Need a bit of suspension advice - wheel rub

[josh72ooh2]

I have a 72 2002 with 195/50 R15 tires on a set of 15" Panasports. I can't remember the offset but I'm not about to buy a new set of rims. 

 

If there are two adult men in the car, the right front wheel will rub the fender a bit. 

I've rolled the inner fender lips and there's just a wee bit of rub still. I've been dealing with this for about 10 years or more.  

 

I have Suspension Techniques springs with Bilstein HD's. 

 

On the rear springs it looks like I have 3 dot pads on the top and 1 dots on the bottom but I might be wrong. 

On the front, I see evidence of thin spring pads.   

 

I'm wondering if I try 175/55 R15 tires instead?  Would they fit?  My tires are pretty old and due to be replaced.  
 

Or do I go with a different set of springs?  HR or Ireland stage 1?  

Something a bit stiffer and perhaps doesn't lower as much as my ST springs? 

 

I'd love some suggestions / advice.  I hope to get my car painted soon and want this solved before it goes into the booth.  

 

TIA -Josh

 

 

 

Edited July 1, 2022 by josh72ooh2
better topic heading.

[Mike G]

Personally I’d roll the fenders more or try a fixed camber plate. They’re cheap and increase the ride height by the thickness of the plate while providing a tiny bit of negative camber. 

[josh72ooh2]

1 hour ago, Mike G said:

Personally I’d roll the fenders more or try a fixed camber plate. They’re cheap and increase the ride height by the thickness of the plate while providing a tiny bit of negative camber. 

Oh, I forgot... I already added fixed camber plates.  

[Tommy]

3 hours ago, josh72ooh2 said:

I'm wondering if I try 175/55 R15 tires instead?  Would they fit?  My tires are pretty old and due to be replaced. 

If 195 tire doesn't fit with already rolled lips it's an offset issue. 175 tires should certainly fit but all including neighbours dog would be laughing how it looks. Get some 6 by 15" wheels with et30 and new tires in same size.

Edited July 1, 2022 by Tommy

[jgerock]

How old are the upper strut bearings?  Are they cracked?  
 

You can add the aluminum (front) spacer to the rear 3-dot upper rubber pad for more rear tire clearance.

[jp5Touring]

Need to figure out what offset you have.  Then go from there.

[josh72ooh2]

9 hours ago, jp5Touring said:

Need to figure out what offset you have.  Then go from there.

 

They are 15x6 with a 25 offset.  

 

10 hours ago, jgerock said:

How old are the upper strut bearings?  Are they cracked?  
 

You can add the aluminum (front) spacer to the rear 3-dot upper rubber pad for more rear tire clearance.

 

Upper strut bearings are probably old... at least 15 years.   
 

 

['76mintgrün'02]

4 hours ago, josh72ooh2 said:

They are 15x6 with a 25 offset.  

 

Yet, Gordon is running 15x7 ET25 on his car... how does that work?

 

 

[Tommy]

Many say that et25 would be the optimal offset but it isn't exactly true. Anyhow et25 works for most with 195 tire. Are you sure your tires are series 50, not 55? That would explain it but probably you know what you have.

Some aftermarket fenders are out of shape causing this. I have that problem. I can see from above that the lower trim line turns inwards comparing to door.

[2002iii]

Since only the one tire is rubbing I would suspect something is bent on that side.

 

Try posting a picture of the problem, someone on here might spot something you've missed. 

 

Does the car sit level empty? With 2 adult men?

 

When is the last time the alignment was checked?

[Gordon]

19 hours ago, '76mintgrün'02 said:

 

Yet, Gordon is running 15x7 ET25 on his car... how does that work?

 

 

Works great,  I had a set of Alpina 15X6 ET12 replica wheels on my former tii. They looked great on my tii but they didn't last long since they had an offset for an E21. Wends 74tii has a set of MSW 15X6 ET33 gold basketweave wheels with 195/50-15 tires. I have the same MSW basketweaves in my parts stash except mine are 15X7 ET26 (they are going on my E30 but will fit well on my tii).  My tii suspension has Bilstein sport shocks, Eibach springs and ST swaybars, and poly bushings, no rubbing issues. Proper wheel offset (ET 22-29 with ET 25 being ideal) and suspension setup are the key to no rubbing issues with 15" wheels.  

[josh72ooh2]

Here are some photos I snapped. My wife is in the car and weighs all of 110lbs and there’s no wheel rub when she’s with me. It’s a 170+ guy in the car that usually causes the rubbing. 
 

Nobody mentioned replacing the springs…?  They are ST springs. I’m wondering if stock would be better to raise the ride height? 

Oh, and I haven’t had an alignment in ages. 

 

…I want to get this solved before it goes into paint in a few months. 

[jireland2002]

6" wheels are actually 7" metal to metal.  With 25mm (1") offset they have a back space of 4.5".   A bit more would be better but it should be OK.  The body/paint shop should be able to easily roll the fenders out to make plenty of clearance.  The front fenders are thin and are easy to work.

 

 

[d.hitchcock]

I personally don't get it at all. I run 15X7, et 25, with 195/50-15s, and there is no rubbing on the fender lips. Zero.

My car is on Ireland Stage II springs, so lowered.

I don't run the gold weaves in the photo anymore, but they're 15X7 et 26mm ... But you get an idea of ride height.

['76mintgrün'02]

As mentioned above, rubbing on just one side suggests your car has a "personal problem."

As opposed to a wheel fitment problem.

 

My car sits a bit higher on one side in the rear; when comparing the fender lip height to the tire top.  I'm hoping the replacement subframe w/new rubber bits will correct that (some day).

 

Tom