Rear tire sizes & fitment question??
 

I have a 2006 slk55 AMG with about 23,000 miles. I needed new tires all the way around. I went to a large local tire store and they said I could put 265 tires on my OEM 18" AMG rear wheels. Michellin PS2s 265 35 18 were put on. Here's the problem, when at speed on the freeway if I hit even a medium sized bump my rear fender hits and briefly rubs the tire. It only seems to hit on the driver's side though. After a 35 mile drive I stopped and looked at the rear. I noticed that the tire on the driver's side actually sits about an 1/8th of an inch outside the rear fender, but the passenger's side is inside the fender.

Has anybody else experienced their body not mounted perfectly on the frame? What am I missing? Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Andy

I would dismount the wheels and check offset. Measure from the wheels edge to the hub. I know that's far fetched but I can't imagine why one side sticks out further than the other.

Question: Does either side seem lower?

Both sides are the same ride height. I'll need to check the offsets. These are the multi spoke OEM AMG wheels. I did have some curbing on my driver's side wheels and I took them to a professional wheel repair shop. I wonder if they built up the material, machined them and left them a little larger. Again, this was the driver's side only. Could the wheel repair be the culprit?

Thanks

Andy

Perhaps. Maybe they installed a spacer on one side?!

This is common problem on older Porsches but I am surprised to see the issue on a Merc. Has that fender been hit then repaired improperly? Only think I can think of... :nix:

No accidents at all. The only thing that has happened is I had curb rash on the driver's side wheels. I took just the wheels to Wheels America, a professional wheel repair shop, and they processed the wheels. When I got them back I couldn't even tell there had been a problem. Wheels America did a great job, but agin the Michellin PS2 265 on the rear driver's side only rubbed when a bump or dip was hit.

Andy

I don't think that Wheels America built up the metal to cure the curb rash. Typically the wheel is put in a high speed lathe and ground down slightly then polished. But if they did somehow, then that is the problem. The other option is that the tire itself is slightly wider; not sure if Michelin PS 2s come in different speed ratings, but if they do then check if both are the same. Here is how to narrow it down.

1. measure the tread width of each tire
2. measure the offset of each wheel (the point where the wheel touches the hub to the furthest inside point of the wheel).
3. with the wheel off the car, measure the distance from the hub to the fender lip.

If 1 and 2 are identical, then the problem has to be #3. I doubt the axles are of different length, so the problem has to be the fender was manufactured slighlty off. Which would suck....