Coilovers strut clearance

[verobeach97]

There is not much clearance between my front wheel and strut seat (i have 235/35/19 on which is about 1" taller than OEM 17" spec). The seat sticks out above the wheel by about an inch. I'd assume coilover stut seat is lower for better shock travel. So a 25mm spacer to should make it work for clearance with a coilover, but seems pretty severe to me to space out the wheels that much. What's everyone's experience with fitting 35-40 offset wheels with front coilovers? It seems like it will be easier to go with stock stut and lower springs instead, but wanted the shock rate adjustability of a coilover system.

[StRaNgEdAyS]

Coilovers tend to be much narrower than the OEM spring set up.
I have coilovers on my E39 and I have plenty of room, with either my 16"x8" square set up or the 18" staggered wheels.
I think I'd get arch rubbing before I contact the springs.

Absinthe makes the tart grow fonder

[verobeach97]

thank you! after your post I searched and you're right, looks like coilover perches are much skinnier so that's great!. which coilovers are you running and how do you like them?

[TostitoBandito]

If you get coilovers with height adjusters and camber plates you can also play with ride height and camber to get your wheels to fit. Also, wheel spacers are an option if you've got plenty of room between the outside of the wheel and the fender lip but need strut clearance.

As far as wheel fitment, it looks like you have an E36? I don't have any experience running 18 or 19 inch wheels on mine, but I do know that the high offset wider-than-stock 17 inch wheels like I run require spacers up front in order to clear the strut. To give you an idea, on an E36 M3 you can run a 255/40-17 on a 17x9 ET42 wheel with -2.5 degrees of camber and a 12mm spacer without any clearance concerns. For comparison, stock tire and wheel is 225/45-17 on 17x7.5 ET41.

Anyways, your taller wheels will likely benefit from spacers (maybe only 5mm or so) and ride height adjustment at the very least. If you want to get a coilover set those tend to have better clearance as well, though it can vary by manufacturer.