Rubbing horribly on stock rims

[C43 holla]

I have stock 17 inch AMG rims on my 1998 C43. I put on kleemann lowering springs that really lowered the car. It almost seems as if the car keeps on getting lower. I had my shocks checked out - they seem to be fine but should be replaced soon. Any reccomendations because my fenders are starting to puff out. Any help is greatly appreciated.


Thanks,

Jason.

[jnolte]

perhaps its time for bigger spring pads.

roll fenders

are you running 225 width tire in the front?

perhaps its time for some H&R springs

[joboo]

How do you roll the fenders out? My C36 is lowered with H&R and I have camber kit. The passenger side seems to be closer to the fender than the drivers. It would be nice to get a bit more clearance without having to raise the car.

[bc24]

Ok, let me see if I understand this correctly. If you are rubbing, over time your fenders will start to puff out and get wider making if look like a wider front end? Has this been proven? Is it possible?

[Denlasoul]

Originally posted by joboo
The passenger side seems to be closer to the fender than the drivers.

Do you know if the passenger's side fender been replaced before?

AMG rolls fenders from the factory. So in your case, your fenders are rolled a little more than a stock C.

[Denlasoul]

Originally posted by C43 holla
Any help is greatly appreciated.

Can you give us a little more specific information? How much of a lowering did the springs give you? Are you sure that the wheels are Stock originals? It seems odd to me that putting on these springs are causing so many problems.

AMG cars come from the factory with rolled fenders. It's hard to imagine that your fenders are beginning to flare out. :confused: Something weird is going on here.

My car is lowered on 18's with 225 and 255 tires and I have not had any significant problems in terms of rubbing/flaring fenders. Like I said, seems odd to me........

[c_lee]

if your car is getting lower and lower (sagging) than it is time for new shocks! you said they are old.

get some koni's or bilstien.

[KWiK]

something doesn't sound right... How about giving us some better details, like wheel size & offset, tire size, Kleemann part numbers, etc... Some pictures would also help.

Bad shocks don't cause sagging, but missing bump stops would allow more travel than desired. Bad springs cause sagging.

If you have properly sized wheels/tires, then you shouldn't get any rubbing anywhere in the travel range of your suspension. Even with lowering springs, properly sized wheels/tires don't rub...

[C43 holla]

I have the 17 inch stock AMG rims. The lowering springs said it was a 1.5 inch drop but may settle at 1.75. It seems almost as if the car was slammed a whole 2 inches.

I have a few questions.

My car has 79k on it and I have never replaced the shocks since I bought it (56k). Since I lowered it - will getting new shocks fix this problem and how much should I expect to pay ?

The wheel gap in the back tires is about a half finger to a whole finger. The front two tires you cannot even fit a finger under the fender sideways. I mean...it's pretty low. No wheel gap at all. I have the Pilot Sport A/S's that are reccomended for the car. Lower profile tires may of helped but Kleemann wouldn't make a spring that made a car with stock 17 inch rims rub.

Thanks for the help so far! Responses to my questions would be greatly appreciated.

Also - slightly off topic but how do you guys feel about underdrive pulleys. I am going to order them but I wanted to know if the power increase was worth paying $379 from evosport for.

[714guy]

Are they the right springs for your car, a C43 and not a c220?? seems kinda weird that only springs will cuase so much rubbing. Did you buy the springs new, or used, Somebody could've cut them, i dont know. Who installed it, perhaps they reversed the springs, front in back and back in front, or maybe they didn't put in a spring perch.

I have 18s with the tires tucked under the fenders and i have know rubbing issues at all.

[Denlasoul]

Sounds like a typical drop to me. It is possible that your shocks are worn, but they shouldnt affect the actual height of the car unless you springs were shot too.

I am sitting on 18's with H&R's and have no gap in the rear and a finger/finger and a half in the front. Mild rubbing at times in front, but I am in the moddle of swapping out my shocks. Other than that, I have full turning with no rubs.

Is it possible that the front springs were installed in the rear and the rear springs insattled in the front?

I would have to agree with the others in that lowering the car with correct wheels/tires should have very minimal problems.

Off topic. I have ordered the pulleies too. From what I hear the car revs faster and it may produce a minimal amount of power to the wheels. Any reduction of parasitic power drain will be a gain. If you hurry, you can get the pullies for $275 shipped... I did! :D

edit: Cost of shock install will vary depending on where you go. I have found that people automatically jack up the price if you tell them you have a Mercedes. It would be best to have a shop that you were cool with to hook you up, but in my area not many shops are like that.

I have decided to install my shocks myself. I am half done, and must admit not bad at all. Granted I am not a super DIY, but I can hold my own at times. There is alot of info if you need help with install, especially on this site.

[C43 holla]

how did you get them for 275 shipped? is that avail. on the website right now?

[714guy]

Originally posted by C43 holla
how did you get them for 275 shipped? is that avail. on the website right now?

i think its evosport end of the year clearance sale call them up and ask.

[Denlasoul]

Originally posted by 714guy
i think its evosport end of the year clearance sale call them up and ask.

yup yup! much better than the group buy that was set up awhile back., luck me! :)

[joeyskates]

Yeah that's strange, I've never heard of anyone getting 17 inch wheels to rub the fenders by even "dropping" a 202. Are you sure at some point someone didn't put some fatter tires on it?