Ruedy4

iTrader: (1)

Well I guess I should have done more research before I chewed up my brand new Nitto 555's....

Earlier this year I picked up some brand new Miro 111's (18x8.5 front and 18x9.5 rears) and wrapped them in Nitto 555 G2's and I could not be happier with the look.... Except the ride height. So I set out to fix that...

I have recently purchased and installed BMR lowering springs and paired them with KYB (non adjustable) shocks. I took the car out today for a cruise with the family and hit a decent sized bump (really not that big at all) and I ended up bottoming out to where the inner lip of my rear fenders starting chewing up the tires. Well apparently the bump was big enough to cause some pretty deep lacerations in my brand new tires... Which are no longer safe...(The rear tires are 285/40)

So needless to say I pissed and it ended a nice Saturday out with the wife and kid.
Now I'm reading a lot of bad things about the KYB's, so my questions are;

Would new bump stops have prevented this? The factory bump stops look old but intact.

Or is it that the KYB's are too soft?

What kinds of things should I have done to prevent this kind of thing from happening?

And lastly, what shocks would you guys recommend to go with the BMR springs?

Ride quality does not matter as much to me than it does to prevent this from happening again.

Thank you guys for the advice.

aappss01

I had this exact same problem with my 315's. I opted to go the cheaper route and install some bmr drag bags in the rear. Then I filled them up around 12 - 15 psi and I no longer bottom out and I get better traction with the drag bags installed also.

Ruedy4

iTrader: (1)

Interesting, didn't think of that yet. This car will sort of be Daily driver throughout the summer. You think drag bags will be alright/hold up right?

aappss01

They seem like they'll last for quite awhile honestly. They're really thick material and the quality seems great, I know a few people who run them and they haven't had any problems. As far as some shocks, koni or bilstein would be a nice upgrade all around.

JD_AMG

Lots of stuff at play here.
*The off set of the wheel can change this, tucking the wheel into the fender rather than hitting the fender.
*Going from a PHB setup to a watts link can change this, the PHB setup has the rear moving in an arc which can "push" the tire into the fender as you hit a bump.
*Rear bump stops not being tall enough can change this, adding taller bump stops will have the axle contact them before the tires contact the fender. -Drag bags work with the same idea, you basically limit the travel of the axle enough that the tires cannot make contact with the fender.
*Shocks will probably not help(maybe they will lessen the problem but it will still exist) although if you invest in good ones both ride and handling will improve. I would recommend bilstiens or Koni STR.T on the cheapest end, and Koni sports if you budget allows it for the best off the shelf non-custom shock. - you will not regret getting better shocks, the car will be much more enjoyable to drive.
*All things considered you should probably still roll your fenders, its easy and cheap to do. Buy a rolling kit with the roller and heat gun and spend a few hours messing with it.
Here is something you can do for free to test things.
Safely get the rear of the car on jack stands, axle hanging, remove the shocks and springs, then using a jack, lift the rear axle from the middle all the way until it makes contact with the rear bump stops and look where your tires make contact. That will tell you what you may need to modify to make no contact, whether it be roll the fender in that area or add a spacer to the bumpstop or get longer bumpstops or whatever you think.

Ruedy4

iTrader: (1)

Thank you. That's great advice. I appreciate it guys!

tech@WS6store

iTrader: (2)

Your issue is why we normally do not recommend the kyb. Bilstein are the best in that situation for a non adj. The Koni str adj work pretty good as well esp on lowered vehicles.
If you have any other questions please let me know!!

Ruedy4

iTrader: (1)

So if I changed the shocks and struts to Koni's, added some longer poly bump stops and some drag bags I could effectively prevent this from happening and still have my car lowered/have the look I want.

JD_AMG

I completely overlooked this assuming you had one but do you have an adjustable phb?

Don't just throw a bunch of parts at the car and hope for the best. I suggest shocks (we dont have struts) just for the simple fact the car will drive much better. I personally wouldn't do poly bump stops as they should be more harsh than rubber/foam stock ones. With long enough bumpstops it won't need drag bags.
Do the measuring i talked about in the previous post and see where the tires make contact first before doing anything. I still suggest rolling fenders too.

SparkyJJO

iTrader: (11)

This is probably the absolute most important thing to do. You need to know exactly what's going on so you can address it properly without throwing extra parts/$$$ at it.

chrysler kid

iTrader: (14)

What the heck are you guys talking about, he needs to roll the rear fenders.

Ruedy4

iTrader: (1)

[QUOTE=JD_AMG;19594657]I completely overlooked this assuming you had one but do you have an adjustable phb?

No I do not. Should I look into a single or double adjustable? I've been doing some reading on them and I figured that may be a must have supporting mod... can't afford a watts link right now.

soloman369

iTrader: (13)

I'm surprised no one has said anything about his tire size choice. I think 285 40s are a lil to big for the back lowered a 35 would be better.

SparkyJJO

iTrader: (11)

Rolling with only 285 width tires? Maybe, depending on the offset of the wheels he has, but they aren't that wide. I'd rather just adjust the PHB if that's all it would take instead of rolling the fenders and the inherent risks with doing that. Looking at where, what, and how much hits will tell the story very quickly and it would only take a few minutes to pop the springs out of there to check it out, doesn't take special tools, etc.

BMR Sales2

iTrader: (40)

Adjustable panhard bar and some good shocks will fix this from what I am reading. I steer people away from KYB's any chance I get, and this is one of a list of reasons why. I would get a set of the Koni Str.t shocks and call it a day and enjoy good ride quality. They pair really well with our spring rates

JD_AMG

Well theres a major problem right there.
Just get an on-car adjustable one.

tech@WS6store

iTrader: (2)

http://www.ws6project.com/user_stor/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=235_23_324&products_id=3305

As BMR mentioned...the str.t konis.

Corvett z07

iTrader: (2)

A lot of suggestions here, but I think JD and chrysler kid have it already set down for you. Would like to mention that in this situation, where you have your fender eating away at your tire, shocks really do not matter. Yes, a more stiff shock will help alleviate it to some degree, but no matter what, as soon as you run over another pothole or expansion joint, you are right back to square one. The suspension is designed to "bottom out", or hit the bump stops in cases like potholes, expansion joints, etc. I've been around the rear suspension of these cars a time or two. And shocks as well, from god knows how long blown Monroe Sensa-Tracs, KYG Gas-a-justs (felt much stiffer, at least in compression, than any shock I've had on my camaro), to Koni sports, and a couple in between. If I was a vendor, I'd like to sell you new shocks (and yes, Bilstein or Koni Str.t do pair for a better overall ride with your current springs) but it's not necessary by any means.

I'd check your bump stops first, you already said that they're intact though, so you can cross that off. As JD mentioned, an adjustable panhard bar is definitely the next thing to get. That leads me to my next question tho... Are you scraping on just one tire or both? If both, you've probably got aggressive offset rims and will need to roll your rear fenders. If you're scraping on just one, an adjustable panhard rod should help you. But by how bad you say your tires got cut, you may still have to roll your fenders anyhow.

A 285 shouldn't give you any problems, given that the rim offset and suspension is set up correctly. Hell my ricer has a 18x9.5 rim up front running a very aggressive offset and it rubs ever so slightly, nothing to be worried about at all tho.

Where in Ohio are you located btw? I'm just 15 minutes from the Ohio border in Indiana...

Ruedy4

iTrader: (1)

Thank you. I will do as soon as I have a little extra $$.
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Ruedy4

iTrader: (1)

Will be ordering soon. Thanks again.