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-   -   Fiat Palio Stile 1.6 - Fender eating the tyre (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-alloy-wheel-section/78997-fiat-palio-stile-1-6-fender-eating-tyre.html)

Classic case of the Fence eating the crop.

I shod my Palio with Michelin Energy + 185/70/R14 tyres a week ago. Took it for to my native. While going to Ooty, it was just me, my wife & my 4 month old kid along with loads of luggage. The car drove like a dream, just gliding over the good and bad roads alike.

On the way back we were 4 adults and little luggage. We were doing speeds of 100 - 120 when we hit a dip on the road. It was not a pot hole. The road itself was like a smooth trough. Something like this ==\____/==. When the vehicle went down and came back up we heard some scrapping noise and pulled over immediately. We noticed that the fender skirting for some reason had bulged out and it was hitting the tyre (rear left wheel). The brand new tyre was cut and in some places chipped. Wonder why the fender bulged out? I "hammered" the skirting back into place and we started driving again.

We hit a trough once again and history repeated itself. This happened nearly 4 times.

Have put some pics. Will report this to fiat and see whats the reason for the fender skirting to bulge out.

185/70 R14 is a wrong upsize like i mentioned in your garage (deleted??) and PM.
Ideal size in a 1.6 is 185/60 R14 & 185/65 R14 & 195/60 R14.

So it is not suiting you?? get them changed - best of luck :)

It's your tyre choice which is the problem.

The tyres are good. Gives me an added lift which has helped me cruise over some real nasty roads in my native.

You are missing the point. Why is the fender skirting coming out ? Is there something wrong with the body ??

But the main point is - wrong upsize - the wheel well has limitation of accomodating a particular sized tyre.

Body is absolutely ok. The Tyre size is wrong. Get them changed and i guess you will get a higher exchange value.

else - you can downsize from 14 to 13 incher alloys in 98 PCD and continue using the current tyres - which, IMO, is not a good idea.

the current tyres will show incorrect Odometer and speed readings.

While your upsize is above the recommended limits, it seems that apart from moving vertically, the tyre is also moving horizontally while going through potholes and depressions. So perhaps something is wrong with the suspension, especially if the other side tyre is not scraping the fender. Get a suspension check up done.

How can he use the current tyres when he downsizes the rim from 14" to 13"?

The fender skirting coming out is not on its own but because it is being hit by the tyres. There should be enough space between the tyre and the fender for the tyre to move freely, so it's the tyre size, 185/70 R14 , the culprit.

Due to increased sidewall height, gap between tyre & fender has reduced. Hence, tyre is touching fender when car goes over varying road level.

Assuming that tyre size earlier was 175/65R14, let's look at sidewall height earlier & now.

175/65R14 --> 113.75 mm
185/70R14 --> 129.5 mm

Had upsize been 185/60R14, it would have been 111mm which is close stock tyre.

Ooops! my bad - thanks for the correction. that very moment i was thinking of 185/70 R13 tyres. My mistake.

Sorry.

+1. When you get out of the the dips in the road, the momentum would have completely compressed the suspension. From the pics it is obvious that any steering movement at this point would have caused the tires to hit the fender resulting in those bulges.

Change the tire ASAP - they may not even be safe after being cut and chipped so badly.

rainmaker

i have faced the similar problem with my s10.

i had the fender projection (of .5 inch) flattened towards the inside for the entire area on both sides no issues after that.

i have 205 60r14 yokohamas on.

bbops

Like everybody else here has said..its the wrong upsize mate...!. No use in complaining to FIAT on the issue, the fault is yours to begin with. The fender has bulged due to a little flex from the speed at which you hit the trough and with the added load in the car. Metal does flex a little as you would know and the tyre has carved that portion out.

I use 185/65 R14 Bridgestone Potenza GIII, upsized from the stock horrible Goodyears GPS2 175/65 R14, and there are absolutely no issues, Luggage and 5 people up on any kind of roads. Its good for bad roads, better sidewalls etc, makes the car look butch but somehow I think I will stick to the 175/65 R14 s when they are due for a change. The car looks sleeker with them. Personally , I would nt recommend spacers and stuff cos it tends to create other issues within the system.

Filling up your wheel arches just for the heck of it or for cosmetic reasons is not the way to go. Check the Tyre upsize chart here or on the PUG archives.

Remember, The wrong upsize can ruin your riding experience and change those cut tyres fast else u can have a burst at high speeds and u may end up in someones backyard uninvited for Lunch...! ...Now nobody wants that....!!!!

cheers.

Taking advice of ownership experiences, I shod the Palio Stile 1.6 with Yokohama A Drive 185/65/R14.

Got a very good deal from Sai Iyengar.

Original Price Paid = 5 x 3800 (Michelin) = 19000 (including balancing & alignment)

Cost of Yokohama = 5 x 3400 = 17000 (including balancing & alignment)

Buy back Michelin (1200 kms used) = 3 x 3400 (used) + 1 x 3800 (unused - spare) = 14000.

Paid = 3000 & got the Michelin chipped tyre back (didnt give it - will be used on the terrace top for seating purposes !!!!)

Vivek

wish you all the best :)

how about pics of the car with new tyres?

I was just wondering if the fender would have got damaged if:

1. the driving had been sedate, or
2. load were less, or
3. the rear suspension were raised using spacers

185/70 does offer the advantage of good cushioning over 185/65.

@Rainmaker: was your spare wheel 185/70 too? Did it fit in the spare tyre cavity in the boot?