A troubling story was posted in the forum yesterday afternoon about a Mazda RX-8 that was allegedly towed after a traffic stop because of stretched tires.
Photos of the car in question are below and the wheel setup is as follows:
Front: 235-40-19 sized tires on 19×8.5” wheels
Rear: 255-40-19 on 19×9.5” wheels
A 235 width tire on an 8.5” wheel is perfectly within manufacturer norms as is a 255 width tire on a 9.5” wheel. There was no “stretch” or “hellaflush” at all yet the police decided the vehicle was not road worthy.
Now it’s important to note that we don’t have both sides of the story but if everything the owner is reporting is accurate, this is a severe error by the officer. This isn’t something where there is any grey area. The info on tire specifications is available and officers should verify it before having a vehicle towed.
We’ve posted the specs for all to see below. More info as this develops.
