Rolled the rears, fronts rubbing

[SRMjoe]

So this is my setup:
AZA Z-01
245/40/18 on 18x8.5 40 offset
275/35/18 on 18x9.5 45 offset

I rolled the rears today, and so far so good back there. The fronts are rubbing though on dips in the road. I'm very confused by this, since a lot of people run these wheels and I haven't heard of the fronts rubbing. The only other option from wheelmax was a lower offset, which would put the wheel out even farther.

If it's that strange then maybe an alignment issue? I'll also be going with pedders zero drop springs soon, so the added stiffness may help a bit.

[Lorider680]

Are both sides rubbing? Are they rubbing the fender or the strut?
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[SRMjoe]

Are both sides rubbing? Are they rubbing the fender or the strut?
F

Both sides are rubbing the fender. They're probably rubbing the strut a bit too, but one problem at a time :)

[Jim346]

Those shouldn't rub the strut at all. Is the front lowered?

[SRMjoe]

Those shouldn't rub the strut at all. Is the front lowered?

Suspension is stock. And just to clarify I don't know if the strut is rubbing, but the fender is what I'm worried about. The tire is definitely more towards the outside than stock. The offset calculator here (http://www.1010tires.com/WheelOffsetCalculator.as p) shows that I have 14mm less outer clearance compared to the stock 17x8 et48.

Assuming that my car is not a freak and can fit the tire, maybe I can add a small negative camber or get the hubs shaved a few mm.

What would really help is to hear from someone who had these front wheels/tires and could tell me if they did or did not have the issue.

Thanks

[Lorider680]

Rename your thread: All AZA Z-01 owners step inside. You might get alot more hits as it's a pretty common setup.
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[ElCidAviator]

My front rubs very occasionally, only on really bad bumps. I think if you went with a stiffer spring upfront that would help a allot. The stock springs suck. I'm lowered in the front, so I expected a few problems.

[SRMjoe]

My front rubs very occasionally, only on really bad bumps. I think if you went with a stiffer spring upfront that would help a allot. The stock springs suck. I'm lowered in the front, so I expected a few problems.

Yeah definitely seems like springs are in my future, even though I'm noticing the ride on 18's is not as nice on bumps as my 17's.

What is the offset on your front wheels?

[Jim346]

I would take a piece of masking tape and line the inside of the front fender lip with it. Drive around a little, and you will see exactly where it rubs.

I'm thinking your front suspension has something worn out, it's pretty rare for people to have rubbing issues with that wheel/tire combo at stock height.

[SRMjoe]

I would take a piece of masking tape and line the inside of the front fender lip with it. Drive around a little, and you will see exactly where it rubs.

I'm thinking your front suspension has something worn out, it's pretty rare for people to have rubbing issues with that wheel/tire combo at stock height.

I'll give this a try.

Thanks for the help everybody. I leave for the bahamas tomorrow for my wedding, and I don't think she'd like me on this site on our honeymoon, so I'll report back afterwards. :)

[smoop1]

what tyres are you running? i previously had dunlop direzza dz101's and bridgestone potenza re050a's in 245/35-19 on my 19x8.5 et40 ssr gt2's without any problems for the longest time, but as soon as i had them wrapped in sumitomo htr-z iii's, the fronts started rubbing on dips, so maybe the sumitomo's have increased section width as do whatever tyres you're running... a fender roll may be in order?

by the way, congratulations/my condolences...

[SRMjoe]

what tyres are you running? i previously had dunlop direzza dz101's and bridgestone potenza re050a's in 245/35-19 on my 19x8.5 et40 ssr gt2's without any problems for the longest time, but as soon as i had them wrapped in sumitomo htr-z iii's, the fronts started rubbing on dips, so maybe the sumitomo's have increased section width as do whatever tyres you're running... a fender roll may be in order?

by the way, congratulations/my condolences...

I'm back...sort of. The tires are Nexen N3000. They're kind of obscure, I couldn't find any info on whether or not they run big.

I don't think rolling the front fender is an option. I could be wrong, but if you look under there, the lip is already pretty flush, unlike the rear. Plus there is a bolt connecting the fender to the wheel-well material.

I ordered pedders zero drop springs. I guess I'll put those on and go from there.

[HQuakers]

I have the same tires as you in the front. My setup is:

Stern St-7
Front/Rear: 245/40/18 Nexen N3000 on 18x8.5 38 offset with 5mm spacers.

I cut the fenders and the rear rubs on big dips (drag bags are on their way). The front right hits the fender on big dips as well, but my stock springs sag quite a bit. A mustang owner asked me if I had suspension work done because it sits so well. I am thinking about going with some zero-drop springs in the front...I think it will solve my problem and yours. Let us know the outcome after springs.

[SRMjoe]

I am thinking about going with some zero-drop springs in the front...I think it will solve my problem and yours. Let us know the outcome after springs.

After a bit more searching, it looks like the nexen n3000's just run wide. I installed zero drop pedders springs, and they no longer rub. I took some hard corners today and no noise at all. Wohoo!

[bill12s]

Sorry for not responding earlier... I missed this thread. I'm going to guess your camber setting is what is causing the rub along with the wider casing tires. On stock suspension my Hankook 245/40/18's have never rubbed once. The wheels also give you lots of clearance between the tire and the strut.

Now I have recently ordered 235/40's for the front because 1 inch drop springs are on the way later this week.... I'm also expecting to adjust the camber settings to get proper clearance.

Did they adjust alignment/camber settings for the 06 models to help fix the strut rub???? I'm thinking so for some reason. If this is the case it could explain why you rub and most 04/05's do not.

I would get an alignment done and have them adjust the camber a bit to fix the problem. Stiffer springs are a fine solution, but at some point you will encounter a bump that will compress those stiff springs..... and if it's at 140mph..... you don't want an accidental rub.

