ZUKIWORLD Online | Suzuki 4x4 Editorial and Forum
ZUKIWORLD Model Specific Suzuki Forum => Suzuki Grand Vitara, Vitara, Chevy Tracker (Gen. 2 Platform) 1999-2005 => Topic started by: samuraidan on January 17, 2011, 05:15:15 PM
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I've got Jeff's lift installed on my '00 2.0L Vitara along with 1.25" wheel spacers, aftermarket 15x7 wheels and 235/75R15 Hankook Dynapro MT's. I noticed the rubbing right after installing the tires and wheels and i did do some substantial trimming of the plastic inner fender. It's now drivable, but the tires still rub the bumper and fender when approaching full lock.
The way i see it, i have several options, but i'm really not sure which would be the best:
1. install a body lift. Pro's; it would probably fix the rubbing and the truck would be higher. Con's; cost and it would be farther from stock.
2. get smaller tires. Pro's; 225/70R15 all terrains would almost certainly fit and they'd return my gearing closer to stock. Con's; i'd loose money selling my mud terrains and the little truck wouldn't look nearly as cool 8)
3. get smaller wheel spacers. now i'm not even sure this would help, but the additional thickness of the wheel spacers only adds to the turning arc of the wheel.
4. some miraculous solution i haven't thought of.
SO, what would you do?? ???
Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance ;D
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I have the same size tires on mine with no lift and the stock zr2 wheels 15x6 inch. I get very minor rubbing on the drivers side frame rail when turning left. Try removing the spacers and see what happens
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My Vitara originally came with 16" rims, therefore the wheel spacers are necessary to clear the calipers.
What I'm not entirely sure of is how much wheel spacer is required... I've heard of some people only grinding the calipers down and successfully fitting 15's with not spacers.
So I wonder, maybe skimming my 1.25" spacers down to 1" might help?
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sawzawll, and hammer. Thats how I fit 30's on my GV with only an OME lift.
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sawzawll, and hammer. Thats how I fit 30's on my GV with only an OME lift.
Maybe you're right. As much as i'd like to preserve the resale value of my little Zuk, a Big F***ing Hammer can fix just about anything.
The front side is easy, the plastic bumper can easily be "altered" with an angle grinder.
The back side is a little tougher, the tires rub against the sheet metal of the body. I guess that's where the BFH comes in handy....
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The fender well plastic covers up my damage. I'll try to get pix.
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Thanks Shadow.
I'd love to see how other people have had to trim fender bits to fit tires.
Did you have to alter any sheet metal ?
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Why'd you go with 15's?
225/75R16's and 235/70R16's are the same height and have many options in mud terrain styles. Would work with stock rims and only rub the frame at hard lock turning.
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Why'd you go with 15's?
225/75R16's and 235/70R16's are the same height and have many options in mud terrain styles. Would work with stock rims and only rub the frame at hard lock turning.
Is hitting the frame any better then rubbing the bumper?? ???
I wasn't sure that the rims i wanted would clear the calipers, even if i got 16's. I liked that with 15's you get more tire sidewall and less rim, and the additional track width from the wheel spacers seemed like a bonus for performance and appearance.
Obviously if i'd known that clearing the tires was going to be such a pain in the a$$, i may have got with 16's. Anyways, what's done is done, and I've gotta work with the 15's now. :-[
This whole ordeal has really got me rethinking my situation. Do i really need mud tires?? Smaller all terrains would provide better on road performance and fuel economy with only marginally less off road abilities....
Anyone wanna trade? ::)
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The frame rubbing is mild. On my XL7 with the 225's it was just a light buzz at max lock. Basically just rubbed the paint off the frame there. My Tracker has 235/75R15's and it's a bit more pronounced rubbing but nothing horrible. I may at some point go to wider ZR2 wheels or something aftermarket but probably not any time soon.
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I may have a lead on some 215/75R15 MT's. I'm hoping the guy will trade me for my 235/75's...
My only concern; a 215 tire on a 7" rim ???
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trim bumper or remove it entirely to escape rubbing it in the front
Frame rub I think is unavoidable...
no big deal though, as most lifted trucks /w bigger rubber run into those issues
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X2 on keeping your present tires and going with some light trimming. Unless you are just plain unhappy with the tires and rims you have, you can quickly get into the trick bag of second guessing yourself on the mods to your truck which will result in wasted bucks you could spend on other great mods to your truck. Been there and done that. That's why I am so slow in making new mods to my current truck. For example, for the price of a new set of 5 tires you could buy OME springs and struts and achieve more actual ground clearance and a much improved ride (useful and adds to the "cool" factor) OR you could buy a set of coil spacers for much less... etc. I'll warn you ahead of time though, you will love the ride improvement the OME equipment will give you.
