Tire Clearance: How close is too close?

[mooserage]

I got my new tires mounted on the new rims, but after test fitting I'm not sure how close I am allowed to get to the strut body. They spin freely, but I can't get my fingers in between the space of the tire sidewall and strut. And, i know it won't move any closer unless my hub breaks away from the strut. I picked up some spacers, but don't want to use them unless its absolutely necessary. So, too close? or I'm just a worrysome pansy? Thanks.
-shamus

 

[2of9]

what's your tire size? pics would help. I've had 225-45-17 tires on the galant and it was about 1/4 or so to the struts in the rear. on the fronts...it was close. my rims were +47 offset.

 

[mooserage]

235/45/17 +38 wheels, pics possibly tomorrow...

 

[turbowop]

Go drive it hard and see if the tires leave any marks on the strut bodies. You'll probably be just fine.

 

[2of9]

also, get some chalk and chalk your side walls just to see if it's rubbing also. should be fine though. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[mooserage]

Cool, I feel like it will be fine too, but wanted to make sure. I'll try the chalk out, pink should show nicely /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hsugh.gif
Thanks guys,
-shamus

 

[turbowop]

I thought chalk was used by autocrossers to see how far over their tires were rolling while turning? If the tire rubs on anything, you'll know by the rub marks, not by the chalk marks. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif

 

[mooserage]

Yeah I was just thinking that if the sidewalls bend at all it'll look like rubbing, so I'll just look for marks...

 

[belize1334]

What kind of tire is it? I'm interested to see how this turns out. I would love to run a set of 235s on my -40 rims but if you don't clear on -38 then it's a no go.

 

[turbofonz]

Same size and offset on my Evo wheels. When I had AGX's on my 1g (should still be the same), it was very close but never rubbed. If you lower it a bit though, watch out for front fender-to-tire contact.

 

[mooserage]

Yeah I'm using AGX/H&R combo, I'll post up the results tonight...

 

[belize1334]

Remember that not all tires have the same section width for a given size. That's why I'm interested to know exactly what tire you're running.

 

[mooserage]

Hankook Ventus V12 Evo K110 235/45/17XL 97Y
U.T.Q.G. 280/AA/A
Measuring Rim: 8.0
Rim Width Range: 7.5-9.0
Max Air: 50
Max Load: 1,609
Overall Diameter: 25.4
Section Width: 9.3
Tread Width: 8.1
Tread Depth: 10.0
Revs per mile: 819
Sidewall Type: VSB

 

[mooserage]

I apologize for taking so long to finish this thread, but I have good news! With the exception of the tires touching the inside of the fender at full lock, the wheel and tire combo fits great. It clears the arms and strut bodies/springs in the front and back just fine, and sits pretty close to flush in the wheels wells. Just a reminder the setup is 17x7.5 +38 With the Hankooks listed above, which I like a whole lot so far. They are nice and sticky and I really like the driveability of the 45 sidewalls. They are nice and firm under hard driving, but not too hard on bumps or thin enough to bend a rim on every pothole. Hope this helps someone in the future, thanks for the help guys.
-shamus