Dj's 1999 M3 Project

[D_Eclipse9916]

Anyone have any opinions other than air pressures why it may be deforming more than when they were new?

Normal, you're just driving it harder and on a more grippy surface than previously. There was a wicked video on miata.net a year or so ago of a nationally prepped STS miata's Kumho XS sidewalls flexing so much the owner thought the thing would pop right off the rim. The new ST tires are just that much softer and grippier, I'll hunt down a few pics of my sidewall flex for you one of these days.
I was at VMP a week before you guys and Gary K. (badass blue M3) noted that he needed to add air to his dunlops so VMP might require a different setup. Heck even my car needed a different setup as my normally neutral Miata was oversteering all over the place.

You might be right, it may just be the surface. I am not so keen on agreeing that softer and grippier equals a weaker sidewall, if you look closely at the picture, its rolling almost halfway over the goddamn sidewall, and I noticed in a few other pictures of other people's cars its doing the same. For VMP I will definitely have the tire pressures up, and was hoping to play with STU this weekend but my codriver is having issues with his vehicle so ill be driving my friends car in C-stock albiet on streets.