[*Angel-Of-Darknes*]

I recently bought a new pair of tires and I am having a problem I want to see if anyone can help me with. THe stock tires were 205/55R16 the new tires are 215/55ZR16 and i am running the H&R coilover when the steering wheel is turned all the way to one side. I understand that yes the new tires are slightly larger in width and also in diameter. I know that a way I could increase that space would be to buy spacers and also maybe raise the car a half in or a full in. Any ideas or commments welcome.

Thanks, Angel.

 

[dread]

So what the problem, I am assuming you are rubbing, but you never say it. You should have got a 215/50r16 tire.

 

[j-so]

Yeah, you never stated your problem but like the previous poster I'm guessing you are rubbing. First it would be helpful to look and see where you are rubbing, either the strut/spring or inner fender.

 

[*Angel-Of-Darknes*]

thought i said what happened. Yes i am rubbing and its at the very top of the tire against the clip on the coilover.

and yes i realized once i placed my order that i would probably been better off getting 50 instead of 55 but now its too late.

 

[j-so]

You need spacers or different wheels then. Thing is, if you use spacers, you will more than likely need longer wheel studs installed.

 

[ag bullet]

Based on where it is rubbing a spacer wouldn't change anything. A 215/50 is the better tire choice especially on a lowered car.

 

[*Angel-Of-Darknes*]

crapola

 

[*Angel-Of-Darknes*]

i just dont understand how ive been reading on here that people are fitting tires much wider than mine and i cant even get 215's on my car. my only guess is that no one is lowered as much as i am.

 

[mattleegee]

time to roast them and get new ones

 

[ag bullet]

You can fit a wider tire. Just so we are on the same page, the first number is the width of the tire in millimeters. The second number is the aspect ratio or a percentage of the width. So in your case, you ideally would increase the width and decrease the aspect ratio. The rule I use at work is plus 10, minus 5.

Now there are exceptions to the rule too. My car came stock with 205/50R17 tires. I now run 225/45R17. Oddly enough, that size is about .2% shorter than stock.

I would just use some of the calculators that are available online to better figure out the differences in height and width. Keep in mind that lowering will always add a whole other part of the equation.

 

[*Angel-Of-Darknes*]

the lowering of my car has added so much to the equation and every other equation as a matter of fact. errrr thanks for all the help though. and i dont know about roasting these tires not and 130 a piece and just putting them on yesterday im gonna have to find another way around this to make them last at least till dec.

 

[mattleegee]

you order online?

 

[ag bullet]

Depending where you got them from, you may be able to exchange them. I have had to do that in the past for some of my customers. If it is a local place, you may be ok and just have to pay a small prorated difference. If it was online, then you may be screwed.

 

[*Angel-Of-Darknes*]

and yes i knew at the time of buying the tires that i knew i needed to go to 215/ 50 but hesitated because i didnt want the car lower than it was already beacause of the aspect ratio being different and the fact that my car is 2 inches slammed in the first place so i said ok getting 215's will raise my car slightly vs. 215/50 and ill be better off but in reality i should have gotten the smaller diameter tire and compinsated for it with the coilover adjustments.

 

[*Angel-Of-Darknes*]

i will certainly let u guys know what happens tomorrow when i raise the car though and let ya know if that helped eliminate my problem or not. thanks for the quick responses though very beneficial to have someone their when u need them.

 

[j-so]

I didn't see this mentioned but typically coilovers have a vastly different spring perch than normal struts. More often than not, normal struts provide more clearance.

 

[*Angel-Of-Darknes*]

well actually most H&R products reuse the factory parts. or as much of them as possible. I just dont see how when i made such a minor change im having trouble but others go to 235 or 225 or whatever and dont have problems. I suppose most of those people arent dropped thats my only guess. because its obviously a camber issue here.

 

[j-so]

Wheels have a lot to do with that too. There are so many factors and running tires that are too tall of an aspect ratio does not help.

 

[*Angel-Of-Darknes*]

well i went to a site and here is the info that helped me make my decision. Like i stated previously i wanted another tire that was going to either be the same size or slightly larger vs smaller because i wanted to save myself from getting under the car and adjusting the ride height after the new tires were put on. I should have just not been so lazy and gotten the 50's instead of 55 and readjusted the ride height. Plus their is a slight benifit to having a shorter side wall anyways which i didnt get when i bought the 55. So here is a pic of the data. then the pictures following are the clearance that i saw on the left side and also the clearance on the right side, followed by a picture of a small area where the tire has rubbed. Notice i used past tense because today i jacked my car up and turned the ignition to see if i could see any of the tires rub against anything and to my surprise neither the left nore the right side rubbed against any surface with the wheel turned all the way. SO then i lowered the car thinking maybe it was because of the extra stress from having wieght on the car and once again i was wrong, no rubbing. Then got in the car and took it around the block and didnt notice any rubbing but noticed a slight sound which could have been that area in the picture so all in all I guess i was hallucinating or something because their doesnt seem to be any rubbing like i said. second lesson learned is go with the smalled tire and get the lazy ass up and adjust the ride height after.

 

[*Angel-Of-Darknes*]