fender cutting up my tires

yelcab1 · 10-06-2006, 06:17 AM

I bought this car with the after market 17 inch wheels (copy turbo wheels) and wider tires. It is nice looking especially after it has been lowered to Euro height. Here is the problem, I drive more aggressively than the previous owner and the front fender keeps cutting up my tires. I have rebuilt the shocks to Bilstein Sports valving (by Bilstein themselves) but I am still cutting my tires.

I am at a loss of what to do next? I could raise it a bit, but ... I hate the way it looks. Going back to all 16 inch fuchs is an option, albeit $3000 option for a $10K car. Maybe I just buy more tires.

opinions?

Jeff · 10-06-2006, 06:36 AM

Have you rolled your fenders yet? If not that would be my next step.

jester911 · jester911's Garage

Time to pull out the baseball bat. You can roll the fenders with a bat. Go nice and easy around the inside lip. Just roll a little at a time. If you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself many body shops can do it for you.

Trust Me · Trust Me's Garage

I agree. Roll the fenders. Not hard. Just takes the nerve to do it. Old wood bat worked for me.

Formerly Steve Wilkinson · 10-06-2006, 07:21 AM

What they're telling you, in case it isn't clear, is that you put the tip of the big end of the bat on the tire so that the middle area of the bat contacts the fender lip and you get lots of leverage by pulling up on the handle of the bat, and then carefully go around the fender lip while rolling the bat handle, You don't do it by crimping the fender in a series of individual steps but by doing it in a continuous "rolling" motion of the bat, and I'd take several cuts at it rather than trying to achieve the entire rolling of the fender lip in one pass.

Bill Verburg · Bill Verburg's Garage

details, like the size and o/s of the wheels, the size and make of the tires, and ride height #s or at least pics would help.

LeeH · 10-06-2006, 07:33 AM

Is there one of these in the Pelican Tool Rental Pool?

yelcab1 · 10-06-2006, 07:36 AM

215 zr 45 17 is the size. Picture below, notice the carnage on the tire and the fender?

Bill Verburg · Bill Verburg's Garage

and the rim width & offset(ET)???

stlrj · 10-06-2006, 07:54 AM

That's not Euro height. Get the spec book and you'll see how much lower you are than Euro.

Just an observation.

Joe

rattlsnak · rattlsnak's Garage

those arent turbo wheels either.

Todd Simpson · 10-06-2006, 08:30 AM

The solution to wheels that don't fit is not to bend the fenders, for crying out loud!

Start with Bill's questions, then check if you are using any type of spacer. A thinner spacer might solve this problem quickly.

yelcab1 · 10-06-2006, 10:34 AM

This is the after market fake Porsche wheels with the correct offset for older Carrera or 911SC. There is no spacer at all because the fake wheel takes care of that. Not my choice, it came with the car.

I could take a baseball bat and bend the lip up ..., like suggested. I am NOT about to spend $3000 on Fuches/tires for this car. I can raise the car a little too, say 1/4 inch or 1/2 inch.

Trust Me · Trust Me's Garage

Can you take a pic of the car from the front and rear? I would like to see how the wheels sit under the car. 17" wheels? What size tire size? I can't tell from the pic. They seem to be cutting in to the tire just like mine did. Once again, I rolled the fenders. No more problems. I have fuch's on my though.

Trust Me · Trust Me's Garage

Pics of my wheels just for comparison. Rolled fender with fuch's. lowered below euro.

Trust Me · Trust Me's Garage

Pics of the bat after I had finished the job.

Yellowbird RS · 10-06-2006, 11:33 AM

the problem is the tire size with the euro height.
You must use 205/50/17 to go "Euro" also try to adjuste the camber to -1.5

lateapex911 · 10-06-2006, 12:02 PM

Right, more camber will help. Your situation is not good. The fact that the tire pulled that section DOWN is very bad. Attend to this quickly,....it's not the tires you should be worried about!

If you can't come up with a quick solution, raise it 1/2"...it takes five seconds. Count the turns as you go so you can undo it later and not disturb the alignment, etc.

But.,..what if you hit a bigger bump as it sits? You could do some real fender damage.

911pcars · 10-06-2006, 01:20 PM

Cut (grind) the excess lip material where tire meets fender. I don't recommend rolling the metal over. I'm in the distinct minority because rolling it with a baseball bat is an easier DIY procedure.

Sherwood

Palum6o · Palum6o's Garage

I'm sure there's lots of info on this elsewhere but the paint is 20 years old, won't it crack? Does that ever happen? Is there a way to prep the paint before rolling to prevent that from happening?