Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Suspension Help - Need improved susp for racing

I've been doing a driving school at NHIS each fall for the past few years. This year I upgraded to Kuhmo ECSTA 225/45R17 on OZ superleggeras. Problem is the track has two serious elevation/surface changes that cause the rear wheels to rub on the outside rear wheel well on both sides.

This was put a big damper on my activities for the day.

What suggestions do you guys have for fixing this problem? Estimate cost & complexity please, if you can. Thanks!

Are you planning to have your car retain eligibility for a particular class or category? If so, your options may be VERY limited by classification rules.

If not, ground controls are a maybe? Try a heavier sway bar or modify your fender. Plan to reinforce your rear subframe if you upgrade your rear sway bar.

I forgot to mention that everything else is stock right now.

This is purely recreational, so there are no class rules.

I've got an aussie bar ready to go on, but i need to find a competent welder to beef up the mounts.

I'm thinking that the sway bar, stiffer springs (which unfortunately lower the car), and ground controls to re-elevate so there is just enough room for compression without contact would be ideal..

Do this make sense? Suspension mods are new to me..

Your tires are not rubbing on the whole fender well, just the spot where the rear bumper meets the fender, pound that box o metal towards the fender and you are money.

PS aussie bar is amazing.

Yeah, there's a spot about 2-3 inches long right at the top of the rear-bumper/fender area. I pounded the sheetmetal with what few (and inappropriate!) tools I had at the track that day, but to no avail.

The tire was polishing the paint off the sheetmetal and wearing a grove in the plastic bumper. The bumper needs to be shimmed out 3/8-1/2" probably, and I guess the fender need to move outward too.

Anyone got a picture of a rolled fender? I didn't seem to be able to move the sheetmetal very far. What tools *should* I use for this?

Thanks!

TireRack (www.tirerack.com) rents out a fender-rolling tool. It connects to your wheel studs and has an articulating arm with what looks similar to a urethane skateboard wheel on the end of it. I know some Subaru guys that have used it and it works well. I would suggest heating up the paint with a heat gun to avoid cracking. The low tech way to do it is to wrap a baseball bat in electrical tape (to prevent damaging the paint) and use that. Both ways work, the tool is probably the better/safer choice, though.

Good luck.

- Trent