SpeedKing

iTrader: (4)

What Damon's spreadsheet "calculates" and what the ACTUAL difference in tires there is are two different things. Could actually be more than 0.18", then again, that 0.18" could be what's causing you to rub.

Yep, and actually, that's a shorter and not "thinner" tire.

I can *speculate* several things but I won't go there since his car overall is not similar to yours, but if his GC setup is an adjustable system, then he can raise his ride height to clear his wheels and tires.

sicminded

why wouldn't a 245/40 tire be thinner than a 255/40 tire? i know its shorter by overall diameter, but how is the 245/40 tire not a thinner tire?

i don't know if i should risk the chance of wasting more money by trying a 245/40 tire. not to mention that the falken azenis rt-615's don't come in that size. but maybe i should just play it safe with the 17x8 +43 with a 225/45 tire. the 225/40 tire is taller by about a tenth of an inch compared to stock, but being so thin of a wheel and tire, i don't think it will rub anything at all...

chris

rynberg

Something is just plain wrong here.

My car is lowered over 1.5-inches in front and I am running 235/40 18 tires (at least 0.2" taller than your tires) and I only hit the fender liner on hard dips. Never in braking or any other situation. Your ride height looks normal too.

I'm at a loss.

MR_Rick

iTrader: (7)

Tires and rims are not your problem. there has to be something wrong with your suspension. I get that checked out.

sicminded

i agree, its weird how people are running a taller tire, sometimes even lowered, or even with a lower offset, and have no contact with the fender liner.

but i think maybe that the 255/40/17 tire up front is too wide, in my application at least. when fully locked left or right, the portion that is hitting the fender liner is the outer most corner of the tire. with a thinner tire (say a 245/40/17), not only will it be a shorter tire for better clearance, but it is a thinner tire. if you can visualize a 255/40 compared to a thinner 245/40 tire, when steering to a locked position left or right, the outer most corner of the thinner tire would have less of a sweeping radius than a wider tire. thus resulting in more clearance favoring a thinner tire. a shorter sweeping radius, combined with a shorter diameter tire might give me enough space to clear the fender liner.

so maybe not just tire height, but how wide the tire is plays a part. what you guys think about this? thing is, i don't want to try a 245/40 tire and still rubs... expensive mistake, heh.

here's a little flash movie i made to help picture things: http://home.comcast.net/~wrx7/Movie1.html

i'm going to go and try the route of selling the rims/wheels and doing a 17x8 +43 with a 225/45 tire. if anyone else thinks that this would have clearance issues... please let me know!


chris

SpeedKing

iTrader: (4)

The shorter/thinner correction is nothing more than a difference in nomenclature.

And BTW, since Tyler recommended that fitment (https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...04#post4543604), make him pay for your new front wheels and tires.

sicminded

haha, if he wants to pay, that'll work for me. but on a serious note, i can't blame anyone but myself. i knew this fitment would come close to not working. i just wanted to run a 255/40 tire front and back so badly. i mean look at this picture:

it just looks so badass. not to mention this setup would have allowed me to do some serious road carving.

the wheels are for sale, locally for now. it is listed on the west section: https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...62#post4571662

>>>> i am going for 17x8 +43 with a 225/45 tire. can someone confirm this fitment? <<< no more rubbing pllleeaaaaasseee.

thanks for everyone's efforts in helping me.

late,
chris

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

sicminded,

You can run that setup (17x9 +43 with 255's all around), however you'll have to run a much stiffer suspension. I have that setup using Tokico and Tein S-Tech springs (with hammered in fenders, not just rolled).

SpeedKing

iTrader: (4)

That, or 235/45-17.

sicminded

wow really? i believe that running a much higher spring rate may help my fender liner rubbing when braking hard, as there would be less pushing down by momentum in the front. but i dont think a stiffer suspension would help my fender liner rubbing when the steering wheel is fully locked left or right. even just parked, and turning the wheel full left or right, it touches the fender liner.

what exactly do you mean by hammered in fenders?

chris

dclin

iTrader: (4)

I have had 18x9 +42 with 255/35/18 up front - which is almost identical in theoritical outside dimensions as your set up - on stock suspension, and never rubbed. I would have recommeded your setup myself, no blame falls on rynberg.

Keep in mind there are a lot of variations in the actual dimension size of a given tire size, brand to brand and even model to model within a brand. A 255/40 from Brand A could be significantly wider (or whatever) then a 255/40 from Brand B.

ptrhahn

iTrader: (9)

Seriously bud?

You need to live with it. That isn't much of a rub from what I can see in the picture. I'm calling bullshit on anyone who has aftermarket wheels/tires and says they don't rub at ALL. I'd need to see pics of absolutely pristine fender liners to prove it. All FD's that are either lowered or have aftermarket wheels rub some up front. It's just reality.

