tires and wheels Wheel rubbing on Passenger side - 15s

[josh72ooh2]

All great suggestions! thanks!

The car is off getting an alignment as i type this.

And, i'm an idiot. The car has 195/50's on it. i could have sworn i bought 55's. i initially typed the e-mail while at work (and my 02 was home in the garage).

I'm into the idea of camber plates as the next step (if needed).

After i add them, i'm guessing i'll need another alignment?

If nothing works after that... then maybe Bilstein Sports on the front...

then maybe some expert-only fender rolling... gulp.

i'll post again after the alignment to see if that is the fix.

-Josh

[BLUNT]

roll the fenders yourself. Certainly there are capable people out there but some "experts" arent any better than you are. With patience and the right tools you can pull and roll your fenders with no issues. I did it to my M2 when I mounted my rs's and it turned out fine. I was nervous but in the end i dont feel anyone is as concerned about the outcome of my bodywork as much as i am

[TobyB]

Actually, I'd try the fixed camber spacers first.

Alignment won't fix it, because they can't do anything but toe.

And that's not your problem.

Amusingly, the fresh paint will roll better than old, brittle paint will-

paint gets harder for the first few months after it's shot.

But rolling probably won't move the inner plane of the fender, and

that's usually where real rubbing happens.

My next step (IF I had clearance inside the strut between the tire)

would be to have it bent just a little bit.

Or go to coilovers with top camber plates. But that's pretty drastic.

It happens to all of us.

hth

t

[josh72ooh2]

I'm giving you guys a status report...

i had an alignment done.

Still got rubbing.

Then installed a set of -1.5 degree camber plates.

Still rubbing.

Looks like i have to bite the bullet and get my fender(s) rolled.

-Josh

[Cameron]

post your alignment specs before you do anything drastic. You could have a tweaked suspension arm that might be throwing that side off. If everything was straight, I would say that the left side would be more likely to rub because it bears the weight of the driver. Sounds more to me like your front end is out of spec, especially since you say that the old 13's showed evidence of positive camber. And keep in mind that an alignment shop can only adjust front toe as another poster said earlier.

[josh72ooh2]

Thanks Cameron. The shop didn't give me any alignment specs when they did the alignment. I was expecting something on the job sheet and when i got it home, there was nothing ( i should have asked about it in the shop but i was in a rush that day and assumed it was written).

I have a feeling you are right. Just sitting in the driver's seat and looking at the hood, i have always felt that something is 'off' on the passenger side. I'm a nut for symmetry and it seems to dip on that side. But i considered it and 'old car' trait.

I wouldn't even know where to begin to analyze it.

If anybody recommends a place to take it to, i'm at the point where i think i need somebody to look at it who knows these cars.

post your alignment specs before you do anything drastic..........

Sounds more to me like your front end is out of spec, especially since you say that the old 13's showed evidence of positive camber.....

[Cameron]

Another option could be to reinstall the spacers on the front struts if you have them out. This may give you the extra little bit of space you need to keep from rubbing.

[josh72ooh2]

Yeah, it almost feels as if that strut is 'looser' than the driver's side....or maybe i am extra sensitive every time i hear it rub...

Also, whenever i hit bumps, the car sounds pretty clunky up there. Another one of those things i attributed to 'old car' syndrome.

The springs and HD's were bought new a few years ago but it is like that wheel has more play to it in terms of shock travel.

Again, it could be in my head due to the rubbing sound...

In regards to the spacer... are you referring to the spacer at the top of the strut that is inside the top of the strut bearing?

Right now i have the dust caps on there. I'll check and see if the spacers are installed.

[RayC911]

I don't think you should get any rubbing with those wheel specs. I have 15x6.5 with et 23 with no rubbing and my 70 is looowww. If you want to meet up, we can put the wheel on my 02 and at least confirm it's not the wheel. No use rolling the fender and not finding the core issue. LMK.

[Tommy]

If I understood right you have ET29 wheels and 195/50/15 tires. In this case I'd say you have something wrong in passenger side and fixing the broken part would fix the problem. However it should have come up when you had the alignment done. I wonder if they did anything if you didn't even get results. Anyway with those specs there should not be rubbing.

Tommy

[josh72ooh2]

My spacers are in. Yeah, i think something is incorrect on the passenger side.

That or something goofy happened over time with a fender being replaced or something.

If anybody can recommend a place in LA that can analyze it, i'd appreciate it.

The 'regular' shops don't know these cars. I need somebody who knows 02s.

Maybe Pro Bimmer....

i'm also starting to consider putting Sports in the front and maybe different springs...

Ray, I'm not free this weekend but maybe next i'll take you up on your offer.

-josh

[jgerry2002]

How are the subframe mounts? If they are bad the toe changes under load..

[josh72ooh2]

Just another update on all this (if somebody searches the FAQ and finds this thread, or to keep those interested in the loop).

I did some measurements and it seems that the passenger fender is different than the driver's side. They measured about a half inch in difference in height from the ground, and height from the center of the wheel, top of the wheel, etc...

The passenger side is lower.

I switched from Eibach springs to ST on all 4. Eibach lower the car about an inch, inch and a half.

ST springs only lower the car 10mm (half inch).

i've thrown in some passengers and hit some dips around town. So far, the passenger front fender rub is cured.... fingers crossed.... for good.

I did notice that i also have a slight rub on the driver's side rear fender (when i threw somebody in the back seat). it rubbed with both sets of springs but it is minimal. I might be able to massage that inner lip and get the clearance i need...

Almost fixed... so i can move onto other fun fixes and upgrades on the car!

-josh