This has been a thorn in the side of many CC Lancer owners, whether you drive a coupe or a sedan etc, there will come a time that when fitting some aftermarket wide wheels and tyres that they will scrub out on those damn rear bar tabs! :fuuuuu:
Yesterday I bit the bullet (have 2 weeks off work due to new baby :thumbsup
and thought I'd suss it out. I've read people cutting tabs off and using straps, bending them up and using tech screws, trying to bend the plastic but it breaks off etc, but I found a simple method that is strong and there's no need to hack anything up. It worked for me and thought I'd share it with you.
The attached pics tell the story, simple to do, just take your time. A word of warning though when using the heat gun... not too close! and not too hot! and try to get the tab under heat only, not the paintwork on your rear bar. Get the plastic just warm enough for it to start bending. I got it to a point where I'd heat then try bending with some old pliers, heat and try bending again. When it got hot enough to bend upward I keep it there until it solidified into place. It'll solidify in place in less than a minute so just keep the pliers on it. When it dries its strong!
After a bit of heat the tab isnt going to look the best but who cares, is under the guard and no one sees it! I accidentally warmed up my paint inside the bar a little then touched it with my thumb I slightly indented some paint on the bar but nothing noticeable unless you are laying on the ground looking upwards lol :lol: This method will also pull in the pointy bit of your bar by less than 5mm but its not as bad as it may look in the pics - again, who's laying down upside again to notice?
I re-used the OEM plastic clips, it just took a bit of fiddling around to get it in and the holes to line up (you could use plastic or metal clips, both will still fit in). Oh another warning, DO NOT go bending those things up completely vertical as the screw bolt will be too long and when you tighten it up fully you may find a nice point sticking out the side of your wheel arch that WILL be noticable from the outside. I checked this whilst tightening the bolt up and found it gets awefully close, but some guys might not be using the OEM screws and if you have something slightly longer piss it off as you dont want the tip of the bolt hitting your inner guard and forcing its way outward
That's about it. The results speak for themselves and the tabs are basically not visible anymore and out of the way of the tyre. Now you can take some passengers with you for a joy ride
Pics also in downloadable pdf document here: http://www.filefactory.com/file/ag353c5/n/Rear_tyres_scrubbing_pdf
Yesterday I bit the bullet (have 2 weeks off work due to new baby :thumbsup
and thought I'd suss it out. I've read people cutting tabs off and using straps, bending them up and using tech screws, trying to bend the plastic but it breaks off etc, but I found a simple method that is strong and there's no need to hack anything up. It worked for me and thought I'd share it with you.The attached pics tell the story, simple to do, just take your time. A word of warning though when using the heat gun... not too close! and not too hot! and try to get the tab under heat only, not the paintwork on your rear bar. Get the plastic just warm enough for it to start bending. I got it to a point where I'd heat then try bending with some old pliers, heat and try bending again. When it got hot enough to bend upward I keep it there until it solidified into place. It'll solidify in place in less than a minute so just keep the pliers on it. When it dries its strong!
After a bit of heat the tab isnt going to look the best but who cares, is under the guard and no one sees it! I accidentally warmed up my paint inside the bar a little then touched it with my thumb I slightly indented some paint on the bar but nothing noticeable unless you are laying on the ground looking upwards lol :lol: This method will also pull in the pointy bit of your bar by less than 5mm but its not as bad as it may look in the pics - again, who's laying down upside again to notice?
I re-used the OEM plastic clips, it just took a bit of fiddling around to get it in and the holes to line up (you could use plastic or metal clips, both will still fit in). Oh another warning, DO NOT go bending those things up completely vertical as the screw bolt will be too long and when you tighten it up fully you may find a nice point sticking out the side of your wheel arch that WILL be noticable from the outside. I checked this whilst tightening the bolt up and found it gets awefully close, but some guys might not be using the OEM screws and if you have something slightly longer piss it off as you dont want the tip of the bolt hitting your inner guard and forcing its way outward
That's about it. The results speak for themselves and the tabs are basically not visible anymore and out of the way of the tyre. Now you can take some passengers with you for a joy ride
Pics also in downloadable pdf document here: http://www.filefactory.com/file/ag353c5/n/Rear_tyres_scrubbing_pdf
