Winter rims hitting caliper?

[FuriousG]

I have the stock set of 16" Torqued Chrometechs normally and I recently purchased a set of 15" rims with snow tires from a member here. (Link the the sale thread) (http://www.grandamgt.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64046) I put them all on the car today but as soon as I pulled out of the driveway I noticed a thumping sound every time the wheels completed one full rotation. I narrowed it down to the front passenger's side but I'm not sure what is causing the noise. I tried swapping the tire with the rear passenger's side but the same noise occured. I know they will work on my car because he had them on his GAGT.

I thought that maybe I needed more air in the tires (they were around 25 PSI) so I threw the stock wheels back on the front and drove to the gas station without any problems. After inflating all the tires to about 32-35 PSI I tried swapping them out again. I only swapped one tire at a time to be sure I knew which wheel was making the noise. It was still there.

Now, I know there is very little clearance between the caliper and the rims but I can't find anything that looks like it may be hitting. The only possibility right now is the wheel weight on the inside of the rim could be hitting the inside portion of the caliper. I just had new brakes and rotors put on about a month ago (here's the set I got) (http://stores.channeladvisor.com/brakes/Items/Combo%20OE%20Pkg%20218?sck=3061685) so I'm wondering if maybe the shop that put them on could have not lined up the caliper quite right. I have noticed a slight squeaking from that side when I lightly press the brakes but I figured that would go away after a few months of driving. Is it possible that could be related?

Has anyone encountered a problem like this and does anyone have a suggestion on where to start? I want to get these rims on since the snow is coming soon. I plan to take a good look at the calipers tomorrow but if you guys know of something else I need to check then let me know.

[tenspeed]

You should be able to see where they are hitting. The metal will be cleaned and shiney. Maybe a hunk of tape or black marker over they parts you suspect will show where it's hitting.

[tenspeed]

I have the same wheels and tires. The wheels that you got look exactly like the ones I have.

I would have to suspect that it's the wheel weight even though the weight should be up on the inner lip far from the caliper. That's the only thing that could hit once a rotation. Maybe the weight is hitting on something else.

[FuriousG]

I have the same wheels and tires. The wheels that you got look exactly like the ones I have.

I would have to suspect that it's the wheel weight even though the weight should be up on the inner lip far from the caliper. That's the only thing that could hit once a rotation. Maybe the weight is hitting on something else.

That's what I'm figuring right now. I'll probably give the tape thing a try tomorrow. If it is the weight, then I'll take the tires in and get them rebalanced and see if they can do anything with it. I'm still thinking my caliper may be a little off though since the driver's side isn't hitting at all and it looks just as close as the passenger's side.

That is assuming, of course, that the claiper is what's getting hit...

[Malaclypse]

A bad hub could concievably cause this problem because it'd change the relation of the wheel/tire to the caliper and its bracket. You might check that out as well. Though I imagine a hub would have to be pretty far gone to cause such a change in angle of the wheel.

[ledfreak]

You should be good with the 15's. I'm with tenspeed on this, probably a wheel weight (if you've got stick on's).

If you're in/near Hanau hit me up at the commissary or PM first.

[FuriousG]

Well, tonight's the first chance I've had to look at this again. I found a tiny knick in the caliper where it looks like part of the rim itself is sticking out just enough to catch. Since the caliper has 6 ridges on it that appear to be for looks only I've filed them down. (I plan on painting them someday anyway and it's unlikely this part will show unless I buy bigger rims.) From the looks of it, I only need a few millimeters of space so the rims should fit now. After dinner, I'm going to put the wheel back on and see if the noise is gone. Wish me luck!

[FuriousG]

It worked! Winter rims are now ready to ride. Here's a picture of my caliper. Not too noticeable (at least not once it gets dirty...) and it won't affect the function at all.

http://home.comcast.net/~eyezauh8/PMOH/Caliper.jpg