X2 on you will probably have tire rub on any 235 tire you put on your truck. The MTs and some of the more aggressive ATs will rumble more at full lock because of their "chunkier" side walls. I had a set of 237/75/15 BF Goodrich A/T KOs on one of my trucks and they rubbed just like my Cooper Coursers on my other truck and the Michelin LTX M/S tires I had on it earlier.... the BFGs just rumbled more on the frame when when turning full lock. Just keep this fact in mind and try not to completely lock-up your steering when turning. It's not that big of a deal. Be kind to your PS pump and your and rack and pinion.
These trucks are supposed to be both cool and fun... and they are.
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Thanks for all the advice guys. It's really helping me decide what to do.
Well, here's where I'm now. I've got an offer of $650 for all 5 of my 235's. The 215/75 MT's looked good, and the guy wants $500 for the 4.
Going in down in size would surely fix the rubbing issue AND would net me a tiny increase in power and fuel economy (but do i really care?).
I've already trimmed just about as much as i feel comfortable, so I'm leaning (ever so slightly) towards going with the smaller tires.
Can anyone post up some pictures of where they've hacked up the fender well to fit their tires? Maybe i just need some inspiration. ;D
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Your problems are the wider wheels AND the spacers. They're pushing your tires out from the center of the vehicle and into the fenders when turning. Bet the wheels don't have a deep backspacing either.
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Stock wheels are about a 4.25" backspacing. You have a 1.5" wider rim that probably has less back spacing, which is further compounded by fact you need to space the rims to clear your calipers. Have you considered going to a local pick-n-pull, buying 5 steelies from a 95-98 1st gen or even stock steelies from a 2nd gen truck, and mounting your 235s on them? Then you could sell your aluminum rims and recoup the cost of the steelies... plus some. Stock rims would pull your tires back in but with the spacers you still wouldn't clear your rear fenders unless you removed the spacers you have in the rear.
OR trade your current 15" tires for a set of 16" and just go back to the stock size rims and be done with it. Then sell your aluminum 15" rims and your spacers to recoup some of your investment and cut your loss.
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He has a Suzuki. Due to the brake setup (it's different than the Trackers) you pretty much HAVE to run the factory 16" wheels. I tried some 16x7 Cragar Soft 8's with 4" of backspacing (supposedly the exact same dimensions as the factory aluminum wheels the GV's got) and they wouldn't clear the brakes. The factory Suzuki wheels basically have a spacer cast into the mounting face to clear the brakes.
I say sell the 15" wheels & tires and the spacers, find some OEM Suzuki 16" wheels, and get some 16" muds.
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Replacing wheels would mean some serious backtracking. My 235's are sooooo close to fitting, but you guys are right, with the low offset wheels and spacers the wheel is pushed out so far it's bound to rub on the bumper on turns.
(http://www.cragar.com/ViewImage.ashx?id=63)
I've already invested in a real nice set of 15" rims AND i've got the wheel spacers required to fit them. I think i'll just go with the slightly smaller 215/75 mud tires and call it a day.
They are almost guaranteed to fit and at the end of the day, it'll just mean more clearance in the wheel well which equals more articulation.
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What i've learned from all this is that Suzuki Vitara's and GV's DO NOT like aftermarket wheels!
All the trouble i've gone through could have been avoided if i'd just stuck with a factory wheel and then added bigger tires.
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...and less clearance. Articulation isn't an issue with these.
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...and less clearance. Articulation isn't an issue with these.
Other the occasional logging road adventure the truck's pretty much a pavement princess :-[
Maybe I'm getting too old to have a real 4x4 as my daily driver...
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I used late model Samurai wheels. Had to use 1" spacers up front, and grind the calipers quite a bit, on the rear I didn't use spacers and it allows the wheel to tuck nicely up into the wheel well. So far so good.
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i don't mean to turn this thread into another "can i fit 15's" novel, but Christ, there is so much conflicting info out there.
- I've heard of people fitting 15's with only minor caliper grinding
- I've heard of people fitting 15's with only a 1/8" spacer
- I've heard of people fitting 15's with a 1" spacer and caliper grinding
- The list goes on and on and on and on.....
It only makes sense that with all the different wheels out there people will have different experiences.
The moral of the story is there is no one single answer. Best bet, jump right in. After all the research I did I thought for sure that with Jeff's lift, 1.25" spacers i could fit 235's on my purdy aftermarket 15's. Well, i was wrong. Other people may have gone a slightly different route and had success, but no such luck for me.
