...shrink a tire?

[cortinanut]

Probably a dumb question, but here's my dilemma. I hadn't built a model for 10 years until recently. I pulled out a Tamiya Alfa GTA Sprint that I had begun way back when, and soon got back in the groove. Then I found I was missing a tire. After ransacking the parts bin and pulling out several more models to work on (no spray booth yet; wanted to get paint on several bodies to last me through the winter) I found the missing tire. For some idiot reason I had stretched it onto a wire wheel in my Aoshima (?) MGB kit and left it there. So now it's quite stretched out and loose on the Alfa wheel. My question is, Is there an easy way to shrink that tire just a bit? Do I need to freeze it, for example? Maybe it will shrink by itself over time, but I'd love to hear ideas. Thanks!

[Scalper]

you take the air out.

[62rebel]

i have fixed that problem a couple of times by wrapping a strip of masking tape around the rim to take up the space; one thickness at a time until the tire fit snugly. if there's too much room to use that method, consider replacing the whole set as i have done with my Revell XKE....

[Draggon]

I accidentally shrunk a tire by leaving it in brake fluid for awhile. I dont remember what the tire was made of, but I was surprised, and filed the info for later reference.

[cortinanut]

Thanks for the suggestions! If letting the air out doesn't work I'll try heating it a bit.