Quick Wheel size/rubbing/backspacing question 3rd Gen 4Runner

cjfj80

Active Member
Location
Midway
I have a 97' 4Runner. 2.5" OME lift. It has 265/75R16's on it that rub when turning over any size bump.
Off road its pretty terrible rubbing. It does has an ARB bumper on it and no rubbing there, just on the pinch
weld against the cab. I didn't think 265's would give me any trouble.
The wheels have a 4.5" backspacing. A friend let me try some 1.25 spacers but it didn't change anything.
I've never used spacers and no nothing about what they are suppose to do besides ad width.

Is it the wheel offset that is causing the rub? What options do I have to remedy it?

Thanks for the help!
Attached is a pick of where the rubbing is happening. Its about .5" away just parked level.
 

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Spork

Tin Foil Hat Equipped
Just because I'm curious, what does your tire measure? most of my 265 tires are about 30"

are the bolts in your picture what's getting rubbed or just the pinch weld? I know I've heard of people pounding the pinch weld flat to one side to help with rubbing.

I was going to say a small lift but you already have a 2.5" OME? Have you swapped out control arms or anything? The geometry isn't making sense to me.
 

cjfj80

Active Member
Location
Midway
The tire measures 30.5"
Its just the pinch seam that it is rubbing on but is so close I wonder if it would rub even with the seam flattened.
I installed OME 882's on the front and there is a 3/16" shim on the top of the coil. From stock my before and after measurements came out to right around 2.5"
Control arms and everything else are still stock.
 
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Kevin B.

Big hippy
Moderator
Location
Vehicular limbo
The Wiferunner has the same lift (no spacer though), 265/75r16, and way more body cladding than yours. It rarely rubs offroad, I have to really stuff it in there to rub. They are stock wheels that are 16x7 - not sure on the backspace but I'm pretty sure it's less than 4.5"... I think what's happening is your higher backspace has pushed the wheel farther away from the steering axis, so farther out on the arc, and thus closer to the body seam when the steering wheel is turned. The wheel spacers you put on would have made that worse, FWIW.

If there's some room in the caster/camber adjustments to play around a little you could try pushing the whole wheel/spindle/etc to the front of the truck a little bit - as close as the tire is just sitting there, I wonder if that's the problem more than the backspace anyway. A skinnier tire might help, 235/80r16 is about the same size, but less width to rub on the body seam... short of that, I think you're looking at more lift or less backspace. Or adjustable control arms, I think they make those for the 3rd gen? Or just a bunch of hammering with the Four Pound Persuader.
 

cjfj80

Active Member
Location
Midway
Does the wheel dimensions play a part here? These are 16x10 with a 4.5" backspace and from what I can measure with the wheels on the truck still, a zero offset.
I'll get those spacers off and probably try and still persuade the body a little. I really don't want to lift higher. For what I do, this lift/tire size has been good, I'm just tired of the rubbing as soon as the road gets a little rough.
 

Agility Customs

Well-Known Member
Vendor
If you ran a wheel with more backspacing it would likely remedy the situation. The further the tire sticks out from the WMS the more it increases your scrub radius which in turn increases the amount the wheel and tire move forward or backwards while turning. So the further it sticks out the worse your going to rub.
 

Kevin B.

Big hippy
Moderator
Location
Vehicular limbo
A 10" wheel with 4.5 backspace means 5.5 between the WMS and the outside of the wheel. Stock 3rd gen is a 7" with a 4.5(ish) backspace, meaning 2.5 outside of the WMS. That three inch difference is a big reason for your rubbing for sure, and I must concur with the Distinguished Gentleman from Tooele, more backspace or a skinnier wheel is called for.

I do think you've got some room to play with the caster though. I'm sure our tires are not identical, but I'm running the same nominal size and I've got way more room at the back of the fender than you do...

20180613_103746[1].jpg
 
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