USA VS. JAPAN TIRE FITMENT?

I always wondered and noticed that we here in the states try to fit the smallest tire sizes on our rims while in Japan alot of them I see run beefier tires and in most cases have a lower stance and better fitment than us here in the states. My question is what is the reason for this? Why do we try and go w/ the smallest tires, while they are using beefier tires. The ride has to be more comfrotable than a smaller tire, right? Just curious...........
Thanks in advance!

I think the major difference with that is most Japanese modders will go the extra mile to get the beefier tires to fit the car. IE they would have the fenders "radiused", a subtle flare that looks like it came from the factory and sometimes blister fenders.
 
Here in the states, most that I see are modders too afraid to do major things to thier fenders. They are more into getting the wheel to tuck. Which looks find and dandy.
 
But as you can see, we imitate them but, then again they imitate us then we inturn imitate them. We see and sometimes hear in our forums saying "in the mags they tuck their wheels"., thats because they see it here in the US and they copy it, then we turn around thinking that is the new trend and we copy it...hehehe
 
So basically we copy our own version of DUB style done by Japanese tuners with Japanese wheels instead of American made wheels.

I've always been a supporter of beefier tires.

I also noticed the difference in Tire fitment. I myself do not care much for stretch. I like the beefier look to a well fitted tire. Before this next paint I plan to pull my fenders a tad and roll the lip to fit 235 up front and maybe 245 in the rear. Fronts have less clearance.

Is there any Europe tire fitment? =)

I prefer a beefier tire for more ride comfort as long as it doesnt look too big........

I like'em BEEFY!!!:biggthumpup:

no not really
if you notice, the guys that run beefier tires have shitty fitment

I see it all the time.  Its not flush, but more tucked....with the lip of the wheel almost an inch inside the fender.....

they are also not constantly cracking their front bumpers 4 times a month.

enjoy your thin tires and super low drop, u da man.

[quote=Yokotas13;94236]no not really
if you notice, the guys that run beefier tires have shitty fitment

I see it all the time.  Its not flush, but more tucked....with the lip of the wheel almost an inch inside the fender.....[/quote]

I like being the rubber band man

[QUOTE=QoozyFoozy;94239]they are also not constantly cracking their front bumpers 4 times a month.

enjoy your thin tires and super low drop, u da man.[/QUOTE]

he is da' man!

[QUOTE=QoozyFoozy;94239]they are also not constantly cracking their front bumpers 4 times a month.

enjoy your thin tires and super low drop, u da man.[/QUOTE]
What the hell does that have to do with his "thinner" tires??  Hahaha, that's a ride height issue.  Stop poking...before I start prodding. :thelaw:

I like wheels to look ... wrapped in the tire. I find it makes a nice contrast - softness of tire, and brightness of the wheel. I'm not a fan of the little shined up rubber band tires.

[QUOTE=QoozyFoozy;94239]they are also not constantly cracking their front bumpers 4 times a month.

enjoy your thin tires and super low drop, u da man.[/QUOTE]


Wheel fitment has very little to do with front bumpers... 

But if you like sunk wheels to each their own :-)

no really ? ya? ya think? 

it was used as an example of how some people just blindly follow without having a mind of their own.


[quote=jzz30tt;94280]Wheel fitment has very little to do with front bumpers... 

But if you like sunk wheels to each their own :-)[/quote]

Thanks for the info. guy??????
This isn't meant to be a debate question really, that's why I didn't put the thread in the debate section. I was just looking for a simple answer for my own knowledge/Curiousity!
Thanks!:biggthumpup:

[QUOTE=PANCAKES!;94285]Thanks for the info. guy??????
This isn't meant to be a debate question really, that's why I didn't put the thread in the debate section. I was just looking for a simple answer for my own knowledge/Curiousity!
Thanks!:biggthumpup:[/QUOTE]

jst about every thread is a debate.:shrug:

[QUOTE=PANCAKES!;94285]Thanks for the info. guy??????
This isn't meant to be a debate question really, that's why I didn't put the thread in the debate section. I was just looking for a simple answer for my own knowledge/Curiousity!
Thanks!:biggthumpup:[/QUOTE]
That's the reason I cracked the whip...

I blame clublexus.  It's an easy scapegoat.

I remember when lots of members were all about the "fat tire" setup and it spread from there.  245/275.  Of course most have very little power and have chosen weak offsets.    It's very difficult to have aggressive fitment without stretch.

[QUOTE=AME_VIP;94310]I blame clublexus.  It's an easy scapegoat.
[/QUOTE]

You can pretty much blame them for everything wrong with the world. ;-)

[quote=QoozyFoozy;94239]they are also not constantly cracking their front bumpers 4 times a month.
 
enjoy your thin tires and super low drop, u da man.[/quote] :smiley-rofl: why do I find this so funny???
 
 
[quote=AME_VIP;94310]I blame clublexus. It's an easy scapegoat.
 
I remember when lots of members were all about the "fat tire" setup and it spread from there. 245/275. Of course most have very little power and have chosen weak offsets. It's very difficult to have aggressive fitment without stretch.[/quote]+1 for you as well....
 
I do see skinny tires on the VIP cars with better fitment.

I think it will have alot to do with the fact that *standard* fenders are very rare on the cars in the magazines (the ones with flush fitment anyway). Most have radiused fenders or mild blisters fenders, or at the very least "inner modification" to give more clearance inside the fenderwells (probably just like a mini-tubbing)
 
Of course the newer cars (esp the LS460 et al), are usually done with much more conservative fitment, fatty tires and zero fender mods (not even rolled). Probably because they are so new and expensive.
 
