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[Flot]

Well this was unexpected. I have Continental ContiProContacts in stock fitment on my 135i - 245 in the rear.

Despite intercooler/tune/downpipes, I was always shocked at how sticky the rear tires were. It was 50/50 if I'd break loose at the top of 1st gear and 2nd was almost always safe.

Well, I moved my original tires to a set of VMR 9.5" wide wheels. And although I've only put a hundred or so miles on, it feels like traction has gotten much, much worse. Car now breaks loose consistently at the top of 1st and occasionally again in 2nd. I'm in Florida, so temps have gotten a little lower but we're talking 70s, not 40s.

Anyone ever experienced this? The tires are clearly stretched on these wheels vs the stock, but I certainly didn't imagine such a dramatic difference in traction. I'd consider going to 255/35s, but I'm already getting a little bit of rubbing so worried about that as well.

Any thoughts?

[asbrr]

Hm interesting.

No personal experience with this but given the sidewall is much more stretched now, it's possible any play/give that was there before on stock fitment is reduced or gone entirely, effectively meaning the tire won't "absorb" as much. Think of how much a tire on a dragster deforms when it launches, that aids traction.

You could try playing with pressures (reducing them a bit) to see if that helps as it would maybe re-introduce some give into the sidewall..honestly you should probably get a larger tire that fits the 9.5 inch width better. Rubbing will just have to be dealt with (roll, alignment etc)

[TJ710]

With the tires being a bit more stretched I imagine the sidewalls aren't as tall. Less flex, stiffer can equal less traction.