Guys, im started to get worried about this...at first I thought id get used to it but then safety kept coming back to me.
When I have about 3 or 4 passengers -even 2...the rear tyres are rubbing against either metal or plastic the only time it doesnt rub or scrape is when the road is completely flat - any flaws in the road and itll hit it.
Can i get blow out like this if the tyres has to bang too hard against the rear arches/metal bit?
What are my options around this?
It also gets very annoying!
Anyone else been in the scenario? What have you done?

 

What model and year is your car?
Do you have stock wheels and tires?
If aftermarket wheels or tires, what size (dia, width, profile, offset)?
Do you have wheel spacers? If so what size?
Is your car lowered? Such as JCW or other aftermarket springs?

 

2003 Model
Aftermarket 17" wheels - rear tyre sizes are 215/40/17
Yes the car is lowered about 1.3" all round - only springs nothing else
the outer is rubbing.

 

That is pretty common depending on the offset of the wheels.
My 03 MCS (R53) had H&R springs, 17x7 et38 (offset) wheels, and 215/40x17 tires. I would rub when the suspension was loaded. The amount of rub you have will depend on the offset of the aftermarket wheel.

You can do a couple things to help eliminate the rub if not too bad.
The tires are probably rubbing on the plastic wheel arch and maybe up inside on the plastic wheel well liner. Jack up the jack, take the wheel off and look for rub marks on the plastic arch and liner. I used a rotary cutting wheel to grind the wheel arch lip off where it tended to rub on the tire. I also cut/ground away some of the wheel well liner to provide a little more clearance. That took care of my rubbing.

If you have too little offset in your wheels (such as less than 38mm) you might have to get wheels with more offset. But I would guess you have 38mm or more offset and trimming the plastic will work.

If the rubbing is not too bad, it will eventually clearance itself because the tire will remove the plastic however that is not too great for the tire, the rubbing noise is annoying, and it can take a long time to clearance by itself.

 

Good advice ^^

Also double check you are not rubbing against the metal. There IS a body seam right above the wheel and once you rub through your plastic, the metal edge is next. If you are not careful your tire will rub into that, and will actually slice it. I cant say it is terribly dangerous, but it is not desirable either. Some time with a hammer and/or grinder and you should be good.