I need some help with a tire rubbing issue

[Shadow 1]

My 84 has a slight tire rub on the liner issue and I want to know if it's a tire size thing or an out of alignment/possibly spring thing. The tire size on it now is 215/65r15 with turbines but it used to be a v6 car and the previous owner put 5.0 in it and I don't know if they changed out the springs or not. I also discovered some slight front end damage, enough to buckle the uniframe section a little bit in front of the passengers side strut tower but some qick measurements show its not off a whole lot.

[84StangSVT]

My 84 also had a rub on the front liners and it was bad enough that you could feel and hear it, especially in reverse. It is was most noticeable on the front of the D/S liner and the back of the P/S liner. I am running the 225/60 R15's on Enkei 92's.
I measured everything to make sure my k member is square to the car and for the most part it is. The measurements are close enough they shouldn't cause an issue.

I will say that after I rebuilt the front suspension with new bushings, struts, lowering springs, ball joints and so forth, the rubbing has for the most part stopped but the tires are still close to the liners in that area. I have a feeling that worn suspension components were the main cause of my issue.

[Shadow 1]

You might be exactly right and I hope so. It's going in the garage soon for a total rebuild but I wanted to check because it was bugging me and I didn't want to pull it all apart to run into an issue when it goes back together. That's kinda what happened to my 85, got it half way rebuilt and discovered some issues I couldn't fix.

[erratic50]

My suggestion is to get some spray powder (like they use on foot fungus....) and spray the inner fender to help figure out exactly where it is rubbing. Shows where the tire tread or side rubs too.

On my 1986GT the culprit was loose fenderwell retention hardware. I ended up getting some self drilling screws with a large flat head and using a 2x4 along with my floor jack to shove everything up into place then screwed it. Helped big time.

That being said, a 215/65/15 is too large of a diameter tire for the front on a stock foxbody. Those as well as a 235/60/15 rubbed even on a new foxbody.

The tread will rub on the fender extensions/bumper due to tire height. It should only do it at lock. As little as 1/8 turn on a 2.5 turn rack or an amount proportionally the same on a 3 turn LX rack should make it stop. An 87-93 2.25 turn rack or rack limiters may cure it or make it so it just barely rubs.

Caster/camber plates allow you to lay the struts all the way back towards the windshield to max out positive caster. Camber bolts will let you keep the struts centered in the tower side to side for max caster while dialing back in a little negative camber. Once the caster is at max positive these tires likely won't rub.


I am running 245/45/17's on an 8" 94-95 tribar 5 lug rim on my 86GT. They rubbed badly with ranger rotor based 5 lug conversion-- a 1/8" spacer was definitely needed.

With SN95 spindles and X2 balljoints and caster/camber plates and camber bolts and all the other effort I mentioned above they still rubbed just barely when using an 86 2.5 turn rack.

I replaced the front swaybar bushings and links and made sure the bar was centered in the mounts and that cured it. No rubbing during spirited driving even at lock anymore.

Most guys fitting large tires go to a 91-93 fender and either an SN95 control arm or swap the K member and go to a tubular control arm -- the idea being get to a wider track width. And even then they sometimes perform surgery on fenders.

I've been told by several people that a 245/45/17 will not fit on a pre-91 foxbody without heavy mods. They will if you get serious about dialing in your caster to the max. An easier fit is a 255/40/17..... also lowers ride height a little.

Anyway - a lot more info than you asked for probably. I would go to caster/camber plates and camber bolts and make sure the fender wells are tucked and change the sway links and bushings then go from there.

good luck!

[Walking-Tall]

Check for a steering rack that's been installed off-center. A quick check for that is visually very different amounts of thread engagement of the outer tie rods left to right onto the inner tie rod end stems. It's an absolute possibility if the splined connection at the rack's input shaft has ever been disturbed, by an idiot who shouldn't be touching things... ask me how I know... I still need to address exactly this that was done (and further boneheadedly compensated for with nearly full thread engagement on one and much less on the other tie rod end) with mine by some knucklehead sometime in the car's past.

[erratic50]

Great point as usual WT. when I put my rack in after a full frontend rebuild I spun it lock to lock then tried to centered the wheel before I ever started installing and adjusting the tie rods.

[Walking-Tall]

Great point as usual WT. when I put my rack in after a full frontend rebuild I spun it lock to lock then tried to centered the wheel before I ever started installing and adjusting the tie rods.

... which makes all kinds of sense to do to you and me. There's been disconnection from man and machine and a lack of attention to detail obviously instilled in a great many people for some time... and it's frustrating to see and hear about. Non-rocket science seems to have been turned into rocket science... and/or trusted AND PAID others really not giving a fiddlin' f*ck about other people's things.

[84StangSVT]

... which makes all kinds of sense to do to you and me. There's been disconnection from man and machine and a lack of attention to detail obviously instilled in a great many people for some time... and it's frustrating to see and hear about. Non-rocket science seems to have been turned into rocket science... and/or trusted AND PAID others really not giving a fiddlin' f*ck about other people's things.

Hence the reason I choose to work on my own stuff. I don't know much about everything, but I will d@mn sure research, learn and put my best effort in to make it right. I'm right at the age where things started going downhill in regards to people giving a crap about DIY.

[erratic50]

Yea - I had an "alignment professional" turn away my 86 because he couldn't get camber dialed in without the springs hitting the struts. Best he could do was +1.

Well - my bad...... I didn't gift wrap the thing. I thought a professional would know about things like camber bolts and adjusting the spindle on the strut. Guess not! Severe lack of give a damn for sure.

