I swapped out my run-flats to regular tires (stock size) on my lowered R53. Noticed I'm getting a very noticeable amount of rub on rear inner black plastic fender liners (no rubbing on outer black plastic fender).

Should I try to trim the liners? Let them rub thru even though tires are getting some wear too? Running 15mm spacers all around.

Car is sitting pretty much where I want it now with a good alignment.

Thanks!

 

Can you do without the spacers or smaller ones to bring the outer tire edge inboard? If not, use a DREMEL tool or similar with a small cut-off wheel and trim the inner liner. I've done it to TRACKRAT with no adverse effect because it was rubbing while cornering at speed.

 

Let the fender liner self-clearance if you're ONLY getting plastic contact and no metal. If you're getting metal contact, you need to evaluate a few things: how much do you like your current stance, and how good are you at welding and body work?

 

OK, looking at it, I think it's only plastic contact. I'll keep an eye on it to see what happens.

Didn't notice this at all with the previous set of tires. Maybe the run flats were shaped differently?

 

After you lowered it, did you reset the rear alignment? I went with some Bilstein Coilovers with 320# springs, and needed to put in adjustable lower arms to get rid of the rubbing and set my rear camber down to something realistic, even for AX. I had rub in the rear until I reset the rear camber, even had melted plastic stuck in the shoulder tread of my highway tires.

 

Yes, I replaced upper and lower rear control arms and took it to a race alignment shop.

It rubs on the Outside edge of the inner fender liner near the outer black plastic fenders (which it's not touching). So, the lowering didn't introduce too much negative camber.

I don't think I was getting this rubbing with the run flat tires. It started when I put on some Yokohama S.drives. Maybe the shape is slightly different?

 

It's extremely common, to the point of being a rule, that a 205 tire doesn't mean exactly 205mm, and different tires will always vary in actual size and profile.

 

... back when I was learning about tires ... years ago. They always said the sizing was measured in "units" so a tire that is a P205/45 is 205 units wide and 45 units tall or a tire that is a P235/75 is 235 units wide and 75 units tall ... but they never said there was a "standard unit". BTW back then the most common wheel size was a 15.

Motor On!