Tire rub- should I worry?

[TheRX7Project]

I blew out one of the tires on my Escort, on the 17" rims I have on it. They were running 205/40R17's. I picked up a used set of 205/50R17's figuring they'd fit.

Now, I'm getting a little rub action on the rear when I hit bumps or accelerate hard (well, hard for an Escort wagon with a 3-spd auto). I believe it's rubbing on the fender with the outside sidewall. I don't see any rub wear, but I don't want to be riding these tires and have one of them explode on me on the freeway since that's where my primary driving occours.

Should I worry about this, or should it be fine for a week until I get to the shop and pound the rear fenders out? I'm not going to buy another set of tires, they're just rubbing on the little "lip" on the inside edge of the fender, so I'm just going to beat those little lips in.

[letsrunem]

Have someone bounce down the car and see how bad it really rubs. You should be able to see if it's going to be a serious problem or not.

[Reverend Cooper]

are you really posting this as a question,if the tire is rubbing and you continue to drive the car and the tire blows out your dumb. sorry this is just a dumb question.

[nismodave]

are you really posting this as a question,if the tire is rubbing and you continue to drive the car and the tire blows out your dumb. sorry this is just a dumb question.

:rolf:rolf:rolf

[theavenger333]

are you really posting this as a question,if the tire is rubbing and you continue to drive the car and the tire blows out your dumb. sorry this is just a dumb question.

:punch::banana1::rolf

[SSLEVO]

Lol, that tire is 1.6" taller. The speedo will also be reading about 5 mph slow at 65 fyi.

[TheRX7Project]

It's not rubbing as bad as I thought. I put a piece of cardboard in over the tire and bounced the car up and down, and it didn't even "pinch" the cardboard. I can see where it's rubbing now, right on the letters on the sidewall. There's a minimal amount of rub wear, but not enough that I'm going to worry about it until I have time to fix it. It's not even wearing away the letters or anything.

BTW these tires are only on the back, the fronts are still 205/40 R17's so I'm not worried about inadvertantly speeding.

[shoooo32]

my only question is why is escort is rollin' 17s in the middle of winter? Get some 14" steelies and call it a day.

[Drivinhard]

roll the fender and you should be fine. Hopefully.

[TheRX7Project]

my only question is why is escort is rollin' 17s in the middle of winter? Get some 14" steelies and call it a day.

I was rolling the 14" steelies on sone shitty all-seasons. I tagged a curb on some ice and bent one of them, and had to put the summer shoes on.

And "rolling" the fender is the plan. By rolling I mean beating it out with a hammer.

[shoooo32]

I was rolling the 14" steelies on sone shitty all-seasons. I tagged a curb on some ice and bent one of them.

All good. If you don't tank slap a curb every once in a while your not having enough fun in the snow.:thumbsup

[TheRX7Project]

I'll admit, it was in a parking lot, and I was going "a little faster than I should've been". I forgot there was a curb there, and thought it was just a snowbank. As I approached said snowbank at a speed faster than which I had intended, I remembered... "wait, isn't there a curb right about..." WHAM!

[Reverend Cooper]

its not just the body bouncing up and down its also the tire being pushed up into the fender well. you cant simulate that just by pushing the body down,and its rubbing the sidewall the thinest non belted part of the tire,really i mean really your asking this and gonna keep driving it like that?

[TheRX7Project]

Yes.

[kornholio788]

You're an idiot then lol. I worked with tires for 2 years. For got sake just take a hammer and beat out the fender right now. If that doesn't stop the rubbing then get spacers or something. If not then I will wave to you as I pass you on the free way on the side of the road with a jack and a spare

[Voodoo Chick]

You really can't simulate what's actually happening as you drive. There's all sorts of things to consider, and any kind of rub/contact is NOT good for tires, car, or you. I don't think you are dumb, just a little too optimisitc, lol! Seriously, any contact that shouldn't be is no good.....it could lead to some bad situations, so I really think you ought to take care of it ASAP. Best luck to ya.

[Waver]

you really shouldnt have that kind of a problem though, stock tires on a escort gt is 195/65r15 so in theory if you are runing two rim sizes bigger and one size wider there shouldnt be a rub.....somthing tells me there is a bigger issue going on here, like broken rear springs, common problem on escorts

[TheRX7Project]

Yeah the rear springs are broken. I know that already.

And I got up early so I could go beat the fenders out.

Seriously though, even after 50mi of freeway driving (plus about 30mi of city driving) there's no wear from rubbing. It is only rubbing on the letters on the sidewall, so maybe .010 of rub, and only when I hit bumps...

Thank you all for your concern(?) but I'm going to fix it right now.

[TheRX7Project]

It's done. No more rub.

[Voodoo Chick]

Much happier car now?

[TheRX7Project]

No, because some sonofabitch took my goddamn mirror off today while I was asleep. It's hanging there like a limp ****.

[Voodoo Chick]

That sucks. Sorry to hear about it. Hope your week gets better soon!!