O well, my story carries on. I'm keeping these damn 15's and the stupid wheel spacers needed to make em fit! I'll just keep my fingers crossed that 215's solve the problem.
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Does anyone feel like assuring me that 215/75R15's will fit?
I stand to loose a lot of money if they don't..... :-\
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No clue but I know what would fit.
Look at the way the brakes are. Try pushing your 15" rim up against them and see where it hits. It's the shorter rotors combined with a wide caliper. There's a reason the factory wheels were pretty much a 6" backspacing wheel with a 2" spacer cast in.
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Wouldn't be surprised if the 215's rub. It's not the tire size that is causing your issue.
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I used late model Samurai wheels. Had to use 1" spacers up front, and grind the calipers quite a bit, on the rear I didn't use spacers and it allows the wheel to tuck nicely up into the wheel well. So far so good.
how much lift and what size tires are you running??
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Wouldn't be surprised if the 215's rub. It's not the tire size that is causing your issue.
Agreed. But the size of the tire IS compounding the issue. Like i said earlier, with the trimming I've already done I'm sooo close to fitting the 235's i think the half inch smaller 215's will make the difference.
If they don't my girlfriend will kill me :o
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The ZR2 Trackers ran 215's bone stock.
However you have several inches wider track width due to your spacers and wheels. This is what complicates things.
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Yeah, my Vit came with 215/65R16's.
I'm hoping the addition of the lift will compensate for the wheel spacers and aftermarket rims.
The new 215's are in the back of my truck now. We'll found out tomorrow how they fit.... *fingers crossed*
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If they don't my girlfriend will kill me ...
First of all, she is your girl friend. At this point in your relationship she has absolutely no legal right, or obligation to kill you. That would be both unethical and illegal. Once you marry.... she can then legally kill you. That's the rules. I don't make these rules up... I just try to abide by them.
Second of all, you are NEVER too old to own a "4WD truck". Especially a GV/Tracker. Never buy into this thought. They are manly vehicles and practical as well. Lets face it... they are babe magnets too! I've seen many a male fall into a mid-life crisis and go out and buy a BMW convertible (etc). These trucks are very practical. Always remember... these trucks are fun to own!!! It's like a great marriage. Sometimes it is just a love/hate thing. When the rough waters pass... and they always do you'll be tooling down a trail with a big grin on your face.
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If they don't my girlfriend will kill me ...
First of all, she is your girl friend. At this point in your relationship she has absolutely no legal right, or obligation to kill you. That would be both unethical and illegal. Once you marry.... she can then legally kill you. That's the rules. I don't make these rules up... I just try to abide by them.
Second of all, you are NEVER too old to own a "4WD truck". Especially a GV/Tracker. Never buy into this thought. They are manly vehicles and practical as well. Lets face it... they are babe magnets too! I've seen many a male fall into a mid-life crisis and go out and buy a BMW convertible (etc). These trucks are practicle. Always remember... these trucks are fun to own!!! It's like a great marriage. Sometimes it is just a love/hate thing. When the rough waters pass... and they always do you'll be tooling down a trail with a big grin on your face.
Those sound like words of wisdom to me!
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Well, the 215's are on and .......... *drum roll*........ they fit!
To be honest they are almost too small.... The truck looks a little odd; lifted with little itty bitty mud tires sticking way out the sides. But I'm sure I'll adjust, I'm just happy to have my full turning radius back.
The only bad news is that well changing tires I noticed my right front strut is completely blown out, looks like it could break into two pieces at any second.
:'( it never ends.....
Anywho, thanks for all the input guys!
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I've never had a bit of trouble with my driver side strut... but I'm on my 3rd passenger side strut. Don't know what the dealie is with it.
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Well, i hope i'm not wasting my money by replacing both of them.
I figured they've both been through the same punishment, might as well do them both.
Do you think it's worth doing the upper strut mounts too??
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I've never had a bit of trouble with my driver side strut... but I'm on my 3rd passenger side strut. Don't know what the dealie is with it.
I dunno if this holds true where you are, but down here, the passenger side strut will usually fail before the driver's side strut - I've had it happen twice, and the reason that it happens is the holes are usually along the edge of the road, so the passenger side strut works harder and is more likely to blow out in a pot hole - at least that's what I was told, and, given local road conditions, it made sense.
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That's the ONLY conclusion I have come to also, Fordem. Samuriadan I don't think you can go wrong replacing both of your struts when one fails. I only replaced my defective strut the first time but on the second failure I replaced them both because the original had about 50K on it at that time (but was still working flawlessly). NO, unless your upper strut mounts are torn or damaged (or bonded/frozen to the shaft of your old struts) I wouldn't replace them. They are very tough and durable.