Stance and Tire Rub

[DocG]

I'm sure you get this all the time, but I have a twist!

I'm running HR race springs and 17" Cobra R's with 245/45 tires. The car sits pretty low and has a really nice stance to it. Of course the problem is that the dang front tires rub when you turn it all the way, or if you hit a bump while turning, they rub as well. At first I thought maybe they were just rubbing inside the fenderwell, nope...they're rubbing the paint right off the fender lip.....and also cutting good size chunks out of the tires.

I know one option is to roll the fenders, of course I have no clue how to do this.

Here's the twist. I have another set of brand new 16" chrome pony's on it with 225/50's on them. I could either sell these and use the cash to buy new tires for the other rims, or put these on the car and not have the rub problem, probably. If I'm going to sell, obviously I'd like to retain the "brand new" quality and not run them at all.

Do you think I'd have any rub issues with 16" 225/50's? I'm guessing they're narrow enough not to rub.

Is there anything else I can do to help the 245/45's not rub? Would it help if I swapped the Race springs for HR Sports or Super Sports? Do you guys know how much of a ride height difference these might have, if any?

The paperwork that came with the car claims that the car has Ford Motorsport A-arms in the front. I noticed the MMS site says this, and wonder if this is part of my problems...

"The 1994 and newer Mustang front control arms can be used on the 1979-93 cars for an increase in track width. Significant fender modifications are required. "

Would it help with a different pair of control arms. My rears are adjustable so if I somehow increase ride height in front, I can raise height in back a little.


Basically, if I could retain the ride height and ride quality (she handles great) while fixing the rubbing, that would be ideal. Unfortunately its basically set up for a race track and does not accomodate any bump without getting that rub while turning. I'd also prefer to keep the 17" wheels as I like the look better than the pony's.

 

[strtrcr50]

If you wanted to roll the fenders, I'd look around for this.
Eastwood Fender Roller Tool

 

[2000xp8]

I'd experiment with different tire sizes.
Use ebay and buy cheap used tires to do this, so you don't blow tons of money.

I'd consider trying a 235/40/17. This should take just over an inch out of the total tire height.

Switching to a 245/40/17 i don't think will make enough of a difference.

 

[EDGE Motorsport]

i had this problem on my 88gt, admitedly, the 88s do have the smaller fenders.

Mine is lowered with eibach springs and sits real nice on the 17x8 cobra Rs. They came fitted with 245/45/17s.. they rubbed like a mofo... on the arch lip, the front bumper and the arch liner!

I did some calculations and figured a 225/45/17 would work best. I went to my local tire place, we tried on a Continental Sport tire they had used in that size. I tore around the industrial estate and it was fine, didn't rub at all so I ordered a pair of 225/45/17 Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetrics.

They fit fine and dont rub at all, and according to reviews they're meant to be the best tire on the market

not sure if that helps you out any, hope it does....

 

[DocG]

Thanks guys....some good ideas. Like I said I don't want to lose my ride height and I'd prefer not to compromise my handling by going with too small of a tire.

Would it be bad to run something like the 245/45's in the rear and something like the 225/45 in the front?

I'm not sure how wide my rims are though. The 245/45's seem to fit about perfectly without much overhang or anything.

 

[cenok is family]

how wide are the wheels? a 225 would be do-able, but are kinda small for a 8" wheel. definitely not for a 9" wheel. i have 17x9's up front with 245/45's and 17x10's out back with 275/40's. rack limiters will help with rubbing against the a arm, but you'd still need to roll the lips. you have a pic of your car?

 

[2000xp8]

I would not want to roll the inside of a front fender.
I figured you wouldn't want to lose too much width, that's why i suggested the 235/40/17.

You can run a 225 on an 8.5 rim ( i know i do it) but it's really not quite wide enough.

 

[DocG]

I don't really have any good pics yet that show how close they ride....here's a couple I have. I'll take some better ones tomorrow afternoon when the sun is back up. Is there an easy and accurate way of measuring my rim width? I just got the car about 4 days ago so I don't have a clue what size rims are on it. I might be able to find out from the last owner I guess.

 

[strtrcr50]

Oh, one other thing if you are going to roll the fenders. Make sure to hit the paint with a heat gun while you are doing it. It will help keep it from cracking.

 

[EDGE Motorsport]

if the rims are the proper ford racing cobra r 4 lug's they'll be 17x8. It will have the Ford Logo stamped on the back of one of the spokes.

I'm running a 225/45/17 on the front and 245/45/17 on the rear. In my opinion the rears look better as the tire is taller and wider, it seems to fit 'better'. The 225 fits fine on the 8 inch rim, but doesnt look as good to me... it does clear everything perfectly though so........

I'll try to get some pics....

 

[DocG]

I'm not sure if they're legit. I'll take one off tonight and try to look more closely at it and measure it.

I did a quick measurement this morning and they seem to be 10" front and back. The tires measure about 10" wide too as 245/45's and the tires seem to fit the rims nearly perfectly.

So maybe they are 10" rims and that would certainly explain why they rub so dang bad in the front.


EDIT....scratch that. They're probably 9" width since I was measuring the outside of the lip rather than the inside.

 

[DocG]

I'm gonna do some testing with it when I get home today, if its not raining. See exactly where its rubbing, when its rubbing, etc. I'll try to snap some pics too. I know its hitting the fenders, but not sure what its hitting at full turn.

I like the idea of the 235/40's up front and 245/45's out rear. Both seem like they would fit my 9" rims, be of similar width, just a bit shorter in the front.

Do you think a 255/40 would fit out rear without any rubbing issues?? That would give me about another inch width while being only a half inch larger in diameter than the 235/40's.

*head spinning*

 

[2000xp8]

Do you think a 255/40 would fit out rear without any rubbing issues?? That would give me about another inch width while being only a half inch larger in diameter than the 235/40's.

*head spinning*

You are losing me with this statement.
You are going to have to clarify it a little bit.

A 255 is not an inch wider than a 245, if that's what you are saying.
I think its less than half an inch.

 

[DocG]

It might be...I was going by Tirerack's system. I pulled up a set of tires and used their guide. They showed a tire width of almost an inch more.



BTW....I realized the dude before me installed spacers. Less than an inch. Took off the front ones tonight. So far they haven't hit the fenders although I still need a hardcore test. But they still rub with tight turns like a mofo now. Its like trying to balance the scales of justice I guess!

 

[DocG]

Here's what I was looking at if the link works.

I might be making the mistake of looking at section width rather than tread witdh.

Tire Specs for Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec

 

[2000xp8]

The width of a tire is in millimeters.
So adding 10 millimeters does little to nothing.

I've had alot of tires, and IMO, a street fox without tubs is never going to accept a tire that is wide enough to make a big difference.

You want traction, buy drag radials.