Shaun2000

Hello everyone,

I bought my S four years ago and noticed that the rear tire on the driver's side would rub around tight corners or large bumps. The previous owner put on size 245/40-18 tires, which of course are oversized in diameter (25.7" vs stock 24.7"). Because of this, I didn't give it much thought and just assumed the tire was rubbing against the wheel well. I recently purchased new tires sized 255/35-18 (diameter 25") and the rubbing persists. This caused me to take a closer look at my car and I realized the left wheel is sticking out significantly more than the right. The aftermarket wheel model for both sides is Stern ST-11 with an offset of 45. I have taken a look under the car, but really don't know what I'm looking for. Nothing looked wrong, though. Also, the gap between the top of the tire and the fender is smaller on the left side (the problem side). I can't stick three fingers width in the left side, but I have no problem doing so in the right side.

I had an alignment done when I put the new tires on. Rear camber is -1.6*. Left toe is 0.1*, right toe is 0.15*.

PSI is 32 for all four tires.

I searched and found this thread, but wasn't sure if there were any other suggestions. Both wheels are marked with a 45 offset, but I suppose that could be wrong. I'm going to swap the wheels tomorrow and see if the problem switches sides.

Do you folks have any other ideas? Your help is greatly appreciated!



Left, from straight above:


Right, from straight above:

IrishCarBomb

Was the car in a wreck at any point?

Shaun2000

Thanks for the reply! To my knowledge, the car has not been in any accidents.

mic_crispy

Is the camber between each wheel the same?

Might seem obvious, but did you check to see if he had installed spacers?

Shaun2000

Yes, camber is -1.6 degrees for both sides. I checked for spacers and didn't see anything. I don't care how obvious a suggestion might be, I just appreciate the help!

Reckon

I would be interested to see what happens when you swap sides.

Shaun2000

Same here. I'm going to try this when I get home from work tonight.

spets

If the previous owner was in an accident, the subframe might have shifted over.

Shaun2000

Is this something I can measure under the car to determine? If so, is it repairable?

Shaun2000

Alright, just put the car up on four jack stands, swapped the rear wheels, and then put her back down. No change. That was disappointing, as I was really hoping it was the rims that were the problem. Is there anything specific I should measure to determine if something is off?