Rubbing issue after fitting new wheels

Hey everyone,

Bit of a weird problem here. I fitted new tires yesterday, and while I’m aware there is a chance they’d rub with their massive 165/70R14, they didn’t. I had 175/70R14 on my same L275 before which only rubbed at maximum steering angle. These news ones don’t rub at all…apart from when I turn left. Only the rear passenger side tire rubs for some reason. Does anyone know how to resolve this? Is this just an alignment issue or is something else wrong?

You can’t realigne the rear axle. You can remove the wheel and look where it rubs but it seems that they are to big or not fitted correctly.

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I will have a look and try to fit it again, maybe I screwed up something. I’m surprised only one side rubs, especially because a simular size never gave me trouble. Maybe I will have to order sone 165/55r14s then.

Like @Mophius said, you can’t align the rear axle (and if an alignment would point out it should be, the axle is f*cked, but let’s think positive :stuck_out_tongue: )

The way torsion beam axles (the type of rear axle most Dai’s have) behave in corners is quite :sparkles: mysterious :sparkles: , abstract and in my opinion genius. It’s not a waterproof theory, but this could be the reason why it’s happening on just one side. See, the thing with torsion beam axles is that they gain camber and toe when the body rolls, in favor of handling. The outside wheel gains negative camber and toe out.
Right, so why would this matter? Well, my theory is that there’s always more weight on the left side, because of the driver. Maybe this changes the camber angles of the wheel (more negative camber left, less negative right) causing the body to roll a bit to the left, resembling a ‘corner’ (with a very big radius). Thus, giving the left side more clearance.

You’d have to do some very accurate measurements to prove this theory right, but you’d have to do the same to prove it wrong :wink:

What do you gain from this? Nothing really. The easiest way to investigate is to try and find the spot where it rubs, to determine what needs to be done. If the tire is hitting the wheel arch, you could consider rolling your arches (pushing them outwards). If it’s something else, you might need another solution.

If you’re somewhat interested in the theory behind the torsion beam axle, I suggest you watch this video:

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Thank you for your elaborate answer. Never knew our rear axles were so q u i r k y. The reason I brought it up is because the axle has been replaced due to rust issues on the other axle. However, I ran the exact same tires on a set if steels, and they only rubbed when taking speedbumps. Though I have found a better solution: mount 175/50r14 tires, install lowering springs, get an alignment. It shouldn’t rub with smaller diameter tires…time will tell.

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Are the rims the same of did you also change them?

Edit: I know you changed your rims but i don’t know if the 175 were also on the Hyundai rims or on the steelies

Second edit: the offset (ET) the the Hyundai rims is 6mm bigger than the OEM steel rims if google is correct (ET 46 on the Hyundai and ET 40 on the cuore) which means that the Hyundai rims are positioned 6mm more to the inside. So if you are looking for rubbing you might want to check the inside wheel arch.

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Yes very much this - if it is the case though, it’ll be loads cheaper than new tyres, just get a pair of 5mm spacers and you should be sorted.

Ahh not quite! My blog isn’t up to date with the most recent events, sorry! I appreciate your help though :slight_smile: The tires wrapped in the 175/70r14 wheels are Lupo 3L magnesium ones I got for a good price. They’re featherlight but tend to rub. I hope I can fix the rubbing by mounting lower profile tires and lowering the car itself. I will update my blog asap!

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Hmmm the OEM size of the Lupo 3l is 13 inch so I’m not sure what size the magnesium ones are. Just take one wheel off and look on the inside on one of the spokes for the size. You are looking for ET: something