i recently got 17 x 9.5 plus 38 rims with 275 40 tires for the rear of my fd and i am getting some very slight rubbing. the fender lip is just catching the top corner of the side wall of the tire. i am talking just slighty but it is cutting into my tire and removing alittle rubber. i thought this tire size is common and fits. why would i be getting some rubbing? my car has koni yellows which are on the top perch and a very mild drop with eibach springs.

i really dont want to roll the fenders. so i was wondering if i could correct it with an alighment? would adding some camber fix this? also if i was to drive down to the alignment shop with my stock 16 inch tires would i be able to align it and still have it good for my other 17 inch rims. my point is the tire sizes doesnt effect the alignment, right? or is it best to get the alignment done with my 17s on there? i am doing a couple track events in july so i need this right.

how much camber would i need to correct this? its just a slight rub...very very little. but i dont want a bandaid fix ie adding alot of camber to fix this problem then have the handling of my car effected. i wonder if my poor alignment is the reason for this rubbing....can that be? i havent aligned the car since i have owned it...10 yrs. even when i lowered it with the springs and shocks i didnt align it as the car drove perfectly fine and being that its lowered its a pain in the *** to find a shop that can get it on their machine.not to mention that the older tires with 20k on them have worn perfectly symetrical so that would mean it couldnt be off that much right.
also, what will adding camber do to the driveability of the car?

oh yeah, when i get under the rear of the car near the exhaust i can see that there is an adjustment dial on the bottom of the lower a arm. is this the camber setting? the one on the drivers side is dead center while the passenger side is maybe one or two clicks clockwise..that would be negative camber right? so the tire is actually pointing out. now that i think of it the passengers is rubbing more but they both do.

sorry for the noob questions....i dont know much about suspension settings but am anxious to start learning.

Can any local alignment shop perform a proper alignment for the fd? i know these cars have more settings than most cars??

thanks alot for taking the time.

 

The tires just needs a little more clearance to not rub. I know you are against rolling the fenders, but I highly suggest it. You don't even need a complete roll, just a little bit to give your tires that much clearance to eliminate the rubbing.

The roll will be subtle, so it shouldn't affect your paint job if any at all.

The other option is to yes, add a little more camber. There is really no significant change other than slightly abnormal tire wear.

As for your other questions, I have no answer since I have no experience with 3rd gens.

 

thats what 2x4's are for.

 

^Not on a car with pristine paint

 

what?
2x4's go on the ground to help you driveon the lift without scraping anything.

 

I read your comment out of context. I thought you were saying to use a 2x4 to roll the fender.

 

I believe he thought you were suggesting to use the 2x4's for fender rolling (like people do with baseball bats).

 

lol i hope not

 

The way this forum has become, that's the first thing I thought of too

 

You need a roll, plain and simple. It's nearly a must o the front w/ aftermarket wheels.

 

Just so this thread doesn't keep going, the OP started another thread the following day about rolling his fenders:

https://www.rx7club.com/suspension-wheels-tires-brakes-20/rolling-fender-lip-846137/

 

Rolling your fender would be the best and cheapest way to go about this. Fender roller and a heat gun is all you need. But if you don't want to go that route then adjusting your camber -0.2 degrees from where you are now should do the trick by the sounds of it. It's really hardly anything but it will make the tire clear with no problems.

 

Not from Josh18_2k - he has an Eastwood Fender roller.

 

by the way, i got 255s for front on 17 x9 rim with plus 45 offset. if i have to roll these i am gonna be pissed. anyone have experience with this setup?

rims come in two weeks for the front

 

Thats what I run. You should be fine on everything but huge dips where the car crashes down on the suspension. That doesn't happen often in my experience.