Tire Rubbing on the Inside of Wheel Well

[wrxman60]

I have 18s with a 225/45/18 size tire, any time i make a right hand turn and hit the slightest bump my driver's side rear tire rubs on the face of the tire and rubs on the inner lip of the wheel well, ive heard other wrx owners having this prob, they either let it go, or slightly bend in the side wall. I am hoping that when i get allignment done they can make some adjustments to clear the wheel well, any ideas?

[the mike]

What kind of suspension set up?
Also, what is the offset on the wheels...?

[wrxman60]

Its the stock suspension, i have tein s techs, (if anyone want to buy them let me know) that i do not want to put on now, b/c i have this problem, umm im not sure what u mean by off set, but everything is stock suspension wise, i just put the new rims and tires on, which resulted in the problem

[the mike]

Offset is how far the wheel center is positioned either towards the outside of the car or the inside of the car. Subaru's are very specific as to which offsets they can take.
Usually around 53-47mm. See what the wheels were originally designed for, since they sound like your problem.
You might be better off seling them and getting a set of wheels known to fit, like Rota's. This way you can still use your springs.
http://subydude.com/osc/index.php?cPath=21_158&osCsid=b2e04de9a623114487d90aa6ae6a54d0


more info:
http://www.yokohamatire.com/utwheels.asp
http://www.barretire.com/wheel%20offset.htm

[TROLL]

are you on stock suspension right now? or the s-techs? if you're on the s-techs right now then i'm not surprised.
and also like mike said the offset could have something to do with it, however most non-subaru specific wheels are designed to sit out further, not in closer.
also if you're alignment is off and you are running an excessive amount of negative camber then the tops of your wheels/tires will be sitting closer to your fender liner than normal.
either way one option is to not turn your wheel to full lock, another option is to just live with it. other than that, an alignment, different suspension, or different wheels.
bryan

[MuddyREX]

I just did a quick search and couldn't find any Nex-O wheels with a Subaru offset. Most have a 35 - 40 offset. That is most likely your problem right there, the wheels just dont fit your car. Also, from the pic in your garage, your wheels do look to be sticking out a bit farther than usual.

http://www.tristatetuners.com/forum/vbgarage.php?do=getimage&id=291

[wrxman60]

yea thanks im hoping that the camber is the prob i havent gotten it alligned since ive had the car, as for the off set i dont know it, i got these rims/tires from wheelmax, i told them my car and model and they said this set up would work, so maybe they messed up, hopefully the allignment will solve the prob and yes i am on the stock suspension

[thewake]

What is the width of the wheels? And the offset? You should be able to find the offset stamped on the inside of the wheel.

The width should be in the neighborhood of 7/7.5/8 inches and the offset should be near 45-50mm.

Also 225/40R18 might be a better fitting tire as it is closer to the original diameter. The 225/45R18 is about an inch taller which would rub half an inch sooner.

Or are they 225/45R17's on 17 inch rims? I have 225/45R17's on 17x7.5 inch rim with a 48mm offset and have no rubbing issues with my lower (slightly) springs.

[Little G]

It is possible that it is the camber but probably not.

[the mike]

Bryan, I think he is hitting the wheelwell on the outside edge, but the inside lip, the part that normally gets rolled when people get their fenders rolled. This would be too much positive camber, but I still think it is the wheels. I don't trust Wheelmax to give anyone the proper parts, just to get the sale.

See if there is an offset marking on the wheels themselves. It should say "+48" or something like that.

[wrxman60]

yes you are correct, its is hitting the outside edge, would rolling the fender be the best thing, b/c im not selling my rims/tires, i like them plus ill lose alot of money, and it prob couldnt hurt to adjust the camber

[wrxman60]

oh sorry they are 18 inch rims and a 225/40/18 not 45 size tire, and i still have this problem

[the mike]

I know this isn't what you want to hear, but the whels are the problem. Not only now but in the future. You will run into wheel bearing issues($$$) and tire wear issues($$$). You can have the fenders rolled, but it is a band aid fix.

Either way, good luck with it.

[thewake]

Per the wheelmax site and the picture linked above it looks like you have Nex-O PX-5 wheels in gunmetal. Wheelmax lists this part number for an '04 WRX "18x7.5 - 5x100 - 35 - GM" Your offset is 35mm. This is about 22-23mm too small (almost an inch). Return them to wheelmax and get ones that fit.

[wrxman60]

okay I see what your sayin, ok how about these rims now they come in a differnt size, it says it is a "18x7.5 - 5x100/114.3 - 45 - HD" so will this work? here is the link to the site http://www.wheelmax.com/product.asp?ProdId=10043
im going to call them today to see if they will do an exchange

[wrxman60]

i called them today and they said that since Ive have the tires/rims on for 3 months they cannot do any type of exchange, so im screwed.

[thewake]

i called them today and they said that since Ive have the tires/rims on for 3 months they cannot do any type of exchange, so im screwed.

Ouch, I hope you can work something out.

Also the 45mm offset is about a low as you would want for a 7.5" wide wheel.

Boy was my math was bad in my previous post. The offset should be near 48-49mm which is only about 13mm short not 23. Sorry about that. If you went with 58mm you might rub the strut/spring.

[the mike]

Maybe you can sell them to a GM owner, maybe an F-body guy. I think it said they were for a GM.

Good Luck.

[Mr Tomtastic]

Whats the offset on the rim? I have 225/45/18's and prodrive springs. No problem what so ever.

[TROLL]

maybe if you roll your fenders it'll solve the problem? depends how bad it is...
bryan

[wrxman60]

ahh its coo, im just gona bend the fender as best as i can its not to bad so i think it will be okay