Rubbing Issues with 215/45R17

[HippieMirage]

Anyone know how to fix some rubbing issues i have with a 215/45/17 wheel and tire setup?

[Nobu]

Don't think I can help, but...where is it rubbing? The fender, wheel well? Only when turning or also in a straight line, under compression or unloaded suspension? Front, back, both?

17" rims are quite a lot larger than the stock 14" rims. Add tires and you aren't left much room (particularly with the stock soft suspension). You could swap for stiffer springs and shocks, but you may not enjoy the resulting ride. You could roll the fender edges, or otherwise modify them (and/or the wheel well, as necessary). I think body kits are available, but not in the US market, and I don't know if they address this issue. You'd probably need to do more than one of the above solutions to achieve satisfactory results.

Edit: see tiresize.com/comparison for a side-by-side visual comparison. Stock size is 165/65R14

[Mark]

Anyone know how to fix some rubbing issues i have with a 215/45/17 wheel and tire setup?

Simple answer = Switch back to 165/65-14 or 175/55-15 tires.

Anything within 3% outside diameter variance will not cause issues for most cars.

The variance of a 175/55-15 (22.6") tire to a 215/45-17 (24.6") tire is 8.8%. That's almost 3x the recommended variance of 3%. Plus, your tire is 1.6" wider.

Popular size upgrades for the Mirage seem to be -

165/65-14 (22.4") upgraded to a 175/65-14 (23"). Variance is 2.7%.
175/55-15 (22.6") upgraded to a 185/55-15 (23"). Variance is 1.7%.

I don't recall any forum members having issues with 175/65-14 & 185/55-15 tires. Most of them are quite happy with their tire choice.

I am probably zero help to you, but you may be trying to fit a square peg in a round hole here. Did someone tell you a a 215/45-17 would be a great tire for the Mirage?

[Top_Fuel]

...215/45/17 wheel and tire...

You didn't mention the width and offset of your wheels. I just assumed they are 17x7" with a 38mm offset. Here's what they look like compared to the stock 14" wheels/tires (image from willtheyfit.com):




You also didn't mention if you have lowered your car. That is going to have an impact on what is rubbing. I'm sure you are having some issues in the rear with this setup. You are definitely going to have to roll (and maybe even pull) your rear fenders. Here's some info on that: Mirage Fender Rolling


This guy is running 205/40 17's: link


Another 17" wheel thread: link


This thread has a couple of pics showing the inner clearance of the rear tires: link

[redd]

choice according to the 3% rule, without changing the tire rim. It will increase the comfort for the vehicle and rise from the ground. Maybe about 1 cm.

[Fummins]

how long is a rope?

[Mark]

choice according to the 3% rule, without changing the tire rim. It will increase the comfort for the vehicle and rise from the ground. Maybe about 1 cm.

175/60r15 is not a common tire size here. Searching Walmart - about 7 tire choices came up, & they were not an impressive selection. One tire was the Dunlop Enasave for $168.35/tire. You may have more choices where you live?

175/55r15 to 185/55r15 (1.8% variance) is a more popular choice, because it's a more popular tire size here. Searching Walmart - about 61 tire choice come up & some of them would be good choices in my opinion.

I am not saying other sizes can't be made to work. If someone decides to try a different size tire, you still needs to look at what tire choices are available.

By the way - as a person goes up 14, 15, 16, 17 in rim size, the number of tire options go down for a Mirage. That's why many Mirage owners with 14" rims consider 175/65r14 (2.7% variance) tires. Walmart has 116 tire options in that size today.

Not promoting buying tires from Walmart, but just using them to see what's available in different tire sizes.