Rear Tires Rubbing Fender Liners

[Crazy8]

Hey all. So I've tried to do some research but haven't come to any clear answers so forgive me if this is a repeated question.

So I recently had my 35is dropped onto H&R springs but kept the stock style 326 wheels. I've got stock sized Michelin Pilot 4s tires and am running 10mm spacers on the back.

That would put the rear offset to 30 which I know is aggressive for our cars but I saw some people running even more aggressive offsets thus concluding I should clear.... well I don't and i'm rubbing on the edge of the outer plastic fender linings above the wheel. Any suggestions on how to modify the liners? Is cutting ok? If so any suggestions on the best way to go about it? Thanks for the help!

[Vetracr]

Originally Posted by Crazy8

Hey all. So I've tried to do some research but haven't come to any clear answers so forgive me if this is a repeated question.

So I recently had my 35is dropped onto H&R springs but kept the stock style 326 wheels. I've got stock sized Michelin Pilot 4s tires and am running 10mm spacers on the back.

That would put the rear offset to 30 which I know is aggressive for our cars but I saw some people running even more aggressive offsets thus concluding I should clear.... well I don't and i'm rubbing on the edge of the outer plastic fender linings above the wheel. Any suggestions on how to modify the liners? Is cutting ok? If so any suggestions on the best way to go about it? Thanks for the help!

Simple. Remove 10mm spacers!!

[paris1]

Originally Posted by Vetracr

Simple. Remove 10mm spacers!!

It helps to have a firm grasp of the obvious!

[fmorelli]

Mine have rubbed for 7k miles, most of it on H&R (now on Ohlins). Anyway ... it's not a problem. Why cut? It will wear about 10" of the plastic arch and that's it. Doesn't hurt anything.

Filippo

[paris1]

Originally Posted by fmorelli

Mine have rubbed for 7k miles, most of it on H&R (now on Ohlins). Anyway ... it's not a problem. Why cut? It will wear about 10" of the plastic arch and that's it. Doesn't hurt anything.

Filippo

Speaking once again of the obvious, wouldn't that be an entry point for unwanted moisture in rainy weather?

[NoQuarter]

Originally Posted by paris1

Speaking once again of the obvious, wouldn't that be an entry point for unwanted moisture in rainy weather?

You mean the unsealed plastic liner? Plenty of moisture in there already I'm sure.

A vent at the top will help it dry out!

[Crazy8]

Thanks for the responses guys. Obviously pulling off the spacers would do the trick, but I love how it's sitting right now. I may just trim some of the plastic fender liner away with an exacto-knife. It's not hurting anything but man is it annoying. It doesn't rub often but it just makes me cringe every time it does.

[fmorelli]

Originally Posted by paris1

Speaking once again of the obvious, wouldn't that be an entry point for unwanted moisture in rainy weather?

No. That area is not only not completely sealed but is really no different than the rest of the bottom of the car. The inner liner is more of a shield than anything else.

Filippo

[Crazy8]

Originally Posted by fmorelli

No. That area is not only not completely sealed but is really no different than the rest of the bottom of the car. The inner liner is more of a shield than anything else.

Filippo

So it sounds like the plastic liner is more cosmetic than anything else? Sure sticks out far and gets in the way!

[fmorelli]

It's not cosmetic. It serves a few functions like every inner fender liner on most cars made. The liner does stick out a bit on the top, but regardless the tire can wear all the way through. I've had several cars where this has occurred with larger wheel/tire setups and suspension changes. I've never had any issue whatsoever. On the Z4 I have it as well, and as I said, it has no bearing on anything. In fact I've pulled liners out of the car twice doing work in the fender well - the liner is completely intact, just with a section worn through at the top.

That said, $10 gets you a set of 5mm spacers, and this becomes a non-conversation :-).

Filippo

[NoQuarter]

Let it go. Soon you will have a custom fit liner that fits perfectly to your setup.

[paris1]

Originally Posted by fmorelli

No. That area is not only not completely sealed but is really no different than the rest of the bottom of the car. The inner liner is more of a shield than anything else.Filippo

Whoa; Let's back the truck up a bit Filippo! Your logic here totally evades me. I just looked under the rear of my 2013 and the only "unsealed" part of the inner fender liner I saw was the cutout for the damper on the inner wall. My guess is that this area is open at the bottom and any water/that gets slung into that recess is free to drain down the frame and exit the bottom of the car. The outer edge of the liner is an entirely different matter. It's a boxed design that rests against the inner edge of the wheel arch. Water slung up against an intact liner simply rolls down the underside of the liner onto the ground. start punching holes with the outer edge of a tire and water flung up to that area is free to pass through the abraded hole and migrate down the top side of the liner and collect in the junction where it meets the sheet metal of the fender arch. This is a perfect invitation for rust to start as it does on many older vehicles. I would think you would know this being as car-savy as you appear to be!

[fmorelli]

The metal is not raw nor multi-point welded. I've never had a car rust because the plastic liner was not sealed. But that said, one should certainly do what one is comfortable with, given their own logic and experience.

Filippo

[hiltonfa]

I used a heat gun on my liners to give extra clearance, worked well. No more rubbing, I'm running et 25

[fmorelli]

Originally Posted by hiltonfa

I used a heat gun on my liners to give extra clearance, worked well. No more rubbing, I'm running et 25

That's interesting. How did you reform the plastic? Did you push something up there?

Filippo

[hiltonfa]

Originally Posted by fmorelli

That's interesting. How did you reform the plastic? Did you push something up there?

Filippo

I used the handle of a screwdriver which had a convex shape, worked well to mould the plastic after heating.

Hilton

[MagicVioletZ1]

Originally Posted by hiltonfa

I used the handle of a screwdriver which had a convex shape, worked well to mould the plastic after heating.

Hilton

Very interesting! Did you remove the liner or work it with the heat gun while still installed?

I'm running 285/20" and have minor rubbing wear on the outer edge of the liner so if I can push that edge out more to the fender that would be great!

Any pics?

Thanks!