Front Winter Tires Rubbing on Suspension?

[D.J.]

Not sure if it helps or hurts...

But I checked my clearance just now while getting gas...

About 15 to 17mm clearance between my tire inner sidewall and the front strut.

This is with 225/45 R18 ET42 (7.5" wide rims)

Video

Watch Kia Stinger front tire clearanc to shock with steel winter rims 18x7.5 42mm offset 225/45/18 | Streamable

Watch "Kia Stinger front tire clearanc to shock with steel winter rims 18x7.5 42mm offset 225/45/18" on Streamable.

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[ldusseau]

Well, My shop figured out where the debris was coming from, it is not the tire but it's the splash shield!. They said the right side of the fascia is pushed in, rearward of the left side and that's what was making contact. The splash shield was what melted and deposited itself on the control arm. Some of the injection gates (the "nubbies") are worn away which explains why we smelled rubber but the splash shield was the sacrificial lamb. The shop test drove it afterwards and no more rubbing/vibration. They left it on the hoist tonight so I can look at it tomorrow to see if the fascia can be put back in the proper place and a new splash shield installed. No seins doing it until we figure out how to keep it in "design position", or at least close.

 

[RogueIV]

Glad to hear it wasn't something more major.

 

[ldusseau]

There was zero contact with the 19" OEMs, so the slight difference in the outside diameter of the 225 x 45 on the 18" rims was enough. There was a carfax report for a minor collision that cost a little over $900 CDN to fix so I figured it was the rear bumper because the finish isn't quite a glossy as the front. But now I'm thinking maybe it was the front fascia that was in the report...or maybe both and there was just a claim on the front considering the increased content. Either way I'm glad I don't have to fight with Tire Rack, I learned a LOT about wheels (thank you folks!) and I can enjoy driving my car on winter tires because it's coming...

 

[D.J.]

There was zero contact with the 19" OEMs, so the slight difference in the outside diameter of the 225 x 45 on the 18" rims was enough. There was a carfax report for a minor collision that cost a little over $900 CDN to fix so I figured it was the rear bumper because the finish isn't quite a glossy as the front. But now I'm thinking maybe it was the front fascia that was in the report...or maybe both and there was just a claim on the front considering the increased content. Either way I'm glad I don't have to fight with Tire Rack, I learned a LOT about wheels (thank you folks!) and I can enjoy driving my car on winter tires because it's coming...

Well that makes more sense...

I believe you will need one of these

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[MerlintheMad]

That's just crazy! Why wouldn't the people who installed your wheels notice how freaking close the clearance is? And more to the point, why would a repair like that fail so miserably to align the replacement parts? There is no excuse for rubbing with that wheel and tire OD, it's the same as OEM.

 

[JSolo]

If im understanding correctly, car had some front end work done. Repair resulted in wheel fender liner coming in too close to the tire (support missing, installed incorrectly?). Going with slightly larger diameter tires resulted in contact.

Just wow. Doesn't anyone care about quality workmanship any more. I'm sure there are competent shops out there, but reading stuff like this just disgusts me.

Some 20+ years ago I spun out in my camaro and bounced off the guard rail twice. Car was in the shop for months at a final bill of more than the car was worth. Insurance ended up paying for it because they approved the never ending rabbit hole.

When I finally did my inspection before accepting, I had 2 pages worth of issues that needed further resolution. Some things were minor, others not. They put the wrong coolant in (green instead of dexcool), stereo got stolen, wrong steering wheel (had leather they installed some plastic crap). This was back in '98.

 

[D.J.]

If im understanding correctly, car had some front end work done. Repair resulted in wheel fender liner coming in too close to the tire (support missing, installed incorrectly?). Going with slightly larger diameter tires resulted in contact.

Just wow. Doesn't anyone care about quality workmanship any more. I'm sure there are competent shops out there, but reading stuff like this just disgusts me.

Some 20+ years ago I spun out in my camaro and bounced off the guard rail twice. Car was in the shop for months at a final bill of more than the car was worth. Insurance ended up paying for it because they approved the never ending rabbit hole.

When I finally did my inspection before accepting, I had 2 pages worth of issues that needed further resolution. Some things were minor, others not. They put the wrong coolant in (green instead of dexcool), stereo got stolen, wrong steering wheel (had leather they installed some plastic crap). This was back in '98.

Mostly right from what I read...

Except the wheels here are slightly SMALLE than OEM.

 

[ldusseau]

So the plot thickens...