I've just moved from a 225/40 to a 235/40 and i love the fact that the tyres are now much closer to the fender. I dont quite love the fact that it now rubs when i have 3 people in the back, but its not so bad

I like it when the wheel and the tire are lined up perfectly from a side view but thats not happening with a flush fitment unless your running lots of -camber and have fender mods or are going for a sunken look.

i just got my first vip car mags with some accessories i ordered, and i was suprised to see MOST cars tucking wheel with meatier tires. actually i saw a lot of things that are considered uncool on this forum. changed my outlook a lot. seems like the style has evolved to more "exe" over there (there are still some hardcore vip), but ppl over here are stuck on the traditional look.
 
NOT A DEBATE!

[QUOTE=BLACKonBLACK98;94460]i just got my first vip car mags with some accessories i ordered, and i was suprised to see MOST cars tucking wheel with meatier tires. actually i saw a lot of things that are considered uncool on this forum. changed my outlook a lot. seems like the style has evolved to more "exe" over there (there are still some hardcore vip), but ppl over here are stuck on the traditional look.
 
NOT A DEBATE![/QUOTE]

I noticed that as well, and perhaps that is what is happening.and how i should have come across to widebody_q as well. My bad dog...:pat:

Thanks guys!
But Dominik's answer has answer my question the best!
I went back and took another look at the cars sporting the larger tires and notied that about 95-98% of them do have some kinda fender work/modifications done to them! Thanks Dominik for pointing that out to me and answering my question! :smiley:

[quote=QoozyFoozy;94282]no really ? ya? ya think? 

it was used as an example of how some people just blindly follow without having a mind of their own.[/quote]
blindly follow?

Every single one of my cars have been rediculously low

my stagea is one of the lowest ive ever seen, only trumped by one on air.
dont talk about blindly following until you know my past sir.

Wait a minute, what about tires that stretch but still have a tall sidewall? I see that and I like that, they get stretched to fit but still have enough rubber in height for a good ride, don't they? I mean wont tires that are to wide cause problems too?

radiused fenders most likely

what are u talking about?
Japanese drivers have been stretching the shit out of tiny ass tires on BIG rims
and in America ppl always want a 295 on a 9 and a 255 on a 7 etc.

Ppl prefer more tire cause maybe they have less traction with a smaller tire
stretch the tires you want on what size rim u want to suit your driving
you stretch it too much and even a stock power'd car u could have traction issues

i like both worlds, so long as it suits your purpose and you can drive safely i dont uinderstand your question? put a 175 on a 10, doooo it

[quote=PANCAKES!;94183]I always wondered and noticed that we here in the states try to fit the smallest tire sizes on our rims while in Japan alot of them I see run beefier tires and in most cases have a lower stance and better fitment than us here in the states. My question is what is the reason for this? Why do we try and go w/ the smallest tires, while they are using beefier tires. The ride has to be more comfrotable than a smaller tire, right? Just curious...........
Thanks in advance![/quote]I honestly think that most of the Japanese cars just have wider wheels like 11-13" so the tires are going to look beefier, at least rear shot-wise. I would love to rock a 19x12 in the rear just to have that "steamroller" look from the rear. Sometime in the future I would like to trade my wheels for something more wider with a higher offset so I can pull back all the negative camber and just have the wheel fill up everything from the fenders to the coil, but sometimes I think if I did that it'll seem like I really care about traction, which in the Q45 it isn't that serious.

I can't stand the muffin tops look and every millimetre that tyre sticks out past the rim is space you're losing for offset. The worst is when total wangs want to run their 275 on a 9" or some crap and then have to roll the fenders out to make even lame-O offsets fit...
Square tyre fitments, i.e minimum rubber to rim size are ok, where you have a nice perfectly vertical sidewall and might only sacrifice 5-10mm of offset.  But a size or so down in the tread width just makes the sidewalls that bit tighter and gives that bit more room (e.g 205-215 on an 8", 225-235 on a 9" as an example) which is even better. 
Neither is "stretch" really, but in my opinion are PRACTICAL for clearance and performance, without having to go full hipari styles.
 
Oh and stretched rubber without the offset to go with it is one of the lamest things ever too.

I had to read into the thread to see if you guys were referring to skinny as in "low profile" tires or skinny like "narrow" tires... I'm still not sure we're all on the same page!

I have always been a performance-oriented guy, so I throw wide tires on all of my cars. I like how it looks, especially if I can do a mild stretch to help with clearance. My GS has 255/30-20s on the front and 305/25-20s on the rear. This is actually theoretically possible on a stock-bodied GS, but that's not my thing (fenders were stretched and cut).

I also hammer my cars a bit, and I love harassing Boxsters on freeway on ramps in my GS...
The MR2 can walk away from most Porsches and BMWs in corners (or on straightaways). Fat, sticky rubber and suspension tuning is the key! Even the Odyssey is getting 245/30-22 front & 285/25-22 rears... just because I can!

I like the VIP look and all, but 235 front / 245 rear tires don't impress me... many of these cars come factory-equipped with tires this wide. Of course, on most aftermarket Air systems you can't really hammer the car the way I do anyway.

Love the w-i-d-e tired cars!

[QUOTE=AME_VIP;94310]I blame clublexus.  It's an easy scapegoat.

I remember when lots of members were all about the "fat tire" setup and it spread from there.  245/275.  Of course most have very little power and have chosen weak offsets.    It's very difficult to have aggressive fitment without stretch.[/QUOTE]

yeah i remember i had a set of 19X9.5 +38 and they were complaining that the offset was too aggressive. I was selling them cause they weren't eaggressive. 

LOL ClubLexus lets use them for all our problems

i say beefier. in the weather changes, last longer, better stopping power and better handling. Too much stretch could cause you to loose some traction. Looks nice and all but I hate feeling every bump in the road. Fitment is fitment but it can look good beefy or thin. I got 255 35 20's for crying out loud :shrug:.