[Walking-Tall]

Hence the reason I choose to work on my own stuff. I don't know much about everything, but I will d@mn sure research, learn and put my best effort in to make it right. I'm right at the age where things started going downhill in regards to people giving a crap about DIY.

Same here, EVERYTHING is learn-able, but it takes the mindset that I think is diminishing more rapid each day. When I was a kid, most everybody's Dad I knew did at least the basic maintenance on the family jalopy, and/or most especially on the "hot rod", if there was one... and I can't count how many times I watched my own father fix anything and everything, including making the absolute most out of what he had for the wheels under him. It saved countless household dollars in the past, and I think it's even more important now with the friggin' cost of things. It's all corporate think (appearances and sales take precedence over function and value for your dollar (marketing/advertising doesn't give a flip whether it's a pet rock, as long as it sells, not whether it works or not), and I refuse to take part in any of it as long as is possible. When I'm looked at like I have 3 heads at the parts place or wherever, I don't give a sh*t. WE have to navigate thru the nonsense that exists now. It's either that, or GET ur wallet out.

[Shadow 1]

My suggestion is to get some spray powder (like they use on foot fungus....) and spray the inner fender to help figure out exactly where it is rubbing. Shows where the tire tread or side rubs too.

On my 1986GT the culprit was loose fenderwell retention hardware. I ended up getting some self drilling screws with a large flat head and using a 2x4 along with my floor jack to shove everything up into place then screwed it. Helped big time.

That being said, a 215/65/15 is too large of a diameter tire for the front on a stock foxbody. Those as well as a 235/60/15 rubbed even on a new foxbody.

The tread will rub on the fender extensions/bumper due to tire height. It should only do it at lock. As little as 1/8 turn on a 2.5 turn rack or an amount proportionally the same on a 3 turn LX rack should make it stop. An 87-93 2.25 turn rack or rack limiters may cure it or make it so it just barely rubs.

Caster/camber plates allow you to lay the struts all the way back towards the windshield to max out positive caster. Camber bolts will let you keep the struts centered in the tower side to side for max caster while dialing back in a little negative camber. Once the caster is at max positive these tires likely won't rub.


I am running 245/45/17's on an 8" 94-95 tribar 5 lug rim on my 86GT. They rubbed badly with ranger rotor based 5 lug conversion-- a 1/8" spacer was definitely needed.

With SN95 spindles and X2 balljoints and caster/camber plates and camber bolts and all the other effort I mentioned above they still rubbed just barely when using an 86 2.5 turn rack.

I replaced the front swaybar bushings and links and made sure the bar was centered in the mounts and that cured it. No rubbing during spirited driving even at lock anymore.

Most guys fitting large tires go to a 91-93 fender and either an SN95 control arm or swap the K member and go to a tubular control arm -- the idea being get to a wider track width. And even then they sometimes perform surgery on fenders.

I've been told by several people that a 245/45/17 will not fit on a pre-91 foxbody without heavy mods. They will if you get serious about dialing in your caster to the max. An easier fit is a 255/40/17..... also lowers ride height a little.

Anyway - a lot more info than you asked for probably. I would go to caster/camber plates and camber bolts and make sure the fender wells are tucked and change the sway links and bushings then go from there.

good luck!

Hey, more info the better I always say. What's going back in is stock a-arms, sn95 ball joints, 94-95 spindles, 2.5 "sport rack", new eibach sway bar, eibach pro springs, steeda adjustable caster/camber plates, and 17" bullitts. I also have steering limiters if I need them.

Check for a steering rack that's been installed off-center. A quick check for that is visually very different amounts of thread engagement of the outer tie rods left to right onto the inner tie rod end stems. It's an absolute possibility if the splined connection at the rack's input shaft has ever been disturbed, by an idiot who shouldn't be touching things... ask me how I know... I still need to address exactly this that was done (and further boneheadedly compensated for with nearly full thread engagement on one and much less on the other tie rod end) with mine by some knucklehead sometime in the car's past.

I'll check it out as soon as I get it in the garage and in the air. Oh goody, I get to mess with that to.

Yea - I had an "alignment professional" turn away my 86 because he couldn't get camber dialed in without the springs hitting the struts. Best he could do was +1.

Well - my bad...... I didn't gift wrap the thing. I thought a professional would know about things like camber bolts and adjusting the spindle on the strut. Guess not! Severe lack of give a damn for sure.

I had something similar happen to my truck. Took it to 3 shops and only one could figure out what exactly was wrong with it, and one of the shops actually did the alignment with it all messed up and didn't say anything about the ball joints were bad and the steering linkage was messed up. So much for professionals.

Same here, EVERYTHING is learn-able, but it takes the mindset that I think is diminishing more rapid each day. When I was a kid, most everybody's Dad I knew did at least the basic maintenance on the family jalopy, and/or most especially on the "hot rod", if there was one... and I can't count how many times I watched my own father fix anything and everything, including making the absolute most out of what he had for the wheels under him. It saved countless household dollars in the past, and I think it's even more important now with the friggin' cost of things. It's all corporate think (appearances and sales take precedence over function and value for your dollar (marketing/advertising doesn't give a flip whether it's a pet rock, as long as it sells, not whether it works or not), and I refuse to take part in any of it as long as is possible. When I'm looked at like I have 3 heads at the parts place or wherever, I don't give a sh*t. WE have to navigate thru the nonsense that exists now. It's either that, or GET ur wallet out.

Amen!