Has anyone rolled their rear fenders on a Mirage? I am rubbing a bit with 195/50/15 tires and looking at what my options are. They're nearly new tires and wheels, so I'd rather not change out to a narrower tire.
Any insight is great.
Thanks.
Has anyone rolled their rear fenders on a Mirage? I am rubbing a bit with 195/50/15 tires and looking at what my options are. They're nearly new tires and wheels, so I'd rather not change out to a narrower tire.
Any insight is great.
Thanks.
18slcmirage (11-08-2020)
I did... but, I did it with a rubber mallet. Just took the wheel off and whacked the lip up. It's not the proper way to do it, and I didn't go as far with it as I might have with the proper equipment, but it seems to have taken care of my clearance problem.
Caveat: My car isn't perfect, and I may have put the tiniest of wrinkles in the flat part at the top of the wheel arch on one side. Nobody looks at my car that hard, and I don't care.
Oh, and there's a seam of sealant on that fender lip. It almost looks like a piece of painted over plastic trim or something. It's sealing the seam between the inner and outer fender. It will crack when you roll the rear fender. (again, I don't care... no road salt here, and I'm not going to have the car long enough for it to matter to me)
Simplify and add lightness.
I have to roll and also pull the rear fenders. I am running an aggressive 25 offset wheels with 185/55/15 tires with coil overs.
Roll is to roll the lip flat. It may or may not be enough for you.
I pulled mine out following the guide in this YouTube video which is the best fender rolling and pulling videos around:
https://youtu.be/DYzhY7SN6hM
I bought a fender roller tool from China. They are not that expensive and a worthwhile investment for me. Makes the job much easier.
As Loren pointed out there is a rubber piece which you can remove. It will drop off as you roll the fenders.
Gnarles2 (08-21-2018),Marklovski (08-19-2018),MetroMPG (10-05-2020),Subcompact Culture (08-19-2018)
Thanks for the info!
Looks like you're poking out 13mm (.5") more than I currently am, which is quite a bit. I figure rolling the fenders is way less expensive than going to a different set of tires.
What is the "rubber piece" for that falls out?
Last edited by Subcompact Culture; 08-21-2018 at 03:50 PM.
Gnarles2 (08-21-2018)
45 bucks on Amazon is not a bad deal. I will order one this week. I don't have any issues for the most part unless there is someone in the backseat. This should fix it right up so I don't have to think about it.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073F2QNT9/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ARHTXJNP710LD&psc=1
__________________________________________
View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 automatic: 42.5 mpg (US) ... 18.1 km/L ... 5.5 L/100 km ... 51.1 mpg (Imp)
__________________________________________
View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 automatic: 42.5 mpg (US) ... 18.1 km/L ... 5.5 L/100 km ... 51.1 mpg (Imp)
The wheel pokes out less than 13mm.. that much I would have failed my vehicle inspection.
The last photo is showing it fully compressed. Nothing will rub.
Gnarles, definitely worth it. You can also rent it out to others or lend it for free. Can use it on other cars you may own too.
The tire roller is no longer available from Amazon. That was a real bargain. $45 and probably shipped free.
Anyhow, Fit has a rubbing problem with 185/55/15.
I thought Top Fuel is also running 185/55/15, the 422+ with NO rubbing.
I plan on running the 422+ 185/55/15 and DON'T want to deal with rubbing in any shape or form.
What's up?
Zero, 2014 ES Plus 5MT, written off but not forgotten.
Zero II, 2014 SE, 5MT, climate She's HOME now!
Shelby AKA "Cute", 2017 ES 5MT, A/C.
Mirage owners look at the world differently than everyone else, but in a better way
We're driving the Beetle of the 21st century, the greatest small car now available!
__________________________________________
View my fuel log 2017 Mirage ES PLus 1.2 manual: 39.0 mpg (US) ... 16.6 km/L ... 6.0 L/100 km ... 46.8 mpg (Imp)
My 195/50R15 tires were rubbing so I did the VW new Beetle rear spring swap and problem solved. Of course this raises the rear end and if you want that lowered look, then rolling is the only option.