Recommend fixes for fender liner rub

[onebluemcm]

Hey all - my brand spankin' new wheels and tires just barely fit. I haven't got a ton of mileage on them yet, but up front I noticed some tire rub during heavy suspension compression with a big dip in the road. Pics below. I haven't noticed rubbing at any other time yet. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being a minor road imperfection and 10 being a massive, big dip in the road, I'd say the one I went through to get this rub today was probably a 6 or 7.





What have people done to limit this and preserve the fender liner? Selling the wheels and tires is my last option if at all possible - it's one set of about 30 that were made and I waited like 4 months for them. Oh, and I'm hoping to put dinan springs on for a slight (very, from what I understand) drop on the car - so that makes me more worried about the rubbing.

Any and all solutions that you've seen used, preferrably on the Z4 but on any car, might help. I've heard about this heat gun trick with the plastic - elaboration on that would be great.

[Juice84]

Do nothing and let it fix itself? :dunno:

[F360C]

What size tires are you running?

[esqu1re]

Can you go lower profile? You wouldn't have to get rid of the nice rims. Maybe a little camber would help? It only looks like your tires are rubbing at the inner edge. If you can tuck your tires in slightly with a little camber, maybe it'll stop rubbing.

Dinan springs are supposed to drop you 0.5 inches, which isn't that noticeable, but will definitely exacerbate that situation.

[dekaliber]

Camber probably won't move the top more than a few mm or so unless you go HELLA FLUSH, which is about as classy as underbody lighting. It would probably still help a little though.

Going lower profile will probably reduce diameter close to an 1", which is pushing the limit of tolerable deviation from spec for speedometer/odometer readings. Would the width of your wheels accept 10-20mm narrower section width tires without looking stretched out?

[MFGJR]

Sorry to hear they're rubbing.

Thinking about increasing negative camber using shims, how much clearance do you have now between the inside of the tire and the strut? I only have about a finger's width with my stock wheels and 225s. Might be forced to do it from the top . . . hello, camber plates!

FG

[onebluemcm]

Originally Posted by F360C

What size tires are you running?

255/40 18 - the fronts are an 18 x 9 et38 wheel. I wanted this size because it is identical to stock rolling diameter and, since these wheels have never been run on a Z4M before, I honestly didn't know of anywhere else to start. Since it's a front wheel, a smaller diameter tire wouldn't affect the speedometer however, what about traction control?

Originally Posted by MFGJR

Sorry to hear they're rubbing.

Thinking about increasing negative camber using shims, how much clearance do you have now between the inside of the tire and the strut? I only have about a finger's width with my stock wheels and 225s. Might be forced to do it from the top . . . hello, camber plates!

FG

I do not know how much room there is between the inside of the tire and the strut. I bet not much, but it's not rubbing so there must be enough... I thought about trying to put more camber into it to help, but as said before, it's a matter of millimeters in reality.

[F360C]

My suggestion is go for a 255/35 front tire. That is what I run and I don't have any rubbing issues. If you combine the 255/35 tire with a tad more camber I don't think you would have any more issues

[onelove]

If it's only on the outter liner, Let it rub through, it'll clearance itself.

[Eddy@ApexWheels]

add negative camber. don't shim. Get plates. If you don't want a full race plate like Vorshlag, then Get Dinan fixed plates if you're going to get their springs. Your wheels et38 offset is a bit too aggressive for a 9" wheel, which pushes out that tall 255/40 tire. 245/40/18 would have been a better front choice for the correct overall diameter and with no rub, or 255/35/18 since a 1%~ decrease has zero effect on any of the cars systems, or even visually.

[Caddyshk]

Originally Posted by onebluemcm

255/40 18 - the fronts are an 18 x 9 et38 wheel. I wanted this size because it is identical to stock rolling diameter and, since these wheels have never been run on a Z4M before, I honestly didn't know of anywhere else to start. Since it's a front wheel, a smaller diameter tire wouldn't affect the speedometer however, what about traction control?



I do not know how much room there is between the inside of the tire and the strut. I bet not much, but it's not rubbing so there must be enough... I thought about trying to put more camber into it to help, but as said before, it's a matter of millimeters in reality.

How could a 255/40/18 be anywhere near a 225/45/18?

[dekaliber]

Originally Posted by Caddyshk

How could a 255/40/18 be anywhere near a 225/45/18?

225 * .45 = 101.25
255 * .4 = 102

All other variables are the same. Technically, a .75mm taller sidewall, but really quite close.

