So I was running some 265's on am 18" run and the rim was well big enough. I went back to a 17" and put a 255 on it because I miss the comfortable ride but the tire is about an inch wider. I have Michelins (sp?) On the 265's and it feels like the smaller stretched tire drifts all on it's own on the freeway at high speeds where I had no problems before. I am planning on running a stretched tire later on with the 18" rim and was wondering if it altered performance or if I just bought a crappy tire?

Thanks for your input, I've never ventured into stretched tires but I like the way it looks.

 

What's the width of the wheels and off sets what size is the side wall of the tires

 

I am on hankook v12 they are 255\40\17 on a 17" I think by 7.5. The other tire set that I wasn't having problems with is a set of 18" by 8.5" and they are 265/35/18. the offset on the 18 is +45 and I am not sure about the 17's. They are poetically either the same or maybe a little less like a +40.

The 18's are a much better tire in my opinion (they are the sport michlenn tires and they are awesome) buy I don't know if that is the only reason I have the feeling I have. If stretching the tires makes that big of a difference on performance I'll need to get new rims to run a 295 or 305. I bought a wide body kit and can't wait to get more tire under there.

 

I thought stretch tires are when the tires are too small for the rim, it sounds like to me you just want wider tires from the tire sizes you are giving. And it is my opinion that stretch tires are never a performance gain because you are riding on the side wall of the tire which is design for traction. You lose traction. I guess that is what is giving you that drifting feeling which in my opinion is dangerous on public roads...

 

Oh okay your tires are bigger then the wheels that there are on. The term stretched tire pertains to a smaller tire then the width of the wheel.

 

Wow shows how dumb I am. The tires are wider than the rim yes but they feel totally different than my last set. I don't think there would be any performance loss with having a wider tire than the rim so I'm blaming it on the tire. I'll just go ahead and plan on slapping a bigger tire on the 18" and seeing how it feels.

 

Sounds like you need a wider rim. The tires you have are already too big for your rims. You will only make things worse by going even bigger...

 

I have two sets of rims and the bigger ones have 265's on them. Those drive fine and there is room for more tire without it bulging out. I was just curious if anyone knew if putting on a tire that is wider than the rim would cause the strange loose feeling I have. You may be right if the oversized tire is the problem but with my other rim set it wouldn't be as dramatic I don't think.

 

One word, trapezoid! Wider tire means more surface which will lead to more grip. At least that's how my mind works. Tire compound would be the next step.

 

But more rubber also means less acceleration, unless...TURBOOOO