Rolling fenders???

[jmciver]

OK, I'm feeling a bit ignorant here but I will ask the question anyway. I want to put 18" wheels on my car and want to put the widest wheel/tire combo on the back that can fit with the stock suspension height. I have been told that using an 18x8.5" rim with 255/35 18's will fit without rubbing or rolling the fenders. But my question is, what exactly is rolling the fender? I have seen pictures of BMW's with larger fender flares, is that the same thing? Also, will the above wheel/tire size actually fit on the rear? As far as the front goes, I am considering using 225/40 18's. Again, any problems with that fit (still using an 18x8.5 rim). I got the tire fit data from Tire Rack and Bav Auto. Both are pretty reputable places, but I still feel a bit wary about the rears. What do you guys think?

[Preppy]

Hm, 18's w/ stock suspension eh? It's gonna look kinda SUV like truthfully.

As for fender rolling, you can go to your local tire distributor and they should have the tools for it or when you buy from tirerack.com they'll rent out their fender roller to ya if you need it.

Hope this helps, I asked this about month ago, but since then I ended up with 17x8 wheels so I didn't need to do it. Find me if you need anything.

[V Shah]

I have 18x8.5 with 225/40/18s in the front and 18x9.5 with 255/35/18s in the rear. I am also on stock suspension. I had to get my fenders rolled, but not severely.

As far as the rolling itself, you cannot tell from the outside of the car that the fenders have been rolled. If you feel the inner lip of your fender, you will find a section that is protruding towards the wheel/tire. Rolling the fender only flattens this section out, giving the tire more travel room.

[jmciver]

Thanks for the help. V Shah, did you have to roll both the front and rear or just the rears? Also, what would I expect to pay for rolling the fenders?

[V Shah]

I only had to roll the rears. Expect to pay anywhere from 75-100 a fender.

[jmciver]

What brand of tires did you put on your car? I have only found a few manufacturers that make tires in both sizes for the car (front and back).

[V Shah]

I'm running Kumho Ecstas.

[Mode]

Originally posted by V Shah
I have 18x8.5 with 225/40/18s in the front and 18x9.5 with 255/35/18s in the rear. I am also on stock suspension. I had to get my fenders rolled, but not severely.

What's up, Vishal? That's my setup as well. Had to roll the rears at $50 / corner.

[jmciver]

When you guys got your fenders rolled, how did the shop do it and did you have a problem with paint chipping? Also, does the fender look any different from the outside if you look directly at it or can you only see a difference if you look under the fender where the lip is located?

[Preppy]

Remember they don't roll the metal part of the fender, they roll the plastic (?) part behind the fender so that it'll give the tire more room to move around......

So the actual body work does not get affected, it's the part underneath/inside the wheel well...

Correct me if I'm wrong somebody, this is what someone told me, oh wait sec.....crud, V Shah, you already told him this huh? Stupid me, can't take credit, V Shah said it first :

[V Shah]

Hehe, that's OK, you postwhore

btw, jmciver, I had no problem with paint chipping when they did my fenders, and they didn't even have to heat the paint.

[RicN]

make sure you go to a reputable place to roll the fenders. my friend installed 265/18 in the rear and his rear fender was terribly rolled. it looks like it had a dent or something. If there was a clearance issue I would get the car to a high end
body shop for fender rolling.Some shops even have special machines that attach to the hub of the car to roll the fender, so it's uniform all the way
around the lip.Any good shop should be able to do this work without harming the paint.

[jmciver]

Thanks for the heads up......I guess I will be looking for a body shop now...

[V Shah]

Yah, I would recommend any place that has the tool bimmerpower said. This is what the tool looks like:

[jmciver]

Yeah, that looks considerably better than a baseball bat that I heard some shops use.....

[Kenshiro]

Does tirerack still lend that out for the cost of shipping?

[V Shah]

Yeah they do, but unfortunately, the tool is on a 4 month wait list

[Preppy]

Originally posted by V Shah
Yeah they do, but unfortunately, the tool is on a 4 month wait list

Crimony! I think I'd rather spend the extra bucks and go find a reputable body shop :

[Kenshiro]

Finding a reputable body shop is no mean feat...

I've been looking for estimates to install those flares I'm considering, and prices vary from $500 to $3000 including fiberglass work, sanding, priming, and painting.

Who the hell knows which shops are good and which aren't

[Preppy]

Yeah that is true, but I tend to ask around and ask dealerships which guys they recommend, I dunno.......

Money also plays a BIG part of it too

[Kenshiro]

Well that'd require that there was a dealership around here I *trusted*

[325iGuy]

so lemme get this straight.. if i get 18's w/stock suspension.. i have to do what now?

[Kenshiro]

Depends how wide the 18's are

[325iGuy]

im getting the 225/40/18's.. whats the widest i could get without doing any modification cept for lowering it?

[Kenshiro]

My bud Marc's M3 (stock suspension) runs 235/35-18 on an 18x8.5 wheel