Tyre manufacturers specify suitable width rims for their tyres as further guidelines to those wanting a "stretched look". Are Speed ratings an Issue? Speed ratings are also nominally lower on stretched tyres in use so this needs to be bared in mind, so always aim for a higher speed rating than you would for standard tyres.
Is tyre stretching legal? We will give you the information available. We would have to concede that stretched tyres can be perfectly safe in some situations where the stretch is not excessive, the car is not driven too hard and the tyres are properly maintained.
The risks of damage from a kerb also needs to be mentioned as most tyres give a degree of protection to a rim. While the regulations are specific about tread depth, cuts, speed ratings etc, the fitting of a tyre on an unsuitable size wheel rim is not specifically covered.
It says nothing about the tyre must be fitted on a suitable wheel etc. This part of the regulation therefore gives reasons for rejection such as:.
The European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation publish a standards manual with approved rim widths for all sizes of tyre. However, if a tyre is fitted outside of this recommendation, it does not necessarily mean the tyre will be incorrectly seated on the rim. Whether the tyre is correctly seated will also depend of the tyre make, load carrying capacity, rim design etc. The European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation publish a standards manual with approved rim widths for all sizes of tyre.
However, if a tyre is fitted outside of this recommendation, it does not necessarily mean the tyre will be incorrectly seated on the rim. Whether the tyre is correctly seated will also depend of the tyre make, load carrying capacity, rim design etc. The following diagrams are representative of a correctly and incorrectly seated tyre. In this example, the wheel rim and tyre are incompatible and there is a clear gap between the tyre bead and the wheel rim because the tyre is over-stretched.
When this happens, the vehicle should be rejected for the tyre being incorrectly seated on the wheel rim. Where this isn't obvious, the nominated tester should pass and advise.
Another thing to note is that the driver of a vehicle with narrow tyres on wide rims may find that their insurance is invalid in the event of a claim. If you have any examples of extreme stretched tyres, please email the photos to MattersOfTesting vosa. This article was updated on 26 May to include clearer diagrams of correctly and incorrectly seated tyres.
Comment by garth ibbetson posted on on 10 July Stop moaning.. Anything that is changed from factory standard must be notified to you insurance company..
Comment by Christian posted on on 27 April I've been driving on stretched tyres for 4 years now, current car drives comfortably, flat out round bends, anywhere at bhp with a on a 10" rim. The reason we do this is so the rim can sit more flush against the bodywork and because we can I love reading people trying to talk about the dangers of it etc without any solid evidence at all.
People live lives so conservatively! Comment by Bob posted on on 08 June Comment by Phil h posted on on 02 April Don't like stretched tyres I have just done my three day mot Course and took this up with the tutor the funny thing was my so is into all this Euro style wheels so whilst going down a lane with his tyres euro style he hit a boulder in the road only at 30mph it totally took out his tyre and turned it egg shaped so this is one good reason why this method of fitting tyres should not be practised he had to get new tyres fitted this time he got the correct sizes.
Comment by Hank posted on on 26 January Comment by Mick posted on on 24 December Who ever did the drawing of and explanation of a stretch tyre should have their crayon taken away and be sent back to junior school. As stated by several sensible NTs it's impossible for the bead to turn through 90deg, even if it were possible the inside diameter of the tyre would increase by anything between a half to one inch depending on bead construction. And finally.
As all of the examples that I have seen and followed, all appear to have retained the standard fit tyres on extra wide wheels whereby the tyre remains within the bodyline but the wheel itself projects beyond, and are therefor a justifiable mot failure. Comment by Mark posted on on 16 December Stretch tyres are a death trap full stop a tyre was designed so that when going around bends and corners the tyre wall would flex either a little or a lot but with them stretched tyres the side walls are already stretched to the extremes so the only thing that can happen with them is it pulls the tyre bead off it's seat and deflate.
Comment by man posted on on 17 December Comment by Dave W posted on on 16 December Is this not a matter for the Police to deal with? Comment by Chris posted on on 16 December Maybe tyre manufactures should produce a list of maximum rim size per tyre width. Also i think its not just the boy racers to blame but the incompitent tyre fitters fitting these tyres. Before long theres going to be a serious incident witb this stupidity. Needs sorting before someone is seriously hurt.
Comment by Shane posted on on 17 December Comment by Malcolm Wilcox posted on on 16 December Sounds like some of the comments being made are by people that do not understand the tyre sizes, aspect ratio, section of the MOT Testing guide.
I have experienced this practice of narrow tyres being fitted to wide rims quite a lot. It seems to becoming a trend with the younger drivers of today. I don't understand why. Comment by Ads80 posted on on 16 December Maybe do one of these for the idiots diving round with blinding HID kits in standard halogen headlamps!! So dangerous. Comment by mat posted on on 16 December Comment by phil posted on on 17 March Comment by brian stallard posted on on 15 December Comment by gazzol posted on on 15 December Hope this helps some testers out there.
Diagram 2 isn't correct, in cases of extremely stretched tyres the bead doesn't rotate as in diagram 2 what actually happens is that the whole of the bead of the tyre doesn't contact the side of the rim.
There is infact a gap betweeen the rim and the tyre and you can see the back side of the rim. The more extreme the stretch the more of the inside of the rim you can see. In the most extreme case I've seen at a VW show you could see the base of the rim! Comment by jason williams posted on on 15 December Comment by Dougal posted on on 15 December Comment by Dan posted on on 15 December Blimey - nice to see common sense being employed! Not all 'stretched' tyres are dangerous if done within sensible limits and it's refreshing to see that that's acknowledged here.
For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Ozzy Tyres is here supporting you during lockdowns and restrictions Australia wide! All our store locations are covid safe, open for essential inspections, repairs, service , click and collect and contactless collections. Phone sales, social media messaging and stores are fully operational. What is a stretched tyre? This is a tyre which has been fitted to a much wider rim than it was originally intended or designed to fit.
Stretches vary from an inch to around 3 inches. It has gained a lot of popularity in VW circles and the look is really starting to take off. The benefits of stretched tyres are that they look great this is a matter of subjective opinion though. They also allow you to run much wider rims without having to alter the arches or bodywork as no part of the tyre may protrude from the bodywork.
We have heard many horror stories including the increased risk of blow outs, or sudden deflation and the extra risk of kerbing your alloys.
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