Dear Tirerack..........and am I crazy
#1
tire sizing problem
![](https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbworld.org-vbulletin/2000x1124/sidtoside1_fb9e7865d9689f3feacea70f46ceb6ea15255d67.jpg)
275 vs 285 ??? you can see how much stretched 275 is
![](https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbworld.org-vbulletin/1120x2000/width2222_ebb577fa10a889486697c92222a9fd5d27f99527.jpg)
true width of the tire
Been buying tires from tire rack for probably more then a decade now, but this time something went wrong..
From the beginning, I'm building a wide body r129 (sl500), got custom made HRE 19x10 forged wheels, untill now, I had my stock 275 35 tires on them, which obviously are over stretched (pictures included), ordered a proper set of tires namely 285 35 19, but when they came in right away they looked huge, I mean I was checking both sets of tires few times to make sure I did not order 295's.....um ok, we mount the tires on the rims, they are bulging out, that is not the look I was after. I measure again, do my calculations, burt no matter how you look at it new tire look to be 12" wide, and not 11.2"
Contacted Tire Rack still waiting to hear from them, has anyone seen anything like this, why are side walls bulging out this much? is it that damn "rim protector" ???
Last edited by makim; 06-16-2017 at 12:53 PM.
#2
Former Vendor of MBWorld
It's always a good thing to double check section and tread widths from your previous tires to the new ones you're intending on purchasing.
![](https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4286/34500713184_90085f0eaf_b.jpg)
The tread width on the Bridgestone is smaller than the section width which basically is an indication that the sidewalls tend to curve towards the center of the tire making it appear like a slight stretch which does give you more clearance compared to a more squared up tire. The Goodyear tire as you can see has a much larger tread width and section width but also the section width and tread width are the same measurement, meaning it's doing the exact opposite as your Bridgestone as this tire is much more 'squared up' as some would say.
![](https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4286/34500713184_90085f0eaf_b.jpg)
The tread width on the Bridgestone is smaller than the section width which basically is an indication that the sidewalls tend to curve towards the center of the tire making it appear like a slight stretch which does give you more clearance compared to a more squared up tire. The Goodyear tire as you can see has a much larger tread width and section width but also the section width and tread width are the same measurement, meaning it's doing the exact opposite as your Bridgestone as this tire is much more 'squared up' as some would say.
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HRE_Jurrian (06-16-2017)