Front tires rub during bumps/hard cornering - how to fix/part recommendation?
#1
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1984 190D 2.2L Diesel 5sp
Front tires rub during bumps/hard cornering - how to fix/part recommendation?
Hi Everyone!
I am new here (nice to meet you all), and this question pertains to my car. It is a 1984 190D with the 2.2L diesel, a 5-speed box, and a body kit. As the title suggests, I am having issues with the tops of the front wheels on my car rubbing on the fender when going over bumps and/or when cornering hard. Speed seems to make things worse, and so bumps on cloverleaf on/off ramps are just the worst. Clearance is fine otherwise - its just when things get compressed that I have issues, and so obviously my guess would be I need to stiffen things up. However, I have no idea what parts I should get to do that without potentially inducing new issues.
Some background/details: when I bought the car, it had tiny wheels/tires on it which was not a great look at all, and I bought it knowing I would need to do something about that. Google and such brought me to this thread: https://mbworld.org/forums/190e-w201...ght-width.html
Wheels and tires were bought based on the recommendations from that thread. Tires are 205/55/16, on 16" rims (obviously) with a 40mm offset. Had a bit of trouble with lug nut lengths on the new wheels but eventually got that sorted out. Pic of my car below with the new wheels on it.
My car!
As you can see, the front wheels, which are the ones rubbing, would appear to have plenty of room. To my eyes it looks like the car actually is sitting really high in the front and if anything I'd like to lower it a bit, which of course does not help with the tires rubbing. So, the question is what do I need to do/ what parts do I need to buy to lower it slightly so that it sits properly, while also stiffening things up to fix the issue with the tires rubbing?
Thanks in advance
I am new here (nice to meet you all), and this question pertains to my car. It is a 1984 190D with the 2.2L diesel, a 5-speed box, and a body kit. As the title suggests, I am having issues with the tops of the front wheels on my car rubbing on the fender when going over bumps and/or when cornering hard. Speed seems to make things worse, and so bumps on cloverleaf on/off ramps are just the worst. Clearance is fine otherwise - its just when things get compressed that I have issues, and so obviously my guess would be I need to stiffen things up. However, I have no idea what parts I should get to do that without potentially inducing new issues.
Some background/details: when I bought the car, it had tiny wheels/tires on it which was not a great look at all, and I bought it knowing I would need to do something about that. Google and such brought me to this thread: https://mbworld.org/forums/190e-w201...ght-width.html
Wheels and tires were bought based on the recommendations from that thread. Tires are 205/55/16, on 16" rims (obviously) with a 40mm offset. Had a bit of trouble with lug nut lengths on the new wheels but eventually got that sorted out. Pic of my car below with the new wheels on it.
My car!
As you can see, the front wheels, which are the ones rubbing, would appear to have plenty of room. To my eyes it looks like the car actually is sitting really high in the front and if anything I'd like to lower it a bit, which of course does not help with the tires rubbing. So, the question is what do I need to do/ what parts do I need to buy to lower it slightly so that it sits properly, while also stiffening things up to fix the issue with the tires rubbing?
Thanks in advance
#3
A couple questions. Brand, model and condition of struts? Any alignment or steering issues? You said your rims are 16" with a 40 offset. Rim width?
You can lower the suspension but first figure out what's causing your current problem. Lowering requires specific struts, shocks, springs and the right tires. Offset is sometimes a factor if you go very low.
You can lower the suspension but first figure out what's causing your current problem. Lowering requires specific struts, shocks, springs and the right tires. Offset is sometimes a factor if you go very low.