Firstfives.org

I recently installed a set of 15" alpina rims with 205 65's on them. Driving with four passengers, the left rear wheel was rubbing inside the wheel arch.

It's very slight - the tire isn't damaged, but there is a residue of rubber inside the arch.

Having just completed an engine swap (big valve 3.5) I'm starting to think my next project will involve tightening up the suspension. I'm wondering if tighter springs won't diminish some of the movement in the rear end - but it's been my experience that sport springs often lower the car.

Had anyone on this list had a similar experience? I can't tell you the offset of the wheels (I'm currently out of town) but they didn't look that much different from the stock 14"s. Of course, the 15" 205s stand a good 3-4 inches taller than the 14"s.

If anything, I will probably go with smaller tires eventually. I've always been a fan of 195s and I imagine just that would solve my clearance issue.

btw - the 3.5 is pretty crazy. I'll post some photos at some point.

cheers,
Brian

It's possible to roll the insides of the fenders to prevent/minimize that. I had some rubbing a few weeks ago when I had 8 bags of concrete mix in the trunk. Only on bumps though.

I had two people in the back seat - probably about the same amount of weight.

What size wheels/tires are you driving on?

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braino wrote:I had two people in the back seat - probably about the same amount of weight.

Maybe, it was about 500 pounds, but all in the back of the trunk, well in back of the rear axle line.

What size wheels/tires are you driving on?

225/50-16's on 8" wheels in back. I'm surprised they fit at all, but this was the first rubbing I've had and it was fairly minor.

What shocks are installed? Put the heavyweight on the other side of the car & see what happens? I'm the pot callin' the kettle black!
I'm not as slim & cute as I use to be either.

bilstien sport

which is also why I'm a little surprised - usually the back pressure from bilstiens keep things from moving around too much.

B

There isn't much room in there so knowing the width of the wheel and the offset is critical. If you are running an offset lower than 15 and a 7.5 in wide wheel, there is a good chance for rubbing on the fender. However, if you move to a 7 inch wheel and/or 20mm offset, there is much less chance of rubbing.

The 205x65x15 wheels are not 3 inches taller than a stock 195x70x14. The difference is more like 1/2 inch.

When you say "rubbing inside the wheel arch", do you mean on the outside of the tire wall or on the surface of the tire up inside the wheel well?

There's guys on this forum with tires way bigger than 205. Personally, I've got 225/50/16s and they fit OK.

The 205/65/15 is 18.9mm larger in diameter overall than the original 195/70/14. You'd be closer with 205/60/15 if you want to stay close to orginal diameter.

If it's rubbing the outside of the tire, you've either got the wrong offset, a serious suspension misalignment or your wheel arch is bent.

Cheers

if its barely rubbing then i would just roll the fenders. This is a common technique for E36 and E46 for bigger or a lower offset wheels. I had 225/55/16 on once to test fit it and it was rubbing. So i rolled them and not they do not make any contact what so ever.