Google has a lot wired BMW threads... one thread said it's the distance the wheel sticks out from the frame rails. Another said it's the dimension of the tire and that it means the tire is as tall as it is wide. Still yet, one said it is the way the sidewall sticks out from the rim. Any help would be great.
In my world a square setup means all four corners are the same and can be rotated and used at any position. Very useful for those of us that have different wear front to rear.
Without the four-pointed jokes, I thought "square tire" meant all four wheels/tires were the same size.
my understanding as well
What they said
yes.. all four being the same size is the technical term for "square"
I've heard it used multiple ways. More commonly as referring to not-staggered front vs rear. However, I have also heard it used as a reference to as half way inbetween stretched and squeezed tires on the rim. Basically, vertical sidewalls.
Is that what they mean by "pinched"?
I always thought "square tires" were the ones you'd locked up a few too many times. :)
In reply to Trackmouse:
I thought it was what they meant by proper fitment! 
In all seriousness, I've heard "pinched" to refer to running a maybe-too-wide tire on a narrow rim, and "stretched" to refer to running a maybe-too-narrow tire on a wide rim.
In reply to Trackmouse:
Yep...Pinched = Squeezed = Bulged
Yeah, a lot of BMW owners who have a staggered setup from the factory (most modern performance models) find good benefits from going to a "square" setup assuming they can get it to clear the suspension and fenders up front. It dials out a lot of the inherent understeer built into the car making it more "free" and neutral.
I know of it meaning a non-staggered setup, or meaning a tire-to-rim width relationship that is not meaningfully squeezed (aka pinched) or stretched.
In the rallying world a square tire is one with a sharp-edged sidewall meant to dig into a soft surface, like these:
+1 to equal sized wheels/tires on all 4 corners.
GameboyRMH wrote: In the rallying world a square tire is one with a sharp-edged sidewall meant to dig into a soft surface, l
I would call that a square shoulder
Looks like this is becoming a BMW thread.... lol.
It really only means the one thing unless you don't race cars and think 'pinch' is relavent to anything.
Square is the same size/offset wheel and same size tire at all four corners. The end.
What he said...the end again. Unless someone else agrees with he and I say.
Tires for squares. Like an ecopia or something.... right?
mazdeuce wrote: It really only means the one thing unless you don't race cars and think 'pinch' is relavent to anything. Square is the same size/offset wheel and same size tire at all four corners. The end.
Pinch and stretch are slightly relevant to racing, in that you should avoid pinch like the plague (due to massive sidewall stiffness and tire wear disadvantages) and run only a mild stretch at most (where there are some sidewall stiffness advantages).
Most relevant discussion of the day.
So far.
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