Rear Tires Rubbing - HELP!

[daswerve]

Let me first say I don't know much about any of this stuff, so ALL suggestions, comments and/or poking fun is welcomed!

Rear tires are rubbing on 18 x 8's (tires: 225/40R18) w/ 2" drop. Front tires are fine, no rub. Rear driver side is much worse than the passenger side (I only weigh about 160 lbs., so no fat jokes!). It's actually wearing a groove in the fender lips and scarring up the tires. I need advice - what should I do? Now, I've only had the car lowered for 2 or 3 days, so I haven't gotten my front/rear alignments yet or considered camber kits, b/c I need to figure out what to do before I have all that done, or I may have to turn around and do it all again, depending on the solution....

I've been told to roll the fenders, try to install Spring Isolaters to gain some height, and so on......I've read NOT to mix and match springs with different ride heighths (that's what I was gonna do), so I am at a loss right now! Worst of all, I'm stranded b/c I don't wanna drive the car until I get it right....

Much thanx in advance - look forward to getting advice from some pros...

 

[daswerve]

Talked to a guy today that also told me to try spring isolaters for the rear, would probably give me another 1/2 " of height.......anybody? Please?

 

[ILLMINDED]

Do you know what offset the rims are? That might be your problem. Wrong offset. If that is the problem you will need to scrap the wheels and get something else with a different offset.........or cut the lips from the rear quarters or roll them. Either way you will still need some touching up with primer and paint wherever the cuts/or cracked paint is.

 

[daswerve]

Nope, I sure don't.........gotta be SOMETHING I can do to get the rear of the car up 1/2".....isn't there? I would go ahead and get the fenders rolled, but can't find anybody in my area that will do it (most didn't even know what it meant!). Thanx for the reply, my friend.

 

[ILLMINDED]

Do you really want to put the rear up another 1/2 inch?? If not I would break out some tools and do a nice trim job on that lip sticking out. Just make sure you get some primer and some touch-up paint for the edge that gets cut. This way you avoid any problems with rusting. I have seen something like a rubber spacer that is used for sagging springs in cars. They are usually found at your local parts stores. I think that the trim job will be your best bet, because if they are rubbing now and you have no camber correction whos to say they wont rub after you install some kind of spring isolater/spring spacer and have the camber fixed. Just thinking outloud for you.

 

[stickman]

I had the same problem.You can either buy 215's for the tires,or get adjustable coilovers and raise the rear up,or cut or roll the fenders.I do have a question though.You said that you have a 2"drop and you have fixed your camber yet and you still rub???Usually when you drop a car 2" the top of the tires tuck in and you shouldn't have any problems with rubbing until you get the camber corrected...What kind of wheels do you have on your car and what's the offset????

 

[Tevenor]

I run 235/40/17's all around with no rubbing anywhere. Your offset on your rims is most likely wrong. Every aftermarket rim should have the offset in the rim somwhere on the inside. Take the rim off and inspect the spokes. Usually you will have a number in there. 35, 38, 40, 42, 46 are all common offsets (46 is stock).

 

[daswerve]

All,
Sorry for the delay in responding, been outta town all day.

First off, thanx to everybody who replied - this forum has educated me so much in the past few days....

Secondly, I haven't had anytime to inspect my wheels for the offset and what not.....the wheels are made by Zoom Racing...they were VERY inexpensive and I love the way they look.....I know they aren't the best choice, but again, and I hope none of the hardcore racers out there will make fun of me, I did this solely for looks (although the increased handling is awesome, too)....

Something to think about: my Spyder is 400 lbs. heavier than all hard-tops Es, and guess were most (if not all) that extra weight is? In the rear, from the soft-top hardware.....so, I guess that kinda helps to explain why other folks with the same setup may not be having the same problem.......

Had my cambers/toes checked today and ordered my correction kits. So, after I get all that straight, then I shall move forward on to the rubbing problem (thanx to stickman for pointing that out).....think I found someone that is willing to brave rolling my fenders for me.....

I'll post the outcome results as soon as I can....but, if anybody else brainstorms any alternatives, PLEASE post 'em up! Thanx all.....

 

[9D9 MITSU RS]

When I was lowered on sportlines, mine did this. Too low. You can try to roll that inner fender lip up to give more space. I went down from 215-45-17 tires to 205-40's. That worked. I am raised back to pro kits now tho. I would suggest that you just raise the car up some in the rear somehow.