If it was just rubbling up top, i'd say MAYBE you've got worn out upper mounts/bumpstops, or saggy springs... but the bit up front on the liner is just life.

speedsilver7

iTrader: (8)

you should get afftermarket suspension Chris

speedsilver7

iTrader: (8)

and lower your car and you should be ok with that.i have 17x9 255 f ,ground control and i had no problem with it

sicminded

you think stiffer suspension or even coilovers would help the fender liner rubbage. i doubt it would, especially since the rubbing is a left and right thing, not an up and down?

chris

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

When running my suspension on hard, I have no rubbing at all. If you turn the wheel full lock going very slow in the parking lot, can you hear it rubbing the fender liner?

The inner fender lips are not "rolled" up like most people do; they were hammered flat by a body shop. This way I can have the fenders pulled out slightly if I need a little more clearance.

Here's a front shot:



17x9 +43 with 255's.

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

BTW, I also choose the Yoko ES100's because their profile isn't as high as most others in the same sizes.

SleepR1

Those tires must be taller than normal stock 255/40-17s. PM radkins on his solution to avoiding the rubbing with 5Zigen 9 x 17 +43s and 255/40-17 S03s all around. I think he switched to 235/40-17 S03s for fronts. He has H&R springs and Bilstein HD shocks (I think)?

sicminded

i do not hear the tire when it touches the fender liner when steering it to a full locked position, left or right. the outer most corner of the tire pushes the liner inward a little bit.

chris

sicminded

Hi all,

I may have temporarily solved my fender liner rubbing... hopefully solved it permanently... for now.

I got some nuts and bolts with a 3" spacer. I then tucked in the fender liner behind the lip it usually sits on top of and fasten's too with the plastic screws and washers. Then with the nut and bolt and spacer, i have it prop up the fender liner inward. This caused the area that it was rubbing on to be pushed in as much as possible, and flat onto the surface behind it. But where the bolt is located, comes real close to the tire when fully locked left or right (see pics below).

I took it out just right now to a gas station a couple of exits away for a test drive. i put a piece of masking tape to where i was concerned with the close clearance. drove carefully at first to see if i can hear any rubbing still. did a hard break... no rubbing. so i started driving crazier and crazier. harder breaking, still none. i got into turning faster and faster on corners, on ramps, offramps. i even got the wheels to squirm during a long sweeping turn. no audible signs of rubbing. at the gas station i checked the masking tape, still there. i did the same driving on the way home. at the garage, checked the masking tape, still there.

may have solved the rubbing.... for now.

and btw, wow, this is the first time i have pushed the wheel/tires hard. and this thing grips. i can tell when the tires are about to give, which isn't until they are hella pushed hard.

i'm going to bring my car to commute to work tomorrow, which is 50miles round trip. i took off the masking tape, but will be listening to any rubbing.

thanks all for the help, i've gotten offers for the two wheels. if this works out, i may keep them, or not. just a little worried with the clearance now, and even thinking about lowering it. might just play it safe with more clearance with the 17x8. but we'll see tomorrow what i think, heh.

chris

my little rig:


close clearance, left wheel well, full lock right:


masking tape still in tact:

cabaynes

iTrader: (4)

Hey, I dont know if it has already been talked about in this thread, but it's easy to see why you're rubbing in the first place.

a 17x9 wheel with a +43 offset is FINE
a 255/40 tire is not reccomended

You should be running a 255/35 profile.

Stock tire = 225/50/16 = 24.85"
255/40/17 = 25.03"
255/35/17 = 24.02"

Running a 255/40 will keep your speedometer perfectly in tune at 60mph, while running a 255/35 with make your speedometer read ~58mph when you're doing 60mph. But that's only if you have 255/35 on the rear wheels. If you would rather keep your speedometer in tune you could very well run 255/35 up front to eliminate the rubbing and run the 255/40 in the rear to keep the speedometer correct, but then you'll have to fight with the rear being an inch taller.

dclin

iTrader: (4)

Nobody makes a 255/35/17. In either case, the extra theoritical .18" shouldn't even be a factor - that difference could easily be the difference in new tread and worn tread.

ptrhahn

iTrader: (9)

A 255/40/17 is fine up front. It's fine out back too. The stock S01's were actually 25" in diameter, not the theoretical 24.8", and you don't nered to obsess about speedo correction that much.

Once again, you're worried about nothing. Go to an RX7 meet and peek inside the fender of virtually any modded RX7, and you'll likely see at least some trace of a rub in that spot, if not an outright hole big enough to put your fist through. So long as your not rubbing back where the harness is, you're gold.

rynberg

NOT.

225/45, 235/45, 245/40, 255/40, 265/40 are all acceptable and reasonable tire sizes to run in a 17" diameter (and some like 275/40 at rear only). He is not rubbing because the tire diameter is too big. A 255/35 17 would be almost an entire INCH smaller than stock diameter! Your own math shows this.....

saxyman990

Agreed. I run 255/40/17 on all 4 corners for both my street tires, and my race tires. I have ZERO rubbing problems (even on the track).

-Rob