[onebluemcm]

Originally Posted by F360C

My suggestion is go for a 255/35 front tire. That is what I run and I don't have any rubbing issues. If you combine the 255/35 tire with a tad more camber I don't think you would have any more issues

And this is on the H&R springs, yes? What are your front rims specs? I'm going to post more pics soon - I think the fronts are just too damned big. "hella flush" - I'm betting that's what these would be called.

Originally Posted by MFGJR

Sorry to hear they're rubbing.

..... how much clearance do you have now between the inside of the tire and the strut? .......
FG

Hard to see - I looked with my little inspection mirror, I'd guess 5-7 mm.

Originally Posted by Caddyshk

How could a 255/40/18 be anywhere near a 225/45/18?

It's not just anywhere near, it is almost exactly the same rolling diameter. Width are different, but I wasn't talking about the widths. Since these front wheels are 9" wide, same as stock, I decided to go with a stock size rear tire. Didn't expect rubbing - I was not told to be concerned about it on the initial purchase. If I'd known, probably would have done a 255/35 or 245/40 instead of the 255/40, like a stock rear.

Despite all this, smaller tires or using a heat gun on the inner fenders, I think the front 9" wheel is probably too much for the Z4M. Like I said, I'll be getting some pics up soon - please take a look and make comments. I'm honestly just looking for some opinions on fitment appearance. Essentially, I'm 99.9% sure I can sell them on the E46 M3 forum and from the get go, I knew this might be a gamble for the Z4M. So, it's a matter of how badly I want to make them work I guess. More to come - thanks so far guys!

[Caddyshk]

It's the width causing the problem when you turn the wheels...

[lachlan_019]

I have a stock standard Z4 M Coupe on standard 225 front rims and the front right tyre especially rubs when the wheels are at full lock right hand down. Is this a common problem/wat is causing it/ how can i fix it?

[inTgr8r]

Originally Posted by onebluemcm

Hey all - my brand spankin' new wheels and tires just barely fit. .......




What have people done to limit this and preserve the fender liner? .......

Easy fix;
Just use a heat gun on the low setting to warm up the liner.
When it gets soft just bend it back inwards a little.

I did this with my previous M Roady, worked like a charm.

[Rated M]

I let mine rub through... no more rubbing issues.. Problem solved.

[Zed4M26]

Same here...once it rubs through you should be good. As long as the bolts are in to hold up the front bumper you should be fine. I have -3.5 camber on tck d/a's and I get rub with 18x8.5 245/40 toyo ra1s when I track.

[inTgr8r]

I just don't understand why anyone would just let it wear through, when it's a 5 min fix.
IMO it doesn't make sense to have a crappy hole through the liner.

As you can see the bumper edge leaves a lot of room to push the liner back a bit with a little heat.

[Juice84]

Originally Posted by inTgr8r

I just don't understand why anyone would just let it wear through, when it's a 5 min fix.
IMO it doesn't make sense to have a crappy hole through the liner.

As you can see the bumper edge leaves a lot of room to push the liner back a bit with a little heat.

B/C the other way is a fun 5 min fix... take it to your favorite back road or track have a blast, when you are done. Fixed.

But its up to the individual owner.

[The HACK]

Try a different tire size, like a 245/40/18.

[onebluemcm]

Originally Posted by The HACK

Try a different tire size, like a 245/40/18.

This is definitely on my list as an option. Mainly because I plan to perhaps lower it a tad - Dinan springs, so it won't be much, if anything. I'm going to try to use a heat gun on the liners first, then do my springs swap, and see if I then need to reduce the tire size.

Originally Posted by inTgr8r

Easy fix;
Just use a heat gun on the low setting to warm up the liner.
When it gets soft just bend it back inwards a little.

I did this with my previous M Roady, worked like a charm.

This is also definitely on my list. I'm probably going to try this first with the 255/40s and see how it goes. One question - I bought a generic Wagner heat gun used for all sorts of stuff from stripping paint to softening plastics, etc. Did you use the heat gun as is, with the wider standard nozzle, or did you get the reducer that focuses the heat? My only concern is melting the bumper cover or in some other way messing up the paint on the fender or bumper cover. Thanks for the info that it worked for you!

Are there any good ways to simulate full front suspension compression to test rubbing issues under compression? I don't think it's safe to place a jack under front suspension pieces to force compression. Is this something I could do when I do my springs swap?