15x7 's on my 88' 5000CSTQ rubbing ?

[DeWitt Harrison <de@aztek-eng.com>]

On Sun, 20 Dec 1998 22:08:50 EST, Rob Carselle wrote:
>[ ... ]
>I just installed some 15x7 35mm ofset rims on my 88 5kCSTQ....the right rear
>is rubbing on turns and certain bumps.......left rear does not rub at
>all......i realize stock was 15x6 at 45mm . . . . .the tire size is the same .
>. .I have 205/60 15's mounted . . . .based on tire wear from the previous
>set....it seems that the left may have more camber . .  . .than the right rear
>. . .could extra camber be helping the left rear ?
>
>anyways is anyone else running stock suspension 15x7 ET35mm with 205/60 15's
>on a 5000 CSTQ ? without rubbing ? should I flare the fenders slightly ? 

It is well known that the Tire/Wheel vendors _all_ mistakenly call out a 35mm
offset for this 45mm offset car. It seems to be one of those myths that simply
cannot be killed in spite of lots of negative feedback to the vendors over
the years.
Their books say 35mm so, by God, it's 35mm whether they fit or not. They
couldn't care less. You bought 'em; your problem.

The stock tire size is 205/60R15 as you state. You can attack the rubbing two
ways, using a shorter tire or dialing in a touch of negative camber. (If you've
ever seen a home job rolled rear fender on this car, you would probably drop
that option from serious consideration.) A 205/55R15 will reduce the tire height
about 3/4" (3%) and increase both your indicated speed and the accelerating
force delivered to the road surface by this same percentage.

Cranking in 1 degree or so of negative camber will also probably resolve the
issue and, per my own experience, will not significantly impact tire wear.
Before doing either of these things, be sure that the rubbing isn't simply
occurring against the plastic wheel well liner. If it is, the liner can
always be
trimmed a bit with no problem. Finally, in my opinion, you will not be able
to lower the car with 35mm offset wheels.

DeWitt Harrison
Boulder, CO
88 5kcstq