Sponsