Rubbing Wheel Arch Liners

[ryan3]

Hey,

I've done some searching on this but couldn't really find an answer, so I fitted HSD coilovers to the 15 over the weekend and set them up at roughly the height I want to run at but noticed that the wheels now sit extremely close to the arch liner when applying some steering lock, they still clear but I imagine when driving along, going over bumps etc that the wheels will probably rub the arch liner.

Now I sort of ran out of time at the weekend and haven't had chance to look at the car since but is there anyway of like moving the arch liner up slightly to create more clearance? I'd prefer not to remove the arch liners so will have to raise it up a bit if there is no alternative but thought I'd ask on here first.

Thanks guys!

 

[Joeh]

How low is the car now? Any photos?

What size and offset are the wheels? 17"/18"?

 

[ryan3]

The only pic I have of it lowered at the moment, I wouldn't say it's really low to be honest...



Wheels are 18" though, 8J and et30 if I remember correctly!

I have already relocated the drivers side wheel arch wiring loom so no worries about that, just the arch liners that I'm concerned about!

 

[Joeh]

Not excessively low but still quite low compared to factory.

Larger sized alloys + lowering might have a joint contribution however 8j and ET30 should not be a problem.

Soften the damper and see if you get any rubbing. Is it the front or rear of the arch that you're worried about? The front can be adjusted but the rear will be limited

 

[ryan3]

Yeah I'm sure having 18's doesn't help but didn't think they would be as close as they are.

It's the front of the arch that I'm worried about, I haven't actually driven it anywhere yet due to it not being booked in for alignment til the end of the week so not sure if, or how badly it will actually rub.

What would be the best way to go about adjusting the fronts if they do end up rubbing?

 

[Joeh]

Depends where it rubs on the front, some can be dealt with by using a hot air gun and stretching certain areas and securing it slightly differently, if you could point out where in a picture then I could advise

 

[ryan3]

Ok that'd be great, I'll get a few photo's in a bit once I'm back home. Thanks!

 

[ryan3]

So I got a few photos, they're not the best but I think you can see the area I mean...

 

[Joeh]

Wow that's a lot lower than I expected.

I need to check something on my car and I'll get straight back to you on this one, I was thinking you would be rubbing on the inner section not this part!

 

[Joeh]

Are you still running the factory intercooler? The area that is sticking out won't be something that you can modify easily unless the intercooler has been removed

Also the drivers side AFAIK has the washer bottle bracket on the same location as well.

I would suggest try raising the coilovers by 4 full turns and checking again

 

[Joeh]

I must have been daydreaming, you've got a clear photo above showing the car with a front mount intercooler (btw your car looks stunning).

You can either bend the intercooler bracket or remove it entirely, the rest can be heated up and reshaped.

The wheel arch liners in S15's are 2 piece, you can remove just the front section if you want to first, modify it outside the car then put it back on.

Drivers side should be easy, I've checked the factory washer bottle and its bracket doesn't affect the wheel arch.

Joe

 

[ryan3]

Thanks for the replies and thanks for the comment on the car haha!

I'm pretty sure I removed the intercooler bracket when I fitted the front mount, it was all a long time ago now!

After having a look last night, I decided it needs to be raised a bit anyway, but as it sounds pretty easy I think I will still have a go at removing and reshaping the liners so I've got plenty of clearance.

Thanks very much for your help!

 

[Auss15]

Have you had a wheel alignment since you put the coilovers in ?? You can play with castor and camber a bit if you have adjustable arms and camber tops...With that size rim it is the best size for the fronts. that's what I run on mine...

 

[ryan3]

No I haven't, alignment is being done on Friday. I have adjustable camber top mounts and rear arms but everything else is standard so no castor adjustment I presume?

I'm hoping the combination of proper alignment, raising it slightly and re shaping the liner will give enough room.

 

[Joeh]

No I haven't, alignment is being done on Friday. I have adjustable camber top mounts and rear arms but everything else is standard so no castor adjustment I presume?

I'm hoping the combination of proper alignment, raising it slightly and re shaping the liner will give enough room.

Well doing all 3 will certainly create more than enough room. Probably just slightly raising it will be enough.

Joe

 

[Auss15]

If you still have issues put some castor arms in...

 

[ryan3]

Well it's going in for alignment in the morning. If not castor arms could be the next step, thanks for all the help guys!

 

[ryan3]

In case anyone was wondering I raised the fronts up just one or two turns, had the alignment done and had all four arches rolled (the guy also trimmed and shaped the liners), I took it to TRAX on the weekend (around a 250 mile round trip) and there was no rubbing what so ever so thanks for the help guys!

 

[Auss15]

Glad to hear you got a good result...I hate hearing scrapping noises...

 

[Joeh]

Yeah I absolutely hate scraping noises too! Glad its sorted :tea: