New tires are rubbing on the upper control arms.
I have a 2019 Off-Road with a 6-foot bed and recently put on BF KO3 tires (285/75 r16). They’ve been on for about two weeks, but I’ve noticed they rub on the upper control arms when I turn the wheel all the way.
Is this something I should worry about? If so, what can I do to fix it?
Thanks in advance!
Your tires are too wide. 265/75r16 is the widest size that fits stock without rubbing. You can use spacers as a temporary fix, get wheels with a different offset (but those might rub the fenders on turns), or just go for the right-sized tires.
@Jamie
You could also try a lift high enough for those tires.
Nile said:
@Jamie
You could also try a lift high enough for those tires.
The problem here is more about width. Lifts don’t necessarily mean bigger tires will fit on an independent front suspension. There are good videos and guides about this topic.
@Ripley
That’s true, but if you combine a lift with more offset, you might solve both problems.
Nile said:
@Jamie
You could also try a lift high enough for those tires.
A lift alone won’t fix the issue here.
Nile said:
@Jamie
You could also try a lift high enough for those tires.
Check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33VewJFda1Q. Lifts on IFS don’t really add clearance for wider tires.
Nile said:
@Jamie
You could also try a lift high enough for those tires.
Going too high with a lift could end up causing other problems, though.
Try using a 0.5-inch wheel spacer. That might help.
Yep, the tires are too wide. I had no issues with rubbing when I used stock-sized BFG KM3s on my 2020 Off-Road model. They looked great and worked perfectly on rough bush roads.
Wheel spacers could stop the rubbing on the upper control arms, but they might cause rubbing on the fender, inner lining, or mud flaps. Check this thread for more info: 285/75R16 Wildpeaks Rubbing on UCA.
I used a 1/4-inch spacer for a while to deal with this problem. It wasn’t ideal, but it worked temporarily.
The widest tires you can use on stock suspension without cutting or melting anything are 265/75r16 or 265/70r17.
Haha, 280s are way too big!
I don’t steer at full lock often, so I’d just use them as is. I’d rather deal with some occasional rubbing than put extra stress on the front end with spacers. By the way, nice setup you’ve got!
If you decide to use spacers, go for good-quality ones. Cheap spacers can create bigger problems. Check out Bora spacers.
If it were me, I’d think, ‘Maybe thinner billet UCAs will help,’ and after realizing that didn’t work, I’d go for spacers next.
I had the same issue with my 2004 Pre-Runner. I tried a bunch of things, but in the end, a leveling kit and replacing the rear leaf springs fixed it. Spacers only made it worse for me.
You could try trimming a bit of the liner to stop the rubbing if spacers aren’t an option.
Shawn said:
You could try trimming a bit of the liner to stop the rubbing if spacers aren’t an option.
That could help, but keep in mind the real problem here is the width of the tires.
