NO!

"Logansteno: Bought a VW?" (logansteno) 03/17/2015 at 23:20 • Filed to: Steno's M3

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NO NO NO NO NO.

This can't be happening.

We changed the front struts today on the M3. Now the fucking tires rub on the strut!

FUCKING GREAT.

The OEM front tire size is a 7.5 inch rim with 225 series tires on it. Mine has what I think is an 8.5 inch rim with 245 series tires on it. It didn't rub on the OEM struts, but these new Monroe OESpectrum struts have the tires rubbing so bad that I couldn't spin the wheel in the air. I'm so pissed at the PO who swapped in these tires it's not even funny.

My only hope would be that the rear tires are actually the front 7.5 inch wheels with 255 tires on them. There's plenty of signs showing this could be true like them being a different brand tire and having a lot of tire hanging off the rim, but I haven't been able to measure them.

If that's not the case and they're 8.5 inch rims all around I'm going to have to either get wheel spacers or buy new wheels. Wooo.

Guess what all this means? Back to the fucking Safari for me. Woopdie fucking do.

UPDATE: Front wheels are on the back of the car with 255 width tires on them. Skinnier wheels with wider tires on them, I can't with the previous owner. Seriously you idiot? Guess we're buying new 225 width tires and moving the current front ones back tomorrow.

bob and john > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 03/17/2015 at 23:27

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...wow

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 03/17/2015 at 23:30

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You'll get her in ship shape eventually. Welcome to German car ownership. Again.

Kevin Barrett > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 03/17/2015 at 23:31

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Logansteno: Bought a VW? > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 03/17/2015 at 23:32

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This isn't even specifically German car ownership, just a fucking imbecile owner who thought he was soooo fucking cool and smart putting oversized tires on the car.

XJDano > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 03/17/2015 at 23:32

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Doughnuts on all corners, maximum drftolio

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > XJDano 03/17/2015 at 23:34

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I don't even think I could find donuts for this car since the spare from the factory is full size. I guess off a car with the same bolt pattern.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 03/17/2015 at 23:36

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This I can actually relate to. My dad's GS300 that he purchased when I was a kid was only a few years old, and the PO was the manager of the Lexus dealer, which we thought meant it would be the best of the breed. WRONG. He'd had gigantic oversized wheels on it that had completely fucked up the suspension, so it went through several sets of tires in the first couple years of our ownership, before the front shocks finally went altogether. Literally the exact same thing: Suspension broken by idiot PO who fitted car with big wheels.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Kevin Barrett 03/17/2015 at 23:36

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Pictured: Me 20 minutes ago.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 03/17/2015 at 23:37

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Fuck people who fuck with wheel widths. The manufacturer picked that width and size of wheel for a reason so LEAVE IT ALONE.

XJDano > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 03/17/2015 at 23:38

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Well then next step would be flared fenders and 10" wide tires

Kevin Barrett > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 03/17/2015 at 23:57

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I drove down to Tacoma to get an OEM tape deck for my '01 Miata from a Craigslist seller (work-around for getting an AUX-in without getting a tacky aftermarket head unit). When I installed the deck and put my cassette adapter in, it took less than a week for the tape deck to eat the adapter and get jammed up. It was stuck endlessly trying to eject the cassette, until it didn't appear to be trying at all. The next morning (THIS morning) I had to go down to the hangar and prepare for a competition, but the car wouldn't start. Turns out a tape deck endlessly and statically trying to eject a tape can drain a battery. I made the same face, too.

RallyWrench > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 03/18/2015 at 00:21

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I'm not defending the PO, but BMW put 225s on the front so the car would tend towards understeer at the limit, thus keeping their lawyers happy. As good as they handle, they're better with more tire up front. Take a look at any serious E36 track or autocross car and you'll find matched fronts & rears.

The fact that they didn't hit on OE struts and do on Monroes leads me to believe the new struts are not properly designed. I'd recommend returning them if possible and getting a set of Bilsteins.

Street Surgeon > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 03/18/2015 at 00:25

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Previous owner antics aside.... Reserve your NO NO NO NO NO for the Monroe OESpectrum struts!

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > RallyWrench 03/18/2015 at 00:30

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Fuck that. The struts were already an all day ordeal and I never intend on getting anywhere close to the limit of the car. Id rather just get the 225 width tires than take off those struts again.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Street Surgeon 03/18/2015 at 00:32

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Why? That's what we have on the back and they're perfectly fine.

Street Surgeon > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 03/18/2015 at 00:38

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They're just not that great of a strut, if you already have them run 'em until they need replacing but in the future I'd lean towards something made by KYB, Koni, Bilstein, etc. The Monroes just aren't built to last or perform. This is just an opinion that I've formed after seeing tons of cars with them come back for replacements around 30k or so, and riding in cars that had them installed, they're better than blown out old factory stuff, but still aren't up to the OEM specs. The only redeeming quality I've found is that they're relatively cheap replacements.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Street Surgeon 03/18/2015 at 00:44

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The Monroes were the only thing I could really afford and the shocks and struts were the factory ones with 167k on them. I needed something and couldn't even come close to buying anyhing more. I guess well see how much life I get out of them. I don't think they're that bad though.

Street Surgeon > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 03/18/2015 at 00:47

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It's cool man, we're all faced with these kind of decisions when modifying or maintaining the cars we love :) Assuming you get the tire situation shorted I'm sure it'll still be leaps and bounds better than the old crusty stockers so yeah just run 'em in!

Finn's Arm > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 03/18/2015 at 01:05

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I'm with TFritch, I think the issue is the struts you put on. I spent 30 minutes a side taking care of a new set of Bilsteins (including jacking and disassembly).

I run 225's up front on 7.5's ET41 & 245's on 8.5's on ET50 (Style 68's). I think meaty 17" 40/235's are my next combination (Nitto NT05's)

RallyWrench > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 03/18/2015 at 01:06

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Hey, suit yourself, man. Just wanted you to have the facts.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Finn's Arm 03/18/2015 at 01:07

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As a broke highshooler, Bilsteins are so far out of my budget it's not even funny. The Monroes work fine and given there's only a few millimeters of clearance between the OEM ones and the tire the tires were too wide in the first place IMO.

ShelbyRacer78-Fusion Modifier > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 03/18/2015 at 01:25

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I could run 235s without rubbing.... I'd just get 225s for my sable tho .

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 03/18/2015 at 01:36

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The PO may not have had any idea. You have no idea how often tire shops do this sort of thing. I swear 9/10 tire jockeys have never heard of staggered wheels.

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 03/18/2015 at 02:42

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Ahhh the joys of German engineering and their tight tolerances

BLCKSTRM > Finn's Arm 03/25/2015 at 11:50

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I have the same Style 68 wheels + Bilsteins on mine, with 245s on all 4 corners. No rubbing issues. However, I cannot put the rears on the front without a spacer. But I'm currently looking for another set to really run square and have a second set for snow tires.

BLCKSTRM > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 03/25/2015 at 12:02

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I replied to Finn above this comment, but technically you should have been ok. Though I'll admit that all aftermarket stuff fits just a little differently - there's always some kind of oddity to the fit, especially for less expensive stuff.

The factory wheels have a different offset than the wheels I have, and you should be able to run rear wheels in front without contact (with properly designed struts).

Conversely, given your situation, you can just leave it all and move up to 235s or 245s all around next time you buy tires.

245 is a bit wide for the front, but it will work. I did it because Michelin doesn't make Super Sports in 235 like they did with the PS2 (which I did last time around). 235 square is what the car originally came with on the couple lightweights they sold in 1994 before switching to the 225/245 staggered setup.