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05-26-2019, 09:34 AM | #1 |
Captain
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Fronts rubbing - need advice
I've got a 2011 128i that I've fitted 245/40R17 Hankook RS-4s to. I currently have 7.5mm spacers in front with about 4mm of space to the struts. I have M3 front arms and Dinan camber plates, everything pushed as far inward as possible. I did have a performance shop do an alignment but I do not know the camber specs. Both front tires rub over large bumps. I've got a set of 5mm spacers coming but clearly that's as far as I can go inward with the tires, as I'll only have 1.5mm to the struts.
I do think I will need to roll the fenders or trim the bumper tabs, but I'm not sure exactly what needs to be done. It seems to be only the extreme outer shoulders that are touching anything. My initial thought was the let the tires rub and they will wear away whatever plastic pieces they're hitting until they stop hitting them. I am not sure if this will cause me problems though. I was not able to find any photos of the pieces that need to be trimmed on the bumper/fender connection. If someone has that, it would be excellent if you could share. As far as the fenders themselves, I'm considering heating them and pinching them with my hands to bend them inward at the very front portion, rather than buying a roller. Has anyone done this? Is a roller necessary for the fronts? |
05-26-2019, 10:44 PM | #2 |
Enlisted Member
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Roll the fenders first and see where you are at.
Then, shave down the tab that connects the top of the bumper to the front of the fender. You will want to trim it with a dremel while the bumper is connected to the fender so you can clearly see where to stop. It should be obvious once you are looking at it, but there is some extra plastic on the tab that can be taken off without seriously affecting the mounting point. Go slow. If you still rub after doing all this, you may need more camber. Finally, you can remove the longer M3 control arms since they are actually going to push the wheel out further and reduce clearance (even though they add negative camber - they do so by pushing the bottom of the wheel out further). |
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05-27-2019, 05:09 PM | #3 |
Captain
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Thanks. I tried using my thumbs to bend the fenders but it wasn't working. I ended up using a plastic vise:
https://www.amazon.com/IRWIN-QUICK-G...36176675&psc=1 It worked perfectly. The faces of the vise are flat rectangles with rubber bumpers on them. I went slow and watched the outside, being careful not to bend the fender. It took about 5 minutes and since it was not pushing from the wheel hub, the fender didn't get pushed out. The tab just got pushed flat. This might be better than a fender roller for the fronts, since the lip is already at a big angle to start. It was also pretty easy to see where the tab needed to be trimmed since the wheel was rubbing on it. I cut a big chunk off with the Dremel. Hopefully these steps, with the smaller spacers, are enough. |
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05-28-2019, 07:29 PM | #4 |
Colonel
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What wheels/specs are you running? Coilovers? I'm rubbing on the bumper/fender tab over hard bumps, but I have coilovers so I probably will just raise the car a little.
I've already trimmed the tab as much as possible and did some "natural" fender pulling by running a larger tire/wheel and very slowly turn the wheel left and right pulling the fender a little. I don't think that really pulled them as much as they could have gone, but still... and don't judge the technique ok, it's done. |
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06-22-2019, 01:51 AM | #6 |
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Drives: 2011 E82/128i
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Halifax, Canada
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I'm currently rocking staggered (8.5"w fronts and 9.5"w rears) 20"ies with:
Front Camber Plates Front 15mm Coil Spacers * Roughly -1.5 degrees of camber Rear Upper Control Arm Rear 20mm Coil Spacers * Roughly -2.5 degrees of camber All 4 fenders are rolled. No scraping unless I actually make an attempt to scrape the rears, but hitting bumps that hard and fast is risking bending a rim and I never do. Practical - and even sport - driving will not cause a scrape. |
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06-23-2019, 09:26 AM | #7 |
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Drives: 2008 135 blk, blk, step
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Location: Atlanta, GA
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Garage List 1994 Porsche 968 Cab [0.00]
2017 AMG GTS [0.00] 1994 Porsche 968 Coupe [0.00] 1977 Mercedes 450SE ... [0.00] 2008 135 [8.00] |
I assume you know that basically neither 9" wheels or 245 tires fit on the front of our cars.
You can definitely pull your fenders out somewhat. Most do this with heat and a phone books, baseball bat, etc. Camber or running a different tire, etc are the most likely only solutions.
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Injen, RR OCC, MadDad Whisper, donut spare, 19x8.5et43fr 19x9.5et45r Volk LE37's, rear fenders rolled/pulled, PSS4S 225/35fr 255/30r, KW V1's, AR coated catless dps, Cross strutbar, CF grills and license plate holder, iCarbon diffuser, ETS black anodized FMIC, M3 control arms, Quaife, ER chargepipe, ForgeDV's, Topspeed Custom Tune, V3sims, Braille, Andrey_GTA rear hub mod, Ebay Mstyle front bumper and performance style side skirts.
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06-23-2019, 10:42 AM | #8 |
Captain
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Quick update: with 5mm spacers, I get a slight amount of rubbing over huge bumps. Hitting a curb at the track will result in rubbing, for example. Driving to work on my normal route, I do hit quite a few bumps and they do not rub. I'm pretty satisfied now and won't be changing anything else on the car.
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06-28-2019, 04:01 PM | #9 |
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Hey rowsdower, do you have square 17x9 et 35s Advanti's? What do you think about how they handle in the track? Any good? Could be a good alternative to Apex (which are 18s). Thanks and too bad you're selling yours but I get it, the 128i is quite limited when it comes to track mods, although having 10 HPDEs under your belt, it might have been competitive for you I assume.
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06-28-2019, 05:16 PM | #10 | |
Captain
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Quote:
The wheels are 17x9 ET45 - (check here). I can't comment on the quality vs Apex, as I've never owned Apex wheels. They are probably both good brands. FYI EC-7s are 18" and up, but ARC-8s have 17" options that fit our cars. |
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