So I decided to get 25mm spacers and installed them last night. Took a quick test drive and noticed that everytime I hit a bump, the rear passenger wheel would rub. What could cause that? Worn springs? Worn shocks? Don't have the slightest of clue about suspension work. I can fit two fingers between the fender and the tire on the driver side, but on the passenger side I can barely fit one. Should I just roll the fender and carry on, or is there anything to be done. It's just really annoying when I drive and hit a bump.

Car's at 140k, it's a coupe, and I don't know when was the last time the shocks were changed, but it looks like the previous owner dropped the car. Any inputs would be greatly appreciated!

First image is the driver side, second image is the passenger side.

 

Most likely rear shock is blown. Jack up the rear end (easy) and see how far out the shock(s) extend. Then compare to when compressed. Also visually inspect the bump stops/bushings for wear/tear. Replacing the rear shocks is an easy, 2 hour job taking your time.

 

So the rear passenger shock could be blown? And if I jack up the car and both tires are at the same level, but compressed the right side sits lower, that means the shock is worn? How about the spring, would that have anything to do with it as well?

 

It possibly could be the spring, but you have to do a visual inspection to be sure. The more likely culprit is the shock.

 

Shocks have nothing to do with your car sagging.... that would be the springs. All a shock does is absorb shock and make the car stable by not continuing to bounce after you've driven over a bump. 100% of the weight bearing load is handled by the spring.

Chances are the spring is really worn on that side or possibly even damaged/broken. Your wheel should be aligned so that it goes into the fenderwell anyways and not hit the actual fender. Do you have really wide wheels or rims with a nonstandard offset?

 

That is generally incorrect. It can be both. That's why I told him to do a visual inspection by lifting the rear and taking a look to see what's going on.

fyi he's running spacers.

 

Tell her to do some squats.

 

No it's not incorrect at all.... don't confuse shocks and springs with struts. Our cars have separate shocks and springs in the rear, not struts. It's not a coilover setup. You could take your shocks out completely and it wouldn't affect your ride height one bit (although you couldn't drive like that because of loose suspension components). If you take a correctly functioning shock absorber that is off of the vehicle, you can compress it with your body weight and it will very slowly return to the extended height over the course of about 10-15 seconds. You wouldn't be able to compress a strut with your hand pretty much at all because it's both a shock absorber and spring built into a single unit.

I completely missed the part where he said he had spacers...... Was recovering from a rough night out partying last night when I first posted here today... LOL. OP... you need to roll your fenders. Your suspension is probably fine but the tires need to be able to move up into the fenderwell past the outside edge of the fenders if you go over any sort of decent bumps.

 

Just did a quick visual inspection and couldnt really see anything. I'll probably have to take it to a shop. But to be honest i really dont trust any mechanic lol.

I was thinking about just rolling the fenders but its odd how its just the passenger side rear. If it was both sides in the rear then it would make sense. I also noticed that the passenger side was pushed out a little further than the driver side after the spacer's were installed. But im assuming thats because the that side is a little lower and thats causing it to push out a little further.

I removed the rear spacers and put my tires back and did a quick finger measurement and there was a difference about a fingers length between the driver and passenger. I could fit 3 fingers on the drivers side and only 2 on the passenger. Do you think an alignment would fix that? Also, would i need an alignment after installing the wheel spacers?

 

Wouldnt put my girl in the back seat now would i?

 

You said your passengers rear was sagging. Not saying she caused it, I merely thought she was the subject. Haha jk

 

Are you measuring the clearance on perfectly flat ground and with the same amount of tire pressure in the rear passenger and driver's side tires?

It's also possible that the weight distribution in the rear of the car is just a bit different from the drivers to passengers side. The fuel filler is on the passengers side, but I think the fuel tank is actually in the center of the car. I'm not sure if it's perfectly centered though or symmetrically shaped... if it's not, then that could be adding more weight to one side of the car. Aside from that, I know the jack and various tools in the trunk are located on that side (not too much weight to be had from those though). It would be interesting to see if the clearance changes at all the next time you go to get gas and the tank is down to the last 3 or 4 gallons.

You don't have a remote battery mount hooked up in your trunk or anything else really heavy back there that would cause that side to sag lower, do you?

I just went out and measured the clearance on my car's rear with stock rims and no spacers and it seems like it's pretty even on both sides about 1.8" each from the top of the tire at its highest point to the bottom of the fender directly above that point of the tire. I just measured it where the car sat though and it's dark out, so I don't know that it's perfectly flat from left to right where I have it at the moment. My driveway is also on a slight incline which means that some of the weight from the front could be impacting how the rear sits if the car is not balanced perfectly even in up front side-to-side weight from just behind the front axle (battery, etc).

 

^ are you serious? That is a LOT of over thinking. He has worn springs; that's all. OP if you want some coupe springs, I'll send them to you for shipping's costs.

 

I'm an engineer.. LOL.

 

I measured the clearance on flat ground and was still surprised to see atleast a fingers length difference. It's just enough to cause rubbing on the passenger side. I took them off for now I just don't know weather to go get a shop do it or try to get new suspension parts and see if that'll help. I driveway is on a slight incline as well but my garage isn't so I measured it there.

Seeing that you checked and your clearance was pretty even on both sides I wouldn't think all those factors you mentioned would have any significant effect. I'll probably just change the springs and maybe the shocks, get an alignment done and see from there.

If that doesn't help then I just won't run the spacers or probably run 25 with the fender rolled.