Went to the shop this morning and took a lot of measurements of the front tires compared to the wheel openings. Everything appeared to match up fairly well left to right until we lowered the car...the front right wheel appears to be out of alignment. It's toeing out more than the left, you could tell by comparing the tire outside diameter to the wheel well opening in the fender. So that combined with the 18 x 8s with the 45mm profile was causing the contact with the splash shield. But why would the car run so true at 120mph? We compared the 19" front tires and there is a difference in tread wear between the left and right front tires, 2mm off in one place and the inside radius is larger on the right side than the left. The only thing I can think of is that the out of alignment wheel balanced the tire itself by wearing unevenly over a period of time. I drove the car to work this morning and the new wheels and tires definitely feel out of balance. The car also pulls to the right. I got it up to almost 120 and the car was still pulling to the right and definitely felt out of balance. Once I went around a left turn the pulling stopped but I accelerated again and the pulling to the right resumed.

I checked the carfax before I bought the car and there had been a minor accident reported in the Toronto area. The repair was about $900 CDN but I thought it was the rear fascia because the finish is slightly less glossy than the front. But now I think the previous owner hit a curb (or something) on the front right side; replaced the fascia but never had the wheel re-aligned. To me that's the only explanation for the difference in the tread wear pattern and why brand new wheels and tires that are about 10mm larger in outside diameter would make so much contact with the splash shield.

 

[ldusseau]

If im understanding correctly, car had some front end work done. Repair resulted in wheel fender liner coming in too close to the tire (support missing, installed incorrectly?). Going with slightly larger diameter tires resulted in contact.

Just wow. Doesn't anyone care about quality workmanship any more. I'm sure there are competent shops out there, but reading stuff like this just disgusts me.

Some 20+ years ago I spun out in my camaro and bounced off the guard rail twice. Car was in the shop for months at a final bill of more than the car was worth. Insurance ended up paying for it because they approved the never ending rabbit hole.

When I finally did my inspection before accepting, I had 2 pages worth of issues that needed further resolution. Some things were minor, others not. They put the wrong coolant in (green instead of dexcool), stereo got stolen, wrong steering wheel (had leather they installed some plastic crap). This was back in '98.

See my new response this morning; things are starting to make more sense

 

[ldusseau]

That's just crazy! Why wouldn't the people who installed your wheels notice how freaking close the clearance is? And more to the point, why would a repair like that fail so miserably to align the replacement parts? There is no excuse for rubbing with that wheel and tire OD, it's the same as OEM.

they wouldn't notice because the out of alignment wheel looked fine when it was on the hoist.

 

[D.J.]

sounds like you are describing positive caster - -
I do not believe this is adjustable on our cars - which would mean something is bent.
I guess it's time for an alignment

 

[D.J.]

So that combined with the 18 x 8s with the 45mm profile was causing the contact with the splash shield.

18 x 8 with 45 profile on a 225/45R18 is SMALLER diameter, not larger diameter than stock 225/40R19.

 

[ldusseau]

sounds like you are describing positive caster - -
I do not believe this is adjustable on our cars - which would mean something is bent.
I guess it's time for an alignment



View attachment 65231

Actually the wheel is rotated outboard along the Z axis. In car design grids, the "Z" axis is up/down, so the right wheel is rotated outward along the green line.

 

[StingertimeNC]

An alignment is always a good thing to do whenever changing wheels and tires or raising or lowering the car with suspension mods. If it’s out just a little it can really screw up tires. If it’s all within spec and driving straight, then most shops should just charge for a check. That should be much less than if they actually have to make adjustments.

 

[ldusseau]

An alignment is always a good thing to do whenever changing wheels and tires or raising or lowering the car with suspension mods. If it’s out just a little it can really screw up tires. If it’s all within spec and driving straight, then most shops should just charge for a check. That should be much less than if they actually have to make adjustments.

The thing is it was driving just fine with the 19" wheels. No pulling or vibration that would lead me to believe there was something up. However the treadwear pattern was different between the right and left 19" front tires. The 19" tires scrubbed themselves to the degree that they ran true. I think it's like running for a long time in broken down shoes, when you put on new shoes you think, "wow, this is different".

 

[RogueIV]

You don't have to feel something to have your alignment be out of whack. Uneven tire wear is the best way to see it but really you should be checking this every so often especially if you drive in rough environments or just aquired a car, even if its brand new.

 

[D.J.]

Actually the wheel is rotated outboard along the Z axis. In car design grids, the "Z" axis is up/down, so the right wheel is rotated outward along the green line.

Are you saying your camber is off on 1 side only?

 

[ldusseau]

Are you saying your camber is off on 1 side only?

View attachment 65247

No, what I'm saying is the whole wheel "appears" to be turned outward, like if someone turned the steering wheel to the right but the left wheel stayed stationary. It could be negative camber too but it will be checked next week.

 

[turboAWD]

Makes more sense. Running 245-40-18 on 18x8.5 ET35 Enkei with no issues. Trying 18x9 next..