Just got some 225/45/17's installed on OEM 7" Cosmos. There was a weird squeak coming out of the parking lot. When I came back into the tire shop, they noticed that the front tires were rubbing on the OEM springs (I don't have any suspension modifications).

I tried to search but couldn't really find anything regarding this. Is this normal? I drove home and the noise magically went away. I'm worried I might damage the tires if I don't get spacers.

Any suggestions? If I need to get spacers, I prefer not to go wider than needed. What size?

Thanks bros.

 

Considering the OEM tires are 205/45-17... those 225/45 tires are almost 1-in wider and 1-in taller in diameter. (per tire size spec) If the new tire runs wider than spec, which depends on manufacturer, that's an even worse scenario. Without see specifically where the rubbing is taking place, you might need at least a 5mm spacer to clear the struts. However, that might introduce fender clearance issues....

Why did you decide 225/45 vs the OEM 205/45 or even a 215/45 tire?

 

I need to know the correct spacer size to correct the issue.

Thanks

 

I think you're going to have to get under the car and take a look at the rubbing. Is the rubbing constant? Then you might need something like 8-10mm (or more) spacer. Is the rubbing intermittent? Then you might be able to get away with 3-5mm.

If you are still unsure, post a picture of the tire clearance to the strut / spring.

 

I can't actually tell it's rubbing because there is no sound anymore. On the rear it's a non issue. On the front I believe it needs like half an inch of clearance. Although I could be exaggerating that by a small margin. So I guess 15mm would work.

To answer your other question of why I got this size is a few different reasons. First the car is stage 1 and it needs more traction than most 205 tires will provide. Second reason is that the tire is slightly taller which serves two purposes. One it makes for a smoother ride as the stock size low profile tires are noticeably disturbed by uneven road surfaces and transfer road noise. Second, it fills in the stock suspension wheel gap closer to what it should be. So it serves both form and function. Third is that from what I've read online, people have stated running 225 tires without much issue so to whatever extent I did research, this seemed to be a reasonable setup.

 

If you can't tell its rubbing, then its minor enough to really only need 5mm-ish. 15mm would be too much, and likely cause rubbing on the fenders.

 

I'll probably go with MMR 12mm spacers. It's not that I can't tell it's rubbing. I can feel that the inside of the tire is in fact touching the coil spring of the front strut. It's that I don't actually notice any adverse effect while driving or hear any noise associated with the rubbing.

 

Just quick update. Installed the MMR 12MM spacers. They are perfect. Just in case anyone is trying to run this setup.

 

Good to know! How is the fender clearance? You’re still at stock ride height, correct?

 

super happy with it. Looks squatted AF from front.

Stock height but almost no gap now.

wider track has improved turn in as well.

 

Been running 225/45/17 on bbs 17x7.5 ET43 no rubbing issues with Goodyear asymmetric 6 on my old F56 SD ( recently sold)

as to why …?

all of the reasons above but mostly it’s a far more common size in the non-mini word so about 30% cheaper per corner compared to a 215/45/17

 

Just to update this thread and add some extra info the 225/45/17 were successfully transferred to my JCW
now with KW v3, camber plates and same spec BBS wheels as above