Help: Tire Brand for Stretching Advice

[TofuShop]

Hi all,

*I posted this thread in the B8 section because the wheels/tire section is dead.*

I've searched (both Audizine and the internet) but haven't been able to reach a final decision on what tire to get and was hoping to get some opinions from people who have purchased aftermarket tires and stretched them. I haven't been able to find good testimonials on whether the sidewall on certain tires are slim/fat. I don't want to end up picking a tire then being surprised that it has a larger sidewall than usual and end up rubbing. The company I ordered my wheels from suggested either Bridgestone or Toyo because (from their experience) they stretch easily with a slim and stiff sidewall. I am looking to purchase a tire with the below specs:

-all season high performance
-255/35/19 (stretched across a 10" wide wheel)
-quiet; low road noise
-long tire life
-good wet grip
-will not be used in the Winter, but probably into late Fall/early Spring so temperatures may be chilly still
-i live in NJ so the roads aren't the greatest with lots of potholes/uneven pavement
-price is not an issue, i'd prefer to get a better tire than something cheap


After some digging around, i've seen lots of people recommending Continental DWS (has an ugly tread design), Falken FK452, Toyo Proxes 4 (from photos, looks like the tire is narrower than others of the same size), and Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position. Right now, these are my current choices.


Below are some actual tire stretch photos on 10" wide wheels i've found for reference material:

255/35/19 Toyo Proxes 4:


255/35/19 Continental DWS:


255/35/18 Continentals:


255/35/18 Hankook Ventus:


255/35/18 Michelin:


255/35/19 Toyo Proxes:


245/35/19 Falken FK452:

[Calbee]

offtopic but i swear i rmb you were from tdot and not jersey

[kaos1260]

Falken 912

[Blake P]

It's Toyo hands down.[/thread]

[maga4]

I hope this isnt too far off topic here, but are there any negatives to stretching a tire? Does it reduce the rolling circumference noticeably? Is there a reason not to get a wider tire? Thanks!

[ryank382]

also dont want to thread jack here but the tread on the hankooks doesnt look like ventus v12s. i just ordered 19x10 wheels and i am planning to go with 255s as well with ventus v12s. are the sidewalls on that tire slim or fat? also dont want rubbing issues as i will be running et40 in the rear. plus a nice stretch looks sexy as hell

[TofuShop]

offtopic but i swear i rmb you were from tdot and not jersey

Sorry, nope, I was always from NJ. went to school in MN and now i'm back in NJ again.

Falken 912

What tire size did you stretch onto what size rim? Any complaints?

It's Toyo hands down.[/thread]

I like how the Toyo's sidewall looks slimmer than similar tires of it's size. The only downsides i could find about Proxes 4 are everyone complains about the loud tire noise. I do lots of highway driving and often have many people in my car, so this is the only downside.

I hope this isnt too far off topic here, but are there any negatives to stretching a tire? Does it reduce the rolling circumference noticeably? Is there a reason not to get a wider tire? Thanks!

Stretching a tire lets you get away with running a more aggressive offset/width wheel without having the tire extend as far and rub on the fender.

also dont want to thread jack here but the tread on the hankooks doesnt look like ventus v12s. i just ordered 19x10 wheels and i am planning to go with 255s as well with ventus v12s. are the sidewalls on that tire slim or fat? also dont want rubbing issues as i will be running et40 in the rear. plus a nice stretch looks sexy as hell

I'm not sure if that is correct either, but that is what the website had them labeled as.

[Blake P]

Yeah, I wouldn't call the Toyos extremely loud, but they're not exactly quiet either. That's been my experience with most all season tires, though.