Wheel/tire Fitment

Just got my Cobra a few weeks ago and the rear tires are rubbing pretty bad. The car came on some 17x10.5 SVE Cobra R wheels with Toyo Proxes R888Rs 315s. I can tell the car has definitely been lowered too, looks like cut springs to me and both the front and rear tires are cambered in quite a bit. Could anyone tell me what I should do to clear the rear tires? I've heard about grinding down some IRS bolts and possibly needing to run spacers and roll the fenders but I don't know enough about it.

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Where are they rubbing? I put low profile subframe bolts on mine, lowered on H&R race springs and I do not rub anywhere.

2003RedfireVert said:

Where are they rubbing? I put low profile subframe bolts on mine, lowered on H&R race springs and I do not rub anywhere.

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I'm not sure what they're rubbing on but it makes an awful noise, especially when turning. Seems to be more wear on the drivers side than the passengers side too.

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That negative camber was probably done to avoid rolling the fenders. I imagine the other side of those tires are beat to shit and might be seriously damaged. Start by getting a low profile IRS bolt and an alignment. Then check your clearances to determine what direction you need to go, smaller tire, rolled fenders or different springs.

Skitzerman said:

That negative camber was probably done to avoid rolling the fenders. I imagine the other side of those tires are beat to shit and might be seriously damaged. Start by getting a low profile IRS bolt and an alignment. Then check your clearances to determine what direction you need to go, smaller tire or rolled fenders.

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Thank you, I'll start there then.

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TerminatorCobraJP said:

Thank you, I'll start there then.

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I had that same tire/wheel setup and am lowered on coil-overs. Along with low profile bolts, you may have to massage the rear of the inner wheel well (see photo). My tires hit there occasionally. Every car is different. You should be able to see rub marks on the tire and maybe worn area where they are rubbing.

KBR said:

I had that same tire/wheel setup and am lowered on coil-overs. Along with low profile bolts, you may have to massage the rear of the inner wheel well (see photo). My tires hit there occasionally. Every car is different. You should be able to see rub marks on the tire and maybe worn area where they are rubbing. View attachment 1757540

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I can see my tires are also touching in that spot but mine are also touching in a few other places as well. Maybe once I get an alignment it'll only be rubbing in that spot. My low profile bolts are on the way right now although the tires aren't touching the stock bolts but I figured I'd just get the low profile ones anyways.

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So I took the Cobra to Goodyear to get an alignment done and they came out and told me they couldn't do it because the camber was "maxing out their machine." They told me I'd need to order a wedge kit for the front so they could try to align that and then they told me I could try to get spacers for the rear to stop the rubbing but they still wouldn't be able to align the rear. I'm not so sure what to do at this point, maybe swap out the cut springs for something aftermarket to see if that helps? Also, while the guy was explaining to me why they can't work on it he started to say "...and since the car comes with a solid rear axle..." I tried to tell him the car isn't a solid axle but has an IRS and he just didn't seem to believe me. If anyone has any advice I'd greatly appreciate it!

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Does the car have caster/camber plates up front?

Might be worth taking it somewhere else first before digging too much further since Goodyear doesn't seem to be able to tell what an IRS looks like compared to a solid axle. Are there any performance-oriented shops in your area that might do alignments? Goodyear's used to minivans and commuter mobiles so no surprise they're confused. haha

TerminatoRS said:

Does the car have caster/camber plates up front?

Might be worth taking it somewhere else first before digging too much further since Goodyear doesn't seem to be able to tell what an IRS looks like compared to a solid axle. Are there any performance-oriented shops in your area that might do alignments? Goodyear's used to minivans and commuter mobiles so no surprise they're confused. haha

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The car doesn't have caster/camber plates, previous owner just cut the stock springs and threw them back in there. I can't say I know of any places around me but I guess I could go to local FB groups and ask them. But yeah, Goodyear didn't even know what they were looking at so I probably shouldn't have them working on the car. And why would I need a wedge kit? I've never heard of someone putting a wedge kit on their Cobra.

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Some cc plates would provide some added adjustment to the front and help get it squared up. After a certain amount of lowering (maybe 1.5-2") the stock plates can only get kinda close. I don't even know what a "wedge kit" is to be honest so I agree that I've never heard of one being used on a Cobra. ha

As for the rear, tweaking the eccentric bolts, toe, & end links would hopefully correct most of the camber. It's kinda hard to tell how much camber we're talking about from that first pic. An IRS will inherently tuck the top of the wheels in (squat) when under load during hard acceleration. This becomes more evident as the insides of the rear tires wear faster than the outsides.

When a shop can't tell a difference or is too lazy to look and see if a car has a SRA or IRS, that means you need a new shop.

CC plates in the front will fix your problem. I have not heard of anyone lowering the rear and having alignment issues.

But yeah...step 1 - get a new shop.

2003RedfireVert said:

When a shop can't tell a difference or is too lazy to look and see if a car has a SRA or IRS, that means you need a new shop.

CC plates in the front will fix your problem. I have not heard of anyone lowering the rear and having alignment issues.

But yeah...step 1 - get a new shop.

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Yeah the rear has so much negative camber that the tires are rubbing really bad. I assumed it was because the car was on cut springs.

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TerminatorCobraJP said:

Yeah the rear has so much negative camber that the tires are rubbing really bad. I assumed it was because the car was on cut springs.

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Where is it rubbing? On the inside or on the fender/bumper area?

If it is rubbing on the inside of the tire, pull the rear wheels off. Look at the upper knuckle bolt. It has an offset washer welded onto the head of the bolt. This is the camber adjustment on the IRS. Loosen the nut 1 turn, do not remove it. Clock the bolt so the large part of the bolt/washer is towards the inside of the car. Hold the bolt in place and tighten up the nut real good. This is the best you can do to eliminate the wear on the inside of your tires. Being lowered, you might not ever be able to get it back to factory spec's.

This pic is from the web, aftermarket camber bolts but still shows what I am saying. Need to clock this bolt to adjust the camber.

FTBR offers more than stock camber adjustments... Your Cobra IRS Suspension Specia

Get some CC plates first. It'll make everything a lot easier. Second, find a performance shop. Either they'll be able to do the alignment or can recommend someone. The chain stores won't be able to deal with your car. The last time I took mine to a chain store I think the tech cried when he looked under my car. I ended up finding a shop that specializes in higher end cars. It's more expensive, but they know what they're doing.

Unless you're on a 3" drop the cut springs are fine. I ran cut springs in my 01 for about a decade with no issues.

01yellercobra said:

Get some CC plates first. It'll make everything a lot easier. Second, find a performance shop. Either they'll be able to do the alignment or can recommend someone. The chain stores won't be able to deal with your car. The last time I took mine to a chain store I think the tech cried when he looked under my car. I ended up finding a shop that specializes in higher end cars. It's more expensive, but they know what they're doing.

Unless you're on a 3" drop the cut springs are fine. I ran cut springs in my 01 for about a decade with no issues.

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I ended up learning to do it myself because techs either had no clue what they were looking at or doing. I also ran into issues just having CC plates. Some shops refused to touch the car and only one would align it to the specs I wanted. Not worth the headache.

Blkkbgt said:

I ended up learning to do it myself because techs either had no clue what they were looking at or doing. I also ran into issues just having CC plates. Some shops refused to touch the car and only one would align it to the specs I wanted. Not worth the headache.

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I've gotten it close on my own. I the kit I have is from Long Acre. Having the pro double check was worth the peace of mind. Plus they asked how I drive the car and how I want it set up.