# Tire stretch? **URL:** \ **Category:** NYSpeed Automotive\ **Created:** [November 11, 2013, 10:25am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/tire-stretch/233786 "2013-11-11T10:25:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![travisn](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/travisn/32/5046_2.png) [@travisn](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/travisn)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 10:25am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/tire-stretch/233786/1 "2013-11-11T10:25:48Z")
So my gf got some 18" s4 wheels to mount winter wheels on (2010 a4). Tires on the 18’s currently are 255’s, I want to put 225’s on since that’s what is on the car and narrow tires are better for snow. NOT going for a stretch, would like to keep vertical side walls. Will this be too much of a drop in size? Does anyone run 255’s in the winter? She has a 45 minute commute out by lake ontario so the weather can be quite shitty often. ---
**Author:** ![02NismoSpecV](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/0/74df32/32.png) [@02NismoSpecV](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/02NismoSpecV)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 10:33am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/tire-stretch/233786/2 "2013-11-11T10:33:20Z")
how wide are the wheels? 8.5? i had 245/45/18 snow tires on the CTS-V and they were about flush (vertical). still have the tires if youre interested ---
**Author:** ![travisn](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/travisn/32/5046_2.png) [@travisn](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/travisn)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 10:38am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/tire-stretch/233786/3 "2013-11-11T10:38:11Z")
Thanks, but she wants new tires. Plus I don’t know how much bigger diametrically we can go before hitting the inner fender or spring perch. I’m not sure how wide the rim is, haven’t remembered to measure yet, but yea, probably 8.5" ---
**Author:** ![Jeller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bc8723/32.png) [@Jeller](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Jeller)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 10:59am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/tire-stretch/233786/4 "2013-11-11T10:59:34Z")
I went down only one size on my A4 stock winter wheels when I first got the car (from 235 to 225s I had laying around) and it was stretch and poke retarded looking and the potholes were killing the lips of the wheels. I took them off and got the correct size. Also, I think I would take the wider tire for the majority of my driving as the narrower tire really only helps when in alot of loose type snow a low percentage of my driving really. ---
**Author:** ![cretinx](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/cretinx/32/6121_2.png) [@cretinx](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/cretinx)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 11:40am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/tire-stretch/233786/5 "2013-11-11T11:40:57Z")
kind of hard to answer without knowing how wide the wheels are. you’re an engineer so I assume you can multiply by 25.4 to figure out what size tires you need. ---
**Author:** ![Mike93](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/mike93/32/7325_2.png) [@Mike93](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Mike93)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 11:45am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/tire-stretch/233786/6 "2013-11-11T11:45:32Z")
If they are 8.5" wide a 225 fits no problem. I run a 225/50/17 on an 8.5" wheel and the fitment is great, now where near ‘stretched’. ---
**Author:** ![travisn](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/travisn/32/5046_2.png) [@travisn](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/travisn)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 12:39pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/tire-stretch/233786/7 "2013-11-11T12:39:26Z")
> [@cretinx](#): > > kind of hard to answer without knowing how wide the wheels are. > > you’re an engineer so I assume you can multiply by 25.4 to figure out what size tires you need. Ha yea, I guess the obvious isn’t so obvious sometimes 225/25.4 = 8.85