Hi all. I'm new to this forum. Wish I found it before I bought new wheels and tires.
I am the proud owner of a 2004 Astro Cargo 2WD van. It only has 33K on it and I'm the original owner. I needed new tires so I thought I'd get some cool wheels too. I wound up buying Black Rhino 17x9's with BFGoodrich Long Trail 235/60-17 tires. They look great. But I have a problem.
When I go into or out of a driveway, the front tires rub. I didn't know this would happen and nobody at Discount Tires mentioned this. They said the stuff would fit my van. Would a different suspension system fix this? What should I look for? I've been looking at air shocks with a remote control (Rancho RS9000XL) but don't know if they would fix this problem. And that would be a costly mistake. Do I need to raise the suspension?
Right now, the suspension sucks on my van. It did before I got new tires. I have to creep over railroad tracks and whatever. So I'm thinking new shocks would be a good investment.
3lb hammer and a grinder will fix the rub (take the tires off and attack the spots that rub) but the suspension will need to be up to par. I use gas shocks with a pair of rubbers in each spring. That works for me but heep in mind I run LT 235/65 15's on my van.
Se sure to check and replace every joint in the front ind that is worn because the larger tireswill put more stress on everything, ball joints, tie rod ends, idler arms and the control arm, check to see all are good and tight then grease every point you can find. Get the manual and find the others. Buy a grease gun and ramps or jackstands. I use ramps for this kind of maintenence as it's faster but you will need jackstands to do the diagnostics.
Also a point to keep in mind, your speedo and odometer will be off for the larger tires. Good luck! :driving:
Those tires should fit/work with no problem ,
first inspect the entire front end , preferably on a lift , to make sure nothing is overlooked .
You may need to tap out a place on inner wheel well to stop the rub ,
Yes a lift kit should eliminate the rub, first need to pinpoint exactly where the rub is to know what is needed to eliminate it
If you want a lift, sure, go for it but it is not needed. Either way you will want to get your suspension / steering to 100%, even more so if you do the lift. Stick with Moog parts unless you want to do it again next year. :thumbup:
Discount Tires exchanged the tires for Pirelli P4 225/60/17's, which eliminated the rub. They look a little small for the wheels but the manager swore to me that they'd be alright. I could've gone back to the original 16 wheels but I really like the new wheels. The van drives a little nicer now as well so MAYBE I made the right choice.
Now I'm looking into getting the suspension worked on. Still might get new shocks. Thanks.
all i mean is that the old vans seem to be able to run the largest tires. my van has a hard time with standard truck tires. yours seems to have an issue with the size tire you chose, ie: more momy vanish (ish). your van is 2004. the standard tire for these vans is mini van. they are rated for a less than half ton.... and you toaly ruined my pun. something that vanishes would be hard to see.... yea, i stayed up all night just for that :mrgreen:
Careful here. Those Rancho 9000s are not "air shocks" in the true sense.
Typical air shocks (Hi-Jackers etc) change their LENGTH with air pressure.
ie, pump 'em up, the shock gets longer (you get lift).
The RS9000s don't change their length with air pressure. They change their STIFFNESS.
More air increases the damping effect but it doesn't make the shock any longer. It's like
being able to "change shocks" from one stiffness to a higher (or lower) stiffness, all from
the remote (or from the manual dial on the shock). But the shock remains the same length
both min and max. No lift.
Lump
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