If you have no idea what that means, you're not alone .In the VDubb community, there are several trends that come and go; very few stand the test of time. Some of the current trends include tire 'poke' and tire stretch, OEM + and the debatable intentional hood rusting procedure. You will very rarely see a lifted VW; even the SUVs. However, you won’t be hard pressed to find a Volkswagen, any make or model, extremely low to the ground or ‘slammed’ as the hipsters like to call it.One aspect of this completed ‘Euro-Look’ is ‘poking’ your rims; that is getting your rims to sit flush with and in some cases, protrude beyond your fenders. One way to execute this look is obtaining rims with a lower offset than your OEM rims had thus pushing the furthest point of the wheel (outside lip) away from the center of the vehicle.
Another way to achieve the ‘poked’ look is by running spacers or wheel adapters which extend the point in which your wheels bolt to the car. Some spacers are made in the form of adapters, changing your lug configuration simultaneously. There are not many wheel manufacturers that produce wheels with a low offset due to the stress it puts on moving and rolling parts. This fad was popular in the late 80s and early 90s and if you search Craigslist often enough, you might be able to find a set of rims that survived through the years.
Tire Stretch. Ahh yes. This is an extremely dangerous fashion statement to make with your vehicle and could cost you a lot of money if you’re not paying attention where you’re at all time. The story goes like this : a couple of VW guys were pinching their pennies and didn’t want to drop more money on new tires when they already had some lying around the shop that were the ‘same size’; same diameter that is. They didn’t factor in the tread width of the tire vs. the width of the rim, but they mounted the narrowed treaded tire anyways and the lip of the wheel ended up sticking out further than the tire would have and should have. However, they decided to roll with it and a new style was born – the ‘stretch’. Some love the look of their VW Rims like this and some hate it. Right now, I love it.
