new wheels need help

[voltes5]

i need your help guys. i just got some scion xb steelies for my 88 wagon and i'm having some clearance issues in the rear. the problem is the tires are slightly rubbing on the strut tower. my question is can i run 5mm spacers and still use the stock studs or do i have to replace with longer ones? also is there a diy on how to replace the studs if i have to?

thanks for the help.

[SuperRA]

Do the wagons use different struts/hubs than the sedans because i have 15" scion steelies and they don't rub.

What size tires are on the wheels? Mines have 185-60/15 which IMO are too big diameter wise, but have no side rubbing issues.

If you want to put in a spacer, try spacing it out with washers by 5mm and see how much thread you have left on the stud to screw onto. If you still have 10mm of thread, you are probably ok, if not i'd get longer studs.

However the bigger problem when you space out too far is keeping the wheel centered. At some point the wheel will be too far out to sit on the hub's flange, unfortunately I don't know what that point is. My guess is somewhere around 5-10mm

[voltes5]

thanks for the relpy super.

i will try using some washers and see if it still has enough thread left over. i'm not sure if the struts/hubs are different between the wagon and sedan.

the tires that came with the wheels are 185-65-15. the tire is literally rubbing on a 3mm or less area of the strut tower. i was also thinking about maybe hammering the area just a little to see if it stops the rubbing. i know its "ghetto" but if it doesnt hurt anything why not.

thanks again.

[SuperRA]

Ah maybe that extra height of the 65 series tires is just too much. So it's rubbing on the bottom spring perch of the strut or the cylindrical portion? Hammering the cylindrical portion could be harmful, the piston inside the strut moves up and down inside and if the wall is hammered in it will bind. The spring perch would be less harmful to hammer tho I'd imagine it'd be quite hard to since it's a bit thick.

Replacing the studs isn't too bad. You just hammer it out and then use a nut to pull the new one through. At least that's how it goes theoretically, I haven't done it on this car yet.

[REN69]

The tire size is your problem, that's way too tall and wide for the wagon... you gotta size-match your tires to the tires that came on the wagon originally, so probably 175/70-13s... which would be better matched by either 195/50-15s or even 195-55-15s. 185/60-15s would work better than what you got but they're still bigger than the originals.

Try Goglee'ing "tire size calculator" next time and play around to find the best fitting tires.