[SRMjoe]

Sorry for not responding earlier... I missed this thread. I'm going to guess your camber setting is what is causing the rub along with the wider casing tires. On stock suspension my Hankook 245/40/18's have never rubbed once. The wheels also give you lots of clearance between the tire and the strut.

Now I have recently ordered 235/40's for the front because 1 inch drop springs are on the way later this week.... I'm also expecting to adjust the camber settings to get proper clearance.

Did they adjust alignment/camber settings for the 06 models to help fix the strut rub???? I'm thinking so for some reason. If this is the case it could explain why you rub and most 04/05's do not.

I would get an alignment done and have them adjust the camber a bit to fix the problem. Stiffer springs are a fine solution, but at some point you will encounter a bump that will compress those stiff springs..... and if it's at 140mph..... you don't want an accidental rub.

I don't know if the camber specs changed, but regardless our stock camber adjustment is applied at the bottom of the strut, meaning if you add negative camber you increase the possibility of strut rub. I only had a few mm clearance between tire and strut, so I was at the max negative camber without shredding my tire. If you want "real" camber adjustment, where the whole strut moves, the only option appears to be poly strut mounts that will probably make your ride feel like a horse & buggy.

I believe the reason I had this issue and others didn't is because my brand of tire runs wide. It's like trying to fit a 255 kdw up front.

I sincerely hope most of us are not getting up to 140 on public roads. If I didn't crash & die, I'd be in jail. Speed traps are everywhere around here, just got one for 50mph in a 30 last week.

[HQuakers]

After a bit more searching, it looks like the nexen n3000's just run wide. I installed zero drop pedders springs, and they no longer rub. I took some hard corners today and no noise at all. Wohoo!

I can see that. They do stick out a little from the wheel. I don't mind it though because as many times as my front hits the fender, it protects that wheel just enough that I don't have to clean the polished lip on mine every day and, gasp!, curb damage.

[SRMjoe]

I can see that. They do stick out a little from the wheel. I don't mind it though because as many times as my front hits the fender, it protects that wheel just enough that I don't have to clean the polished lip on mine every day and, gasp!, curb damage.

I wouldn't personally use my fender as a bump-stop. Think of the amount of force being applied to the lip of the fender on a hard bump. I was lucky, and just had a layer of rubber.

[schufflerbot]

I would take a piece of masking tape and line the inside of the front fender lip with it. Drive around a little, and you will see exactly where it rubs.

I'm thinking your front suspension has something worn out, it's pretty rare for people to have rubbing issues with that wheel/tire combo at stock height.

i would have to agree with the 'worn out' theory.

maybe strut mount bushings are gone?

[SRMjoe]

i would have to agree with the 'worn out' theory.

maybe strut mount bushings are gone?

I've seen all the pictures of worn strut mounts and bearings, and when we took apart the strut, mine looked pretty new...no collapsing or excess wear. It makes me wonder what people are doing to destroy these things after a few thousand miles. Maybe an autox'er could. :dunno:

[MuhThugga]

Tire is too wide. 235/40/18 is ideal, the 245 is too wide even for the stock 17s. That's why I went with a 235/45/17 tire on my wheels.

Plus, you aren't going to notice a difference in cornering between a 245 and a 235 in terms of grip.

[svede1212]

I don't know if the camber specs changed, but regardless our stock camber adjustment is applied at the bottom of the strut, meaning if you add negative camber you increase the possibility of strut rub. I only had a few mm clearance between tire and strut, so I was at the max negative camber without shredding my tire. If you want "real" camber adjustment, where the whole strut moves, the only option appears to be poly strut mounts that will probably make your ride feel like a horse & buggy.

I believe the reason I had this issue and others didn't is because my brand of tire runs wide. It's like trying to fit a 255 kdw up front.

I sincerely hope most of us are not getting up to 140 on public roads. If I didn't crash & die, I'd be in jail. Speed traps are everywhere around here, just got one for 50mph in a 30 last week.

FYI. it's not the adjustable Noltec but the Lovells non-adjustable poly mounts gave no increase in NVH at all over the stock rubber mounts.

[SRMjoe]

Tire is too wide. 235/40/18 is ideal, the 245 is too wide even for the stock 17s. That's why I went with a 235/45/17 tire on my wheels.

Plus, you aren't going to notice a difference in cornering between a 245 and a 235 in terms of grip.

My stock 245/45/17's did not rub on either side. I also based my decision on the fact that other forum users had the same wheels and tire size with a different brand with no issue. For instance, a toyo t1r 245/40/18 would not have rubbed since they run small. Another reason these are more susceptible is the 8.5" wide rim. The same tire on a .5" wider rim will be 'pulled' and measure wider at the tread.

[SRMjoe]

FYI. it's not the adjustable Noltec but the Lovells non-adjustable poly mounts gave no increase in NVH at all over the stock rubber mounts.

Interesting...maybe a different design/material than the noltec. IIRC someone installed the noltec adjustables and then got rid of them due to vibration. Plus there's the fact that pedders will not make a poly strut mount due to nvh concerns. I believe that because people love the red stuff and would probably buy them blindly. I assume a camber-adjustable rubber strut mount is out of the question, just because I haven't seen it mentioned.

[HQuakers]

I wouldn't personally use my fender as a bump-stop. Think of the amount of force being applied to the lip of the fender on a hard bump. I was lucky, and just had a layer of rubber.

It happens once in a blue moon on a crazy dip or something along those lines. It's fine enough for now until I can get rid of my 5mm spacers and machine the hub deeper on the wheels. Essentially I'm running 18x8.5" with 245/40/18 tires on a +33 offset wheel. Once I machine the wheel, the wheel and tire will come in towards the car more and won't hit the front fender lip.