dfc

Hello all. After about a month or two w/ my 19" oz rims, I gradually became used to the occasional fender rubbing noise coming from the rear-left wheel. However, it was not until this passed weekend, when I was doing a wheel/tire visual inspection (prior to going to NYC), that I noticed something odd. This may as well be the cause to the rubbing.

I looked at my car from a distance directly behind it. Rear-right(side w/o fender rubbing) the fender looks noticeably wider than the tire. But rear-left (where rubbing occurs 99% of the time), the tire is exactly as wide as the fender's outter-most edge. When I asked my friends sitting in the trunk, it's quite obvious that the rear-right fender can clear the tire w/ minimal gap; but the rear-left fender touches the tire.

Do you guys have any insights on this? Is the off-centered rear wheel related to wheel installation (but I had the dealer check the wheel installation right after I changed wheels: lug torque, and tire pressure, etc)? Could it be the variation in tire/wheel sizes? Or could it be an initial factory issue (say that AMG just messed up on my particular C32's rear wheel alignment?)

Thanks.

Zeppelin

Most likely the right rear wheel has a different offset or rim width than the left. I would remove both rear wheels from the car and measure the rim width and offset on both. If they are different then go back to where you bought them to correct. If they are the same then there could be something bent in the chassis of the car.

lap

refers to the drivers side, that is exactly where the rubbing on the rear occurs with my HRE's. The Passenger rear = ok.

AMG BRED

i have the same f'in (sorry about the language but i am fed up) with my car.. My rear left tire rubs 99% of the time and my right side is fine.

dfc

So, it's not only me who have this problem. I measured my rear wheels, they were of equal width (I say w/ +- 5mm accuracy). So what did you do to rid the rubbing? I thought of stiffening the rear springs, but am afraid the ride is bone-shattering.

AMG BRED

i trimmed away a bit of the fender, that's including the dust cover and a little bit of the metal behind it.. but now it rubs when i have people in the back. Thinking of upgrading to a bigger spring pad and Rubber bushings.

Jon Winter

I resolved my rubbing issues by adding a rear camber kit from Renntech.

dfc

I will fender roll this crap as soon as I move away from this ghetto town, where not even one shop is good enough to do a quality job. That aside, Jon, the Renntech rear camber kit you put on your car, how technical was the installation? Do you think the generally "weak" JDM import tunning shops are capable of doing such job? If you don' t mind, could you tell me where you ordered it?

On Pole

Renntech.com sales the kit for $495. The shop that you pick will need a press to remove and install bushings. The kit comes with 2 bushings for adjustable camber, and 2 bushings for your toe.

AMG BRED

will this kit work for H&R cupkit suspension as well?

pardon my ignorance but how does this work? wouldn't my wheels rub more if the there is less camber?

lap

will help since the top of the wheels will be brought together
i.e // \\ , thus wheel travel will be more diagonal & "inboard" of the wheel well rather than "straighter" up-down towards the fender lip.

Jon Winter

Yes this will work with your coilovers. You may have -1.0 deg in the rear at this time. If you change you rear camber to -1.5 this pull the top of the tire in a little. The rang of adjustment is about +or- 2.5 deg. Here is one of the toe bushings, the other 3 look the same. My brother have a beach house near you in VA Beach. I may be going there in a couple of weeks.

AMG BRED

Thanks for the info. isn't too much camber bad for the tires? Definately get in touch with me when you get in this area

Catch_Wind

How can u adjust rear camber? I thought it can not be adjusted,
my rear camber was off too, but I went to the dealer, they told me that rear camber can not be adjusted.

c32brabus

DFC if you're sure that the wheels have the same offset and are the same size then there might be another thing wrong with it. You might want to take the car into a wheel alignment shop to be aligned. If the camber or caster or what ever they call it is off then you might be able to adjust it so it will tuck in when the suspension moves up and down.
Dont take it to the dealer if they are 19s. they dont have the right program for that size. Find out who can do the best job and take it there.
You should not have a problem with it because c32 rear fenders come tucked in from factory so there's no need for further rolling of the fender...
i have 19X9.5 and the H&R cup kit and with 5 people in the car it still dosnt rub... even over bumps....

AMG BRED

why does mine rub

dfc

Thanks c32brabus,

To my regret, I took my car to the dealer for the alignment a few days after I installed the wheels. I expressed the concerns regarding whether if they have the right tool for 19" aligning. They said they will take a look, and see; but they never took a look and did it anyways. I guess that explains why the rear is slightly mis-aligned, and why my steering wheel is not perfectly centered. I will for sure take my car to a wheel tire shop for the alignment again. Thanks for the insight.

dfc

Speaking of the off-centered steering wheel, do you guys know what could be the cause of that? It's about 5 degrees to the left. Doesn't affect driving but looks ghetto.

Harris

It might be already 5 degrees off-centered when it rolled out of the factory. If its not the steering wheel installation, then it will be the wheels and there are quite a few reasons: tire pressure, alignment, camber, balancing weights fell off, uneven treads

c32brabus

dont forget to get your money back for the faulty alignment.... i got mine back... about $145.00

Catch_Wind

Do u guys know any professional alignment shop at Southern California?