as it says on the tin ?? .. whats the thinking behind it please guys ?? .. i know lots of the UK guys do it but to be honest i didn't see many of the japanese drift cars with skinny tyres over big rims ??
I'm not 100% sure of all the benefits but I would logically conclude... 1. Cheaper tyres 2. Stiffer, much less movement in the tyre wall 3. Less contact patch due to thinner tyres means it might break traction easier. 4. Looks cool
I believe the theory is that streching the tyre means asmaller tyrewall thus less flex, which will give better feeling, and better predictability. From what i hae gathered drifters seem to prefer wider wheels ie 9J as this allows more control when sliding, although i may be wrong. My beemer only had 7j wheels and massive sidewalls, but i don't notice too much due to lack of driving skill and money.
all the above points are true. also allows the car to be uber low without the tyre rubbing itself to pieces on bodywork. I have 195's on a 7.5j rim, its only a tiny little bit of stretch but it meant the difference between an hour with the hammer on each arch and say, 2 hours on each arch
when my car came over from japan it had 215's stretched over a 9j,great for losing traction but not so great for making progress on the road
I think its also to do with wanting to fit wide wheels to have a big dish but yet still have tyres that fit within the arches. Also looks pretty cool !!
Aaargh! the temptation is too great, I've been looking at my arches and measuring/calculating various things the last few days. I'm now convinced that a 15x9j +/-0 would just fit, maybe with some further wheelarch abuse, but deffo do-able
