Dales944

Sunday I did my second auto-x. I was getting alot of front wheel rub on hard corners. It really sounded bad! What is the CHEAPEST/EASIEST way to rectify this??? Would new front OEM shocks fix it, or do I have to go stiffer? Or, what other alternatives (other than shocks) do I have? Would something like a brace make the car more rigid thereby reducing rub? I currently have the 16X7 wheels up front.

Thanks!

Dale.

kasturbo

Defiantly sounds like you have some sort of suspension component worn out. It may be your springs or shocks. I would replace both with stiffer for auto cross, but in no way should a 7" wheel up front be rubbing.

Z-man

What size tire are you running with? Perhaps the profile is too big?!? Are you sure it is the tire that is rubbing? Do you see slashes/chucks missing in the tire?

I run with 245-45/16's mounted on 16x8's at all four corners when I do Track/DE's, and have no rubbing problems. For autox, I run with 225-50/16's up front, and STILL have no rubbing issues.

My suspension is also stock, original, and worn.

Oh, and you really don't want to stiffen the front up too much: it can make the car handle crappy.

HTH,
-Z.

Dales944

Z- I've got 205-55-16 on front. I'm not sure it's the tire rubbing - it just sounds like a deep-toned zip tie under hard turns. I don't see any marks on the tire that would indicate wear.

Z-man

Dale:
You've got the correct size tire. (205-55/16 yields the same diameter as 225-50/16 and 245-45/16, btw).

If you don't see marks on the tire, it's most likely not rubbing. Also: if you don't see any rubber residue in the wheel well, then again, you're probably not rubbing.

You could possibly be bottoming out your car on some of the sharper stuff, especially if the lot is not every even.

Just my $0.42,
-Z.

tifosiman

How was the auto-X? I assume you went to Scarlet Oaks? I wanted to go but ran out of enthusiasm and decided to go for a long off-road hike instead. Were there a lot of people there?

I'm wondering if you are rubbing at the very top of the fender lip? Look (from underneath)to see if the paint is polished off of it. If your springs are REALLY worn out, it is possible.

Tifo

Dales944

Hey Tifo, yeah it was Scarlet Oaks. There was a pretty good turn-out. We went from about 10:45 until 3:00 - six runs per driver. The course was very complex, DNFs were abundant. I had two DNFs myself. I'll check my fender lips, and I'm sure my suspension is very worn.

Will you be at Kil-Kare 7/20? My intent is to do the entire Redline series. I've heard they set up Kil-Kare typically as a fast course - third gear at times. I've never actually observed one at Kil-Kare however.

If I'm indeed rubbing the lip due to worn susp., do you think new OEM would fix me?

Thanks,

Dale.

tifosiman

Yep, new OEM should work fairly well. I have a set of OEM springs with 72K on them that you can just have if you want them. They are in good shape. Get some koni inserts and you'll be all set. Since I am buying the KLA rear coil-overs, I'll have a set of rear koni's with 2K miles on them if you are interested as well.

The course at Kil-Kare, when they use the dragstrip and not the oval, is a 3rd gear course. I won't be there on the 20th, I'll be in Ann Arbor, Michigan, at an art fair with Renee....

Tifo

kasturbo

Have you checked your sway bar bushings? I had one go out once and every time I would turn it made a bad rubbing sound.

Dales944

por951 - thanks for the ideas. Can I diagnose bushings just from looking?

Tifo - sorry I'll miss you at Kil-Kare. Have fun in Michigan!

ERAU-944

tifo- if you dont sell those konis to him i may be interested. let me know.

-Michael

pete944

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by Dales944:
<strong>por951 - thanks for the ideas. Can I diagnose bushings just from looking?</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">The bushings will look swollen and probably have chunks of rubber hanging off of them. At least mine did. Put the car on ramps so there is weight on the suspension and see how much you can wiggle the swaybar. It should be very solidly mounted.
I think it's probably your springs. How many miles are on the car?

jim944s2

I was getting tire rub on the fender of my 951 w/ 225/50's on the front, a track/auto-x alignment fixed that. 944's NEED a good track/auto-x alignment to get rid of 'push' anyway. You'll probably gain close to 2 seconds on a 60 second track w/ a good alignment. So, even if it's not tire rub, you need an alignment.

Dales944

Pete - I'll use your tip to check. Thanks! I've got about 140K on the car, I'd imagine the springs are original. Now get back to work.

Jim - thank you. How do I/who does/how much for a track/auto-x alignment??? And, if I have that done, will it cause strange wear with street use?

Thanks again,

Dale.