I recently bought a used pair of mag blue Volk TE37s, which I couldn't believe I found local. Anyway, I love the rims, but want a moderate drop. They're the typical 17x7.5 +48 with 225-45 tires up front and 17x9 with 255-40 in the rear. After some research, it seems that Eibach pro kit springs are the easiest on the stock shocks, and don't compromise the handling.

However, I'm worried about rubbing. Some say it will, some say it won't. I took a straight edge, layed it flat against the tire's sidewall, and slid it up to the bottom of the fender. It hits the bottom, inside edge of the front and rear fenders. So, basically, if I lower my car an inch, the chances of the suspension getting compressed enough to rub is more likely than on stock height, correct? Or will the spring's slightly stiffer rate negate that?

I'd rather not have negative camber, and refuse to roll my fenders. Any fresh insight is appreciated. Getting a response from someone with the same set up would be great too!

 

What is the rear offset? If a 225 front rubs, and it will be close depending on your drop and alignment settings, then a 215 will be fine.

 

ya what offset are the rears? i have 17x7.5 +50 in the front and they dont rub with my 225/45/17's... i have 17x9+60 in the rear which do rub due to my 2 inch drop with 265/40/17's though... but if you get tein s.techs or even eibachs, you'll be more than fine! worse come sto worse, just run UK alignment specs...

 

Sorry... the rear offset is +65.

 

The rears should be alright IMO.

 

Thanks for the answers. So even though a tire sticks out slightly past the bend in the bottom of the fender, it may not rub? It just seems like if the tire is even with the fender, then the suspension is going to compress far enough at some point to make it rub.

 

The wheel/tire will camber in as the suspension compresses. That rear is almost a stock fitment, no worry there. You will be fine with an Eibach drop, go for it.

 

Makes sense. All I needed was some reassurance... the Eibachs are on the way. Thanks for the responses.

 

Another way to find out if they'll rub is take the car over some high speed short length dips in the road. If it's gonna rub, it'll do it there under full suspension compression. Make sure you've got a full tank, a passenger, and some junk in your trunk, to make the car heavy.

But if they do, it's a much better idea to roll the fenders than increase your negative camber. If you change the camber, not only will you screw with the handling characteristics of the car, but you'll wear those rears out much faster. In a short period of time, that will cost you far more than rolling the fenders will, even if something goes wrong and you crack the paint and have to repaint, in the long run, those tires will be expensive. Assuming of course, you're not going with cheap tires, which will also screw up the handling.

 

You can run up to -3 camber in the rear without adverse handling effects. That in and of itself really doesn't even contribute to that much tire wear. The real culprit is the toe in on the rear that alot of people run to improve handling. That will go through rubbers like crazy.

You could run UK alignment specs, or even slightly more aggressive on your alignment if need be to clear.

Also, what is the offset for the rear wheel? Is it the same?