Well that sucks.

About two weeks ago I went from stock steelies and tires to BFG Rugged Terrains (NOT Rugged Trails) size 265/70/17. From what I understood and was told, that these tires would fit fine with no rub.

Well, I got rub. Rubs both on the front of the wheel well and on the flaps. I removed the flaps but it still rubbed just a tad at full crank.

I don't want to cut both front and back of wheel wells so the next thing is to go down in size to 265/65. Had the guy check for recommended size in the computer and yep! It's supposed to be 265/65 not 70.

Kills me to think that for some reason a lot of you can fit that size but for some reason I still touch rubber.

Just a heads up on these tires and on a 2010 4x4 with stock height.

 

What's the specs on the wheels? Sounds like they either have too little backspacing, (<4.5") or are a little too wide (9" or more)

 

17x9 4.5 bs

 

I've heard of people rubbing with 9" wide wheels before, where the wheels stick out far enough that the outside of the tire rubs.

Is it the outside edge of the tire that's hitting the plastic?

 

The outside edge when I turn it full crank.

 

Yeah with the 9" wide wheels some people do rub at full lock with no lift. That, in addition to the fact that many 265s are not approved for use on 9" wide wheels, is why I usually try to steer folks away from that combo.

Fwiw though it seems to be hit or miss. I know many people do not have a problem with this setup, including myself (although I have 5.4" bs so my wheels sit in quite a bit further).

How much plastic would you need to trim to alleviate the problem?

 

Probably about three inches up on the front and about two inches on the back. Do you think going down in tire size would help? From 70 to 65? It barely touches. It's not like if I go full crank I'll tear up plastic, it just rubs a little. I put black tape on the spot to see where it's actually rubbing and it rubs light enough to scuff the tape but not tear through it.

I could be wrong but in searching I thought those tires were one of the few that were safe to use on 9 inch wheels.

 

I think you'll have a hard time finding tires in that size that are approved for 9" wide rims.

9" rims are really more for 285+ section widths.

Unfortunately the rims are the problem here not the tires.

 

I'm glad that you searched to make sure the ones you selected were approved. Most people don't do that

But that doesn't mean they will fit without rubbing. The wider wheel stretches the tire out and makes it have a wider turning arc.

Would you consider doing a ~1" lift up front? I think that's a far easier solution than returning wheels or tires.

 

But then I'd have to dish out more money....

 

Could try some 1/2" top plate spacers for $25 at toytec.

 

KPT thanks for the suggestions and for your help. Thinking again about the nine inch wheels got me a little insecure so I just went again to BFG's website for those tires and under options avail it says the tires are approved for 7"-9" rims. http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/tire...R16+T1/OE/BNW/rugged-terrain-t-a/tire-details

Called the tire guy and he said that he asked the veteran guys there if they've seen an improvement on rub by going down in sidewall height and they said it should work, we are looking at about a half inch in difference (which should be enough for clearance, as I visually see). Cross your fingers, lets hope that it's going to be okay.

 

It sounds like you've made your decision- but what is wrong with trimming the plastic away??

 

I'd run it. In 5K miles, it might not rub at all.

 

Do you have a pic of the new tires and wheels? I think after a few miles the corners of tires should wear down a bit.

 

Alrighty keep us updated.

 

if it's barely rubbing your tape test, i say leave it as is and don't downsize. in 6 months, you're going to add some kind of lift(given you hang around TW enough) and you're going to regret downsizing.

as KPT recommend, you can add a 1" spacer lift up front. it's pretty cheap and you can level out the truck.

 

I really don't want to cut the car quite yet. It's still new to me, I've got 4,400 miles on it.

I was thinking that too but currently I can't even park the truck without hearing the sound.

Ignore the thumbs up. This is when the truck was brought to me with the wheels on as a surprise. I was saving up and didn't quite have enough when my husband went ahead and had it done. Please note that the mud flaps have been removed.

Will do!

I don't think I'll be doing a lift any time soon so for now I'm hoping I don't regret anything.

If this doesnt work, I'll have to consider the 1" spacer.

 

why does the truck look so low? or is it just me?

 

I see what you mean. The wheel well looks too "full" for that tire. Maybe something else has been done to the truck.

Nice Red!