls stretch and tighten up as opposed to bulging. A lot of time attack and drift cars run stretches as it helps with transitioning.

[Mr. Sociable]

It's mostly a drift thing from what I understand. And IMO it looks stupid.

[DOOK]

it isn't mostly a drift thing... most if not all the competitive time attack cars I have encountered had mildly stretched tires as well. The aggressive stretching is almost exclusively drift, but mild stretching is extremely common in time attack. As for you thinking it looks stupid... you're entitled to your opinion, won't fault you for that, but keep in mind it's just a different automotive styling aspect, much like a lot of things you as a subaru enthusiast do that others don't. In the honda and nissan world the ride height that most subaru enthusiasts like to run is considered hideous and 4x4ish. It's all in the different makes and their personalizing.

[2.5GT]

it appears common with german cars. never seen it on legacys before.

so what tire size would you recommend using stock wheels? 16x6.5?

[Huffer]

Keep in mind that a stretched tire will force a tire to artificially stiffen the sidewall - cosmetically it'll allow a lower profile on a tire that perhaps wasn't available in a traditional sense.

Sure, it's not for everyone, and it may very well throw off your speedo if the profile doesn't come out "right" - but given that most people who do this are going to know a little more about rolling circumference, it's not really going to matter all that much.

[2.5GT]

will i loose air with the sidewall being stretch?

[DOOK]

it appears common with german cars. never seen it on legacys before.

so what tire size would you recommend using stock wheels? 16x6.5?

I dont.... the wheel is not wide enough to stretch a tire on.

[Huffer]

Only if you have a bad seal, or if you roll over the tire sideways too aggressively...which is unlikely to happen - you'd flip the car first probably.

[Mr. Sociable]

it isn't mostly a drift thing... most if not all the competitive time attack cars I have encountered had mildly stretched tires as well. The aggressive stretching is almost exclusively drift, but mild stretching is extremely common in time attack. As for you thinking it looks stupid... you're entitled to your opinion, won't fault you for that, but keep in mind it's just a different automotive styling aspect, much like a lot of things you as a subaru enthusiast do that others don't. In the honda and nissan world the ride height that most subaru enthusiasts like to run is considered hideous and 4x4ish. It's all in the different makes and their personalizing.

I've personally never seen it on local track/autocross/professional race cars but maybe I jsut missed some.

We can all have our own opinions on styling. I don't hate you. :grin:

[2.5GT]

ok.

now..if i get this right. so it's smaller tires on bigger wheels right?

what common with nissan people?

[DOOK]

I've personally never seen it on local track/autocross/professional race cars but maybe I jsut missed some.

We can all have our own opinions on styling. I don't hate you. :grin:

that's cool, I dont frequent autoX events... I live in west virginia and frequent both summit point and VIR where they do high speed large scale time attacks and what not... also, not to really piss anyone off, but I don't consider anything we do here in the states a true time attack. you don't get the tsukuba circuit or the Nurburing here in the states, lets just face it haha

[DOOK]

ok.

now..if i get this right. so it's smaller tires on bigger wheels right?

what common with nissan people?

correct... narrower tires on wider wheels

[Huffer]

I've personally never seen it on local track/autocross/professional race cars but maybe I jsut missed some.

We can all have our own opinions on styling. I don't hate you. :grin:

That's kind of the point though - if anyone's doing it, they're probably aware that they're running a "thinner" tire on a rim than what would be recommended to maintain OEM rolling diameter. As a casual observer, unless you can figure the "215/40/17 = 225/55/17" etc math in your head, you'd never know anyway.

[Huffer]

I don't consider anything we do here in the states a true time attack. you don't get the tsukuba circuit or the Nurburing here in the states, lets just face it haha

Time attack is really just another name for "against the clock" racing. It's the same thing that kids have been doing since people could walk.

As for circuits, I reckon Laguna Seca is as tough as Tsukuba - especially with that turn 9 or 8 switchback drop off that hits right after that fast uphill sweeper. :)

[DOOK]

Time attack is really just another name for "against the clock" racing. It's the same thing that kids have been doing since people could walk.

As for circuits, I reckon Laguna Seca is as tough as Tsukuba - especially with that turn 9 or 8 switchback drop off that hits right after that fast uphill sweeper. :)

touche my friend... touche... I should have chosen my words more carefully... how about road racing as opposed to autoX... I'm talking long sweeping turns and high speeds as opposed to a small technical course. Not saying one is better than the other, just different, therefore cars are setup differently.

[DOOK]

for illustration purposes, here is a 215 45 17 stretched on a 17x8.5, a very mild stretch. i chose this tire size for 2 reasons. 1, it is a mild stretch, which I like and 2 it retains stock rolling diameter therefore the speedo is on.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2008/04/4wstickers-1.jpg
slightly more aggressive would be this 235 40 18 on a 18x10
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2008/04/Byrans20jankJPG-1.jpg

[2.5GT]

stretching the tires like that would be bad right? i mean, the tire sidewall aren't design to be stretch out that far...won't it just rip the tire into half from the stretching?

[DOOK]

obviously not, we do it ALL the time. that 235 on the 10 inch wheel isn't overly aggressive actually, just more aggressive than my current setup and it's a buddies so I used it. With the width wheels we can fit on our subarus you won't get an overly aggressive stretch, they don't make tires in sizes that are narrow enough for the width wheels we can run... a 205 40 on a 9 inch wheel will be about as aggressive as you could get and it's not too bad.

[2.5GT]

looking at that pic is mad crazy..i bet he rub 24/7 like that :eek:

im just thinkin out loud with this. i plan to get new tires or new wheels..i'll just keep this in mind :eek:

[sharky nrk]

I have never really seen any cars at autox or hpde that run a stretched tire. Most of the time you want to get the widest tire you can get on the wheel without sacrificing the sidewall profile - ie not to rounded or not adversely squared - now a very mild strech - eh ok - but anything like that 235 on a 10in wheel doesn't seem to jive


IMHO it looks stupid - but alot of people probably think my "good looking things" look stupid as well - to each his own

now stretching on a 6.5in rim - stupid cause thats a skinny contact patch with a tire small enough to notice a stretch

[MCarp22]

most if not all the competitive time attack cars I have encountered had mildly stretched tires as well.

Not stretched:

http://www.redlinetimeattack.com/new_gallerys/gallery_f/images/IMG_7203.jpg

[DOOK]

looking at that pic is mad crazy..i bet he rub 24/7 like that :eek:



suspension on nissans works differently than on subaru. as their suspension compresses it cambers in. he rubs a little bit but not NEARLY what you'd think

[DOOK]

most if not all the competitive time attack cars I have encountered had mildly stretched tires as well.

Not stretched:


cyber evo... running a stretch
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2008/04/lancer_evolution_ix_sun_auto_cyber_-1.jpg
Endless Z33... running a stretch
http://og-made.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/23.jpg
signal auto time attack z33...running a stretch
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2008/04/130_0609_signal_auto_2004_fairlady_z_tim-1.jpg
top fuel s2k....running a stretch
http://www.urbanracer.com/gallery/articles/tas/2007/0016-01.jpg

[DOOK]

keep in mind however that different track setups and track conditions warrant a different setup, just as the suspension is adjusted accordingly, so is the tire choices.