Lower Control Arm Rubbin'

[Binfordtools]

Gotta 21 Willys with a 2" spacer lift and 315/70-17 (almost 35's) tires. When I put it all together I had 1 3/4" wheel spacers and had no rubbing anywhere. But, I'm not a huge fan of spacers and worried that they may break, so I took them off just to see if I could drive without them. Mostly no problem, but when I turn full lock on the steering wheel, the tires rub on the lower control arms.
So my choices are:

1. Order new wheels with a negative offset (-12 or similar) to push the tires out away from the control arms
2. Put my spacers back in
3. Get smaller tires (nope)
4. Just deal with the rubbing and turn the radio up so I never hear it again
5. Do they make lower control arms that are shaped to allow for bigger tires?

Appreciate the info.
Cheers!

Sponsored

 

[Boostnu]

You really have a few options

Spacer which you have but don’t want to run.

Put a couple washers behind the steering stops on the knuckles. You will loose some travel lock to lock but it should keep you from rubbing.

Buy new wheels with less offset. You really don’t need -12. I ran +10 on mine with 315/70/17 and no rubbing.

 

[Binfordtools]

Buy new wheels with less offset. You really don’t need -12. I ran +10 on mine with 315/70/17 and no rubbing.

I thought a +12 would put the inner lip of the wheel closer to the inside and closer to the LCA? I was thinking a -12 to push the wheel lip away from the LCA. Am I incorrect on this (still trying to figure out offset things)?

 

[JT1]

I thought a +12 would put the inner lip of the wheel closer to the inside and closer to the LCA? I was thinking a -12 to push the wheel lip away from the LCA. Am I incorrect on this (still trying to figure out offset things)?

Offset by itself doesn't tell you what you need. Factory wheels are 6.25" backspace. You need a wheel with less. That moves the inner wheel edge away from your suspension. Look at the Quadratec and AEV wheels. They are in the 5.2" range and won't have 3 inches of poke.

 

[LostWoods]

Many aftermarket companies make control arms that are curved in a way that offer more clearance. I know Metalcloak for sure but there are others out there as well.

Otherwise @JT1 is on point with the backspace/offset issue... find something with a backspace of 4.5" or less and you should generally be fine.

 

[Boostnu]

I thought a +12 would put the inner lip of the wheel closer to the inside and closer to the LCA? I was thinking a -12 to push the wheel lip away from the LCA. Am I incorrect on this (still trying to figure out offset things)?

I had a 17x9 with +10 offset they barely had any poke and didn’t rub. I’m know running a 17x8.5 with -12 offset and they have a good bit more poke but still not real bad.

 

[j.o.y.ride]

dont worry about offset, look at backspacing. offset of -12 on a 7.5" wheel is different than a -12 on 9" wide.

I think you can get by with 4.25", I have 4.75"

 

[Renegade]

Oh good grief, here goes the offset vs. backspacing argument again. This usually happens when people don't understand offset.

OP- Your factory wheels are +44 offset. When you added the 1.75" spacers, you effectively made your offset 0 (1.75" is 44.45mm). If you want to keep that same look with a new wheel, go with a 0 offset wheel. As stated previously, you should be able to run a 35" tire on a +10 wheel on a Sport. I'm running 37s on +11 (or +12, I can't remember) wheels on a Rubicon. Or, go with a reasonable negative offset if you like that look. Using offset as your standard allows you to compare where the contact patch of the tire will be on different width wheels. Its not the sidewall where we get contact (within reason), its the edge of the tread rubbing on the control arms when the wheel is turned. For this reason, many people prefer to use offset rather than backspacing.

 

[Binfordtools]

Oh good grief, here goes the offset vs. backspacing argument again. This usually happens when people don't understand offset.

There is no argument here at all.

 

[GRDIESEL]

Here is the best chart. You can see how rim width, offset and backspacing work together.

 

[GRDIESEL]

With that tire I think you need to gain about a 1/2". A wheel with 5.50" of backspacing or less should work. Just doing rough math here.

 

[LostWoods]

Oh good grief, here goes the offset vs. backspacing argument again. This usually happens when people don't understand offset.

OP- Your factory wheels are +44 offset. When you added the 1.75" spacers, you effectively made your offset 0 (1.75" is 44.45mm). If you want to keep that same look with a new wheel, go with a 0 offset wheel. As stated previously, you should be able to run a 35" tire on a +10 wheel on a Sport. I'm running 37s on +11 (or +12, I can't remember) wheels on a Rubicon. Or, go with a reasonable negative offset if you like that look. Using offset as your standard allows you to compare where the contact patch of the tire will be on different width wheels. Its not the sidewall where we get contact (within reason), its the edge of the tread rubbing on the control arms when the wheel is turned. For this reason, many people prefer to use offset rather than backspacing.

The reason for peoples' confusion is posts like this. Offset and backspacing are nothing more than two distinct methods of relaying the exact same information. Each requires context in its own way but both describe the location of the mounting surface relative to the wheel.

There is no universal answer for offset when it comes to solving a rubbing problem. There is a universal answer for backspacing which is why backspacing is the superior method for 4x4 vehicles. If a 4.5" offset clears, a 4.5" offset clears on every wheel in every size and any similarly sized tire. Offset requires the wheel width to be known before it solves OP's problem.

 

[Renegade]

The reason for peoples' confusion is posts like this. Offset and backspacing are nothing more than two distinct methods of relaying the exact same information. Each requires context in its own way but both describe the location of the mounting surface relative to the wheel.

There is no universal answer for offset when it comes to solving a rubbing problem. There is a universal answer for backspacing which is why backspacing is the superior method for 4x4 vehicles. If a 4.5" offset clears, a 4.5" offset clears on every wheel in every size and any similarly sized tire. Offset requires the wheel width to be known before it solves OP's problem.

This is so wrong my soul hurts...

 

[LostWoods]

This is so wrong my soul hurts...

Then please, enlighten this former ASE master tech and suspension/alignment shop manager. Feel free to get as technical as you'd like.

 

[Binfordtools]

Then please, enlighten this former ASE master tech and suspension/alignment shop manager. Feel free to get as technical as you'd like.

Gents - cool your guns! This was NOT meant to be yet another discussion (or..) on backspacing, offset, or any other of the witchcraft that comes with calculating wheels! Mostly I started this discussion to bring awareness to anyone who may be considering 35's on stock wheels and to inquire about lower control arms with provisions for larger tires on stock wheels.

There are plenty of wheel offset threads and pissing-matches already on this forum.
Have a and chill please!
Cheers!

Sponsored