Wheels rubbing on side of wheel wells when turning

[Anthony Pewonski]

When I turn either way both front and/or back of tires rub on wheel well walls. Anyone have any suggestions, checked ride height and made sure tires are correct size?

2002 Beaver Patriot

[George H. Wall]

Mine does the same ONLY on sharp turns, which is at slow speeds. Don't worry about it!!  Henry

[Anthony Pewonski]

Thanks for the quick response, I will rest easier.

[Steve Huber]

Anthony,
Suggest you check the existing tire size. I'm pretty sure the 02 Patriot came with 275/70R22.5 tires.
Steve

[Anthony Pewonski]

Thanks, I did and that is the  size it has on it, air ride is ok could it be shocks?

[Keith Moffett Co-Admin]

We had the 98 Patriot.  With new tires they started rubbing as you mention and in short order rubbed through the wheel well. 
Ride height was part of the problem as it had been set to 9 1/2 inches instead of 10.  The ladder frame that supports the wheel wells was bent a bit but over the main problem was shocks.
The Bilstene shocks were weak and ultimately became very bad.  There is plenty of info available here about Koni's vs Bilstene.

[Joel Ashley]

Rubbing of wheel wells is not something I'd take lightly, Anthony;  coach damage of any kind should not be tolerable.  If nothing else it will affect resale value. 

10" distance between the airbag plates is a common ride height, and if rubbing occurred with no speed on and no bumps that bring shocks into play, I'd double check that distance and/or that I had the correct specs for it.

Joel

[Anthony Pewonski]

Thanks for the information, I am thinking through the problem very carefully.

[Larry Fritz]

I have this issue on my 98 Patriot 37'. I have always had some rubbing of the wheel well. Some years later I changed shocks from Biltstein to Koni. Cannot tell a stitch of difference on anything including the ride or anything else. I am on my third set of tires at 105K miles. My third set really is a problem. They really rub hard and happen to be Michelin. (Prior two were Goodyear and Toyo). In my annual inspection, I have been watching this issue for years. Finally, one of wheel wells rubbed virtually completely through. Wow! The problem is:  The air bag sits physically against the back of the wheel cover. So I fabricated some rectangular pieces of thin flat metal (about less than 1/16" thick) and mounted the metal plates on the tire side of the wheel well using the four existing bolts that hold the wheel well to some brackets. I now have all four surfaces on the front with metal plates. That solves the problem since now the tire rubs on the plate and not the wheel well material and no danger of ruining a air bag. And yes, I am aligned and using the right ride height.  So in conclusion, if you rub pretty badly watch the wear on the wheel well or you could destroy a air bag. It is a design problem period in my eyes!
Larry Fritz

[Anthony Pewonski]

Thanks for your help, seems like a lot of owners are having the same problem, I am going to have a friend who does metal work fix something up for me. I will post how it goes in a few months after some test trips, again thanks everyone.

[Anthony Pewonski]

Update on front wheels rubbing on wheel wells, after having 3 different shops look at and try to fix it looks like it is a design error. All specs are correct, coach is aligned and tires are correct and still having same problem.

I am looking for a full service shop in the Midwest  that can check it out for the last try and due some coach exterior and interior work does anyone have experience with one, any and all suggestions will be very helpful.

thanks

[Mike Shumack]

If the rubbing is between the tire and the frame - How about wheel spacers? http://www.motorsport-tech.com/810steel.html

I have 1" thick steel spacers on my 4x4 truck for clearance due to the oversize tires I run. You could talk with JR at Motorsports Technology (775-351-1000) or your tire guy and see if this is an option for you.

I don't know if they are available for Class As or not - I know many Class Cs use spacers.

[Anthony Pewonski]

Thanks for the tip I will check and post answer

[Gerald Farris]

Anthony,
Excess tire rubbing on the rear of the wheel housing for the front wheels was an issue with some of the SMC (Magnum chassis) built Patriots. If the Tire rubs on the front of the wheel housing, the wheel housing can be moved, but since the air bag is directly behind the rear of the wheel housing, excessive rubbing is difficult to correct. On some of the early Patriot coaches with a Magnum chassis, tire size needed to be increased because of overloading, and on those coaches, SMC printed out detailed instructions on how to move the front axle forward enough to clear the larger tires to prevent air bag damage.

Gerald

[Stan Simpson]

Update on front wheels rubbing on wheel wells, after having 3 different shops look at and try to fix it looks like it is a design error. All specs are correct, coach is aligned and tires are correct and still having same problem.

I am looking for a full service shop in the Midwest  that can check it out for the last try and due some coach exterior and interior work does anyone have experience with one, any and all suggestions will be very helpful.

thanks

Anthony,
I have used Budget Truck & Auto in Janesville, WI. They are a body and mechanical shop that does work on MCI tour buses, motor homes, and heavy duty trucks. They have an alignment shop and a lift for coaches. They also have a certified Aqua Hot guy, Jim Butler. My contact there is Alex Stowe. 608-756-0861.