Help, new wheels scraping on '85 Coupe GT addendum:

[Ameer Antar]

yep, I have a '65 project B. There's actually an article about lean in MGB's:
http://www.mgbmga.com/tech/mgb4c.htm

Don't Audi's have different size 'damper rings' that adjust the height? 
Maybe that would help. But I would think any leaning would indicate a need 
for new springs, unless someone had changed the suspension parts after 
coming out of the factory.

-ameer


At 01:48 PM 11/29/2000 , you wrote:
>Ed Kellock writes:
>
> > That would make three that scrape more on the left rear.
>
>I bet Phil Payne could find some people whose cars scrape more on the right
>rear.  Or Jim Haseltine, or some of our Aussie/Kiwi listers, or anyone else
>with right-hooker Audis.
>
>Once, years ago and on a completely different kind of vehicle (wasn't it
>Ameer who talked about his MGB?  I've had three of those, but this trick was
>on my '74 M.G. Midget which was 11 years old at the time), I noticed a
>certain list to the driver's side when the car was parked.  While rebuilding
>the front suspension for other reasons, I swapped the front springs right
>for left.  The car sat flat again at rest.  Those of you with scraping left
>rear wheels might want to try this first, as it's free except for your time
>to swap springs side to side.
>
>Oh, and come to think of it, the Midget squeaked its left rear wheel too,
>though that was because I was stupid enough to put 185-60 tires on in place
>of the 145s that came off.  I ended up putting in 1/4" spacers at the rear
>but under extreme circumstances the inside of the tire would rub the
>bodywork.
>
> > I have an '87 Coupe GT on which I run TSW Evo 15x7
> > offset 40 wheels with 205-50-15 tires.  Eric Renneisen
> > has a newly acquired 85 urq lowered with stock wheels
> > 225-50-15's (I think).  Both rub the back part of the
> > wheel well arch on the left rear solely or at least more
> > than the right.  My car had some body work in the left
> > rear quarter panel prior to my ownership and I always
> > thought that was the culprit.  Now I'm not so sure.
>
>My tale of absolute lack of woe ensues... About three weeks ago I installed
>the following:
>
>15 x 7 Konig something or others (on special, bought from
>http://www.tires.com)
>45mm offset
>195-50HR-15 Pirelli Sport Veloce
>Stock springs
>No rubbing, squeaking, binding, or complaints of any kind.
>
>Well, at first I complained (tongue very much in cheek) because the car was
>SO much slower through the corners -- that is, in the past there were
>corners in which I'd basically have to get off the power or run too wide,
>and after putting on the new tires I can take all those corners with the
>throttle mashed to the floor.  Therefore, the car MUST be slower. :-)
>
>Since then, of course, I've been progressively working (on the far too rare
>instances when there's no SUV or Camry on the ramp in front of me) on
>braking less, carrying more speed into the corner, and enjoying the fact
>that I'm now 500 to 800 RPM higher when I get on the gas.  In most 2nd-gear
>corners this is enough to push me up into the powerband instead of leaving
>me in the soggy bit below 3000 RPM or so.  I like it.  A lot.  And the look
>-- with the same offset and an additional inch of rim diameter *and* width,
>plus the very open twelve-spoke wheels and the shorter sidewalls from the
>50-series tires -- is very nice as well, subtle (compared to gold 20-inchers
>on a purple car with a 3-foot wing, that is) but dramatic.
>
>Bottom line: All in all, I'm very glad I stayed conservative in the tire and
>wheel selection, as the results on an otherwise stock '83 CGT have turned it
>from a decent-handling commuter car to a sparkling, high-grip sport coupe
>that's better able to utilize its limited power.  Next: figure out what's
>making the steering wheel judder at the first application of brakes, figure
>out the rough idle when cold, but mainly take it up into the hills so I can
>really have some fun with the new wheels and tires.  They're easily the best
>$600 upgrade I've ever made to any car.
>
>--Scott Fisher
>   1983 CGT
>   1993 100CSQ