An intravascular catheter system and method of manufacture for implanting a radially expandable stent within a body vessel. The catheter system comprises a shaft defining an inflation lumen in fluid communication with a balloon on the distal end of the shaft. A stent is mounted coaxially upon a balloon. The balloon has ridges impressed in the outline of the stent for at least a portion of the stent. The ridges are sized to receive the stent so as to cause the balloon to expand evenly and the stent to deploy uniformly. In an alternative embodiment the balloon may additionally have a polymeric surface layer exhibiting a higher coefficient of friction than the underlying material against the stent material. The surface layer may be provided as a high friction polymeric coating on a formed balloon or as a coaxial extrusion of a high friction polymeric material over the underlying balloon tubing material. In a further embodiment the balloon may have the polymeric surface layer exhibiting a higher coefficient of friction than the underlying material against the stent material but without the ridges.