tire rubbing question??

[nabit]

When I had the factory 16" w/ steel wheels my tires would rub ever so slightly on a certain corner that has a dip in it. When I bought aftermerket rims and tires that are 215/45-17 in size the rubbing became less but I was wondering what else would help stop it.. It is a sweeper that is bowl shaped and the road is angled downward as well.. It is a very fun corner to take on the way home and I can take alot faster than I do but it rubbs even more...

Yes I know going slower would stop the rubbing as would rolling the fender but I can't find a good shop around here that will do it the right way..

I was told that insalling a rear swaybar might help some b/c the body wouldn't roll as much..

Some insight would be great thanks!!!

[Tire Guy]

You're probably not having the rubbing issue because your tires are too small!

[nabit]

You're probably not having the rubbing issue because your tires are too small!
[/b]

I am still having the rubbing issue just not as much, that is why I was wondering if a rear sway bar would help and also the purpose of this thread.

I got the smaller tires 215/45-17 (european size) over the 215/50-17 (us) size hoping that would help since they were shorter/smaller and also to get a stiffer sidewall. I knew this when I bought the tires, nothing new there.

So what are your suggestions? Rooling lips( no shop around here will do it right) or sway bar to hopefully stop some body roll thus stopping the rubbing??

[Tire Guy]

I would continue to try to find a shop to roll the fender, or even do it yourself. There are several threads here and on mazda6tech.com on how to do this mod. I would also suggest you go back to the US size, since the European size is more than 2% smaller (which is outside current guidelines). You can get stiffer sidewall construction vs. the stock tires by simply upgrading to a max performance tire and retain the proper size. Going shorter is really not the way to do it. Kind of like cutting your springs to lower your car.

[nabit]

I would continue to try to find a shop to roll the fender, or even do it yourself. There are several threads here and on mazda6tech.com on how to do this mod. I would also suggest you go back to the US size, since the European size is more than 2% smaller (which is outside current guidelines). You can get stiffer sidewall construction vs. the stock tires by simply upgrading to a max performance tire and retain the proper size. Going shorter is really not the way to do it. Kind of like cutting your springs to lower your car.
[/b]

I might try to roll the lip on my own but I don't want to crack the paint..

So are you saying then that the european tire size isn't correct and all thier vehicles have the wrong tire size??

Kind of hard to believe...

cutting springs can completly kill the ride and destroys the intended purpose of the spring and it's load handleing...

Shorter sidewall only decreases flex and roll of the tire on the rim and in turn can increase handleing...

Not quite the same as cutting springs...

Thanks for the help though I will try to roll the fenders...

[Tire Guy]

So are you saying then that the european tire size isn't correct and all thier vehicles have the wrong tire size??

Kind of hard to believe...
[/b]

No, that's not what I'm saying. Not only are there are weight differences between the US and European spec cars, but the engine computers, ABS systems, etc are all calculated for the size tire that's installed from the factory. The US cars are geared for a 25.5 inch tall tire and the European cars are geared for a tire that's about 24.8 inches tall. You're only permitted to go about 2% smaller without affecting any of these systems.

Since the US cars are built in the US and the European/Asian cars are built in Japan, it's reasonable to assume that (although they look pretty much the same) there are quite a few differences between them. Since they have different tire sizes, it's also reasonable to assume that the US and European cars have different engine management calibrations (not just for tire size, but fuel requirements, etc.). Going outside of those guidelines can adversely affect your car's various systems. Also, if your tire's load index is less than 91, then you're taking a real risk of premature tire failure (a 215/45R17 is 91 load index only in a reinforced size).

BTW: I looked at Federal's website and the tire you have, the SS595, is load indexed at 87, so you really don't have what would be equivalent to even the European-spec Mazda6.

[nabit]

No, that's not what I'm saying. Not only are there are weight differences between the US and European spec cars, but the engine computers, ABS systems, etc are all calculated for the size tire that's installed from the factory. The US cars are geared for a 25.5 inch tall tire and the European cars are geared for a tire that's about 24.8 inches tall. You're only permitted to go about 2% smaller without affecting any of these systems.

Since the US cars are built in the US and the European/Asian cars are built in Japan, it's reasonable to assume that (although they look pretty much the same) there are quite a few differences between them. Since they have different tire sizes, it's also reasonable to assume that the US and European cars have different engine management calibrations (not just for tire size, but fuel requirements, etc.). Going outside of those guidelines can adversely affect your car's various systems. Also, if your tire's load index is less than 91, then you're taking a real risk of premature tire failure (a 215/45R17 is 91 load index only in a reinforced size).

BTW: I looked at Federal's website and the tire you have, the SS595, is load indexed at 87, so you really don't have what would be equivalent to even the European-spec Mazda6.
[/b]

makes better since now...thanks..

guess i will roll the fenders then, b/c going to the factory 215/50-17 will cause even mre rubbing...

[Tire Guy]

One of the big contributors to the rubbing is going to be the offset of those wheels. Do you happen to know the offset? Also, what pressure are you running in those tires?

*EDIT* Nevermind, I found your offset, it's +42. Consider that the offset of the original wheels is +60, so your new wheels are sticking out 18mm (almost 3/4 inch) more than the factory wheels and that's why you have the rubbing problem. Rolling the fenders is the cheapest, easiest way to fix the issue. I don't think sway bars would help as I don't think sway bars affect the amount of suspension travel and certainly won't affect whether you'll rub or not.

[nabit]

One of the big contributors to the rubbing is going to be the offset of those wheels. Do you happen to know the offset? Also, what pressure are you running in those tires?

*EDIT* Nevermind, I found your offset, it's +42. Consider that the offset of the original wheels is +60, so your new wheels are sticking out 18mm (almost 3/4 inch) more than the factory wheels and that's why you have the rubbing problem. Rolling the fenders is the cheapest, easiest way to fix the issue. I don't think sway bars would help as I don't think sway bars affect the amount of suspension travel and certainly won't affect whether you'll rub or not.
[/b]

thanks for the help!!!