A while ago I posted about how to fit stretched tires on those lovely 9 inch wide rims like this one on the Carina Firevan:

Well, I found a video how to do it without explosions:

Pretty nifty!:)

Still, I think the fun factor of the explosion method a lot more appealing. ;)

Ever wondered how they fit stretched tires on those fat 9, 10, 11 or 12 inch rims? Ever wondered how those wheels on the B?s?zoku, Kyusha Kai and Shakotan cars are done? I did after seeing this picture of the Carina Firevan:

See for yourself here:

What happens is that the tire is only fitted on one side of the rim and the other side has a small (ahum) amount of space between the tire and the rim. The guy in the video applies brake cleaner on the rim (to ignite), just above and inside the tire. Then he lights it and the brake cleaner ignites and explodes inside the tire. This causes the air to expand and the tire to stretch. Due to the tire expanding it will tightly fit on the other side of the rim and you have a stretched tire. It is as simple as that! :)

Here you can see a better (and safer) how to:

(don't mind the bad choice in music...)

So, now you know how to make your car look Shakotan. ;)

And be careful... You don't want to end up like this:

I know I promised to give a follow up on the AE86 cupracer in the Car feature, but writing that piece takes a bit longer than I thought. I'll try to finish it later this week.