weaklink

Front tires are too big and car is too low. I took the car to have it aligned and during the post alignment "test" drive, the monkey must have gone too fast while turning and hit a bump (lipped the passenger side fender with the tire). Thinking about rolling the fenders, but want to see what it looks like. May just have to raise the car a bit.

rynberg

It really shouldn't look any different. All you're doing is folding up the horizontal edge, so I don't think it's that noticeable.

What wheel size/offset/tire size/suspension are you running?

weaklink

front 235/40/18 tein ha coilovers 5 clicks from max firm.

rynberg

What size wheels and offsets? The 235/40 18 tire is slightly taller than stock so that will also contribute to your rubbing issues. It sounds like you just need to either:

*raise the ride height a bit
*run a stiffer front sway bar to lessen body roll (which you probably don't have that much of anyway running 560 lb-in springs up front)
*change to better fitting wheels -- probably not an option

weaklink

agreed...best fit is 245/35/18, but try to find those!!! Don't want to raise ride height. Just curious as to what rolled fenders look like.

Batmobile

I have the same issue. What is the best way to roll the fenders back? Thanks.

israel

iTrader: (3)

someone posted pics on here a while ago (a month, 3 months? i don't know) pics of his red FD with gram lights, and rolled fenders. i have the fender pics, but i don't remember the guy's screen name or the title of the thread. i can email you the pics if you want. hope you'll find them helpful

remydrm

I had 235/40/18s on 18x8.5 wheels with 44 offset and I rolled the fenders, still tore up the fender and tires. also left a few ripples in the actual fender that was noticable. Is 245/35 an actual better fit?

dclin

iTrader: (4)

The only correct way to roll the fenders is with a professional fender lip tool. It's really the only way that you are going to get the the fender lip folded all the way up and flat, and still look good (well, you can see it if your head is inside the wheel well anyways hehe - should not be able to see it standing next to the car, as was said)

I tried the 'baseball bat' approach and had it angled up to where I thought it was fine, but it still caught and ripped the fender lip out. It needs to be completely up to avoid it getting pulled out again.

245/35/18 has a theoritical overall diameter of 24.7" (near identical to stock), where as 235/40/18 has a theoritical overall diameter of 25.4" That extra .7", plus lowering, will put your lip in danger - though I've seen stock cars with stock wheels/tires do it before in extreme cases. Keep in mind that the actual specs of the tire will vary with manufacturer and model - check their spec sheets for actual measurements. www.tirerack.com provides excellent info on specs, though I have found errors here and there on occasion.

The guy that posted pics of the rolled lip is Bigred, IIRC. Search under my ID and 'fender lip' for more on why I think this happens to our cars.

BTW, remove ALL the screws in the lip when you roll it! I put a dimple in my fender where one screw I forgot was pushed into the fender.

dclin

iTrader: (4)

Oh, currently - tirerack offers 245/35/18 in Dunlop SP9000, Goodyear Eagle F1 DS-D3, and Pirelli P Zero Rosso Assim. Falken and Toyo also offers this size in their GRB-Fk451 and T1S respectively. Past models include the original Pirelli PZero (in Assim and Directional at one point), and Dunlop 8080 (OEM on MB AMG SL), if you cna find them.

Haweka fender lip tool is available from Tirerack as a 'free' loaner, but you pay shipping and must endure a VERY long wait. My first time took almost exactly 6 months to the day, and I am currently 8th in line for this second time (when it arrived the first time, I was caught off guard and had the whole entire rear suspension off the car, and they require you to return it within a couple days).

When it arrives, I'll be taking pics with a writeup.

Pics with how-to here - forgot about this:

http://www.overboost.com/story.asp?id=131

namasan

How low are you guys running up front?

My current specs are 342mm wheel center to fender. I was thinking about going lower up front, but don't want to have this problem.

weaklink

Thanks Daniel. Informative as always.

adam c

iTrader: (2)

I cut and rolled/flared the fenders on my 79 RX7 to make room for 225/50/15s on 8 inch rims. The car was for autocrossing only, so we didn't care if it was perfect. We did our best, and took our time, but it still looked lousy when we were done.

The lesson here, is that unless you are a professional at this kind of thing, you will probably screw it up.

God luck if you try it. I wouldn't.

israel

iTrader: (3)

from here

weaklink

cool, thanks!

RX--7Seven

iTrader: (1)

I rolled my own fenders but I didn't use a baseball bat. The baseball bat was to fat (that's what she said!)
I ended up using a smaller bat the kind that cops walk around with! Use a broom. It's super easy.