Hi guys, I've got my GT4 on 16" wheels for one day now (205/55/16 front and 225/50/16 rear, on Bridgestone potenza's) and I've driven them for about 150 miles over motorway, country roads and city traffic. I like the firmer ride of the 16 inches when compared to the 15 inch wheels they replace (although the difference is not as pronounced as I thought it would be). However, the front wheels have started to rub in the wheel wells. They never did that on the previous wheels (205/60/15). Not only do they rub on the inside of the wells (against the flat panels at the front), but also has the ridge (the metal that is folded inward) at the very top of the wheel well been pushed outward, folding it in the process and ripping the paint and primer off I'm not amused... I've pushed it back and it looks okay now. I can probably patch up the paint somewhat. I however do not dare to take another curve for fear of a repeat action... Has anyone ever had the same happening? The rear wheels also rub on humps, but since these are not steering, nothing is being pushed outward. So no big deal. They've always done that. On the positive side: The car DOES look wicked with these new wheels.... Thanks Hans
Hi Hans, I have 16" 328 rims on my Euro GT4 with the same tires (need to check to be sure of sizes but they sound the same). I get no rubbing at all, even on the track. I used to get rubbing with my 14" original rims on RH front against the aluminum panel in front of wheel well but that is also gone. What type of rims do you have? Is the offset correct? Gerrit http://dino308gt4.com
i think you need new shocks. i had a gt4 with 16s and i drove the hell out of it. i never had any issues. i do know the previous owner had redone the shocks and bushing. sorry to read of your troubles.
Lets think about this. If the offsets are the same and the OD of the tire is the same then you won't get any rubbing on the fender. So 1 of those things is wrong. If these are aftermarket wheels then I would check the offset and make sure that it is correct.
I'll check the offset. Sounds like the front wheels are placed at a somewhat wider track than the original ones. Hence the rubbing. I've got the wheels from www.superformance.co.uk I'll measure the offset. Good point (not that it would do me any good to know, come to think of it)
Hmmm, the car just had its annual check done, during which the shocks were tested. I'll have a look. THanks
When our 360 brothers go with larger wheel packages it's pretty common to have a Body Shop "roll" the fender, compressing the original inner lip from being flat to hugging the outer fender... Not too sure of the actual tools/process, but that seems to work, I run 16"s on one of my cars but am careful in tire size selection......no idea what offset. Hope your repair goes well!
Your tire size is less than 1% larger than the stock 15" size, so technically you should be OK. But I've also learned that some tires are "larger" for their given size than others. BF Goodrich tires, for example, tend to be wider than a Goodyear from my experience with Mustangs. But barring the tire width anomolies, I'd say you'd need to look for a narrower rim. The offset won't help you since you're rubbing the inner fender liner as well as the outside fender. If anything, I'd look to go with either a different brand of tire or go with a smaller tire up front. Bob
Hi Hans, Did you get the Mondial rims or the 308 rims? There is a difference. I also assume that the 8" ones are on the rear? (Had to ask, you never know ) Can you take some photos of the rims installed, esp. how they relate to the wheel wells. Gerrit
Hi Hans, just received and install a complete 16" set from Superformance with Goodyear on my 77 GT4, went for a long drive last weekend and few laps on a small circuit built inside harbor facilities. Absolutely no problems, big improvement compare to my old 14" Cromodora. Hope that you will found out.
You need to get your aligned by someone who knows what they are doing. The Netherlands is a good place to find someone who knows how to align cars. For example: the front suspension adjusts for camber caster toe and WHEELBASE. So does the rear. My car is correctly aligned and corner weighted with that tire/wheel combo, and no issues. jay
This is the tool. Here's a link to Eastwood: http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?itemID=6159&itemType=PRODUCT&path=1%2C2%2C503%2C504%2C514&KickerID=323&KICKER Image Unavailable, Please Login
My GT4 has MOMO 16" and rubs like crazy! The car looks great though because it is sitting so low. The cause of my rubbing is soft springs. I'm ordering a set of aftermarket springs and will try them out shortly. I'll keep everyone posted as to how they work. Fraction of the price from Ferrari. They are 1/2" lower then stock and a little firmer.
I have 18" rims on my GT4 and suffered the same issue. I fixed it by replacing the bushes on the fron suspension. I know my front /rear track is wider than OEM and having the rear arches rolled to accomodate the extra rubber. M<y front wheels only rub now on full lock and the rears on a bump at speed.
Your springs are probably saggy. The shocks are probably worn out too, but that is not the issue. If the car looks low and mean, they springs are saggy. They did not look low and mean from the factory...they looked like 4x4's! Birdman
There is only 0.2in difference in the tire diameter and no difference in the width of the tire (other than small manufacturer and profile variances). My guess is that the offset is different on the wheels which brings them into contact with fender.
Okay, this REALLY is starting to be a problem now. I've had this happening 3 times in 2 days now. When going over some bump with the steering wheel ever so slightly to the left, the top of the lefthand tire hit the fender and pull the lip out. (Funny thing is that it is only my left fender. May be my 210lbs sitting on that side of the car....) Folding the edge inward might indeed help. I'm thinking of upgrading my springs to 25% stiffer ones from Superformance. Yes Birdman, the car looks low and mean, so I am probably sagging. I've tried to make some photos of it, but none are clear at all. Anyone have experience with replacing the springs? Rather than having the shop do it, I'd like to do this one myself... Two bolts and the whole thing can be taken out, right? Then two spring clamps to hold the spring down, and then??? Oh, and the wheels have JUST been aligned (like 200 miles ago).
P.S. And yes, I'm sure the offset of the wheels is more than on my previous ones, heavily contributing to the problem. Plus the new tires are less ballooning than the previous ones (15")
Hans I'm telling you, its a shocker problem. I had EXACTLY the same until I replaced my shocks and bushes. I would also suspect you are running a 20mm offset rather than a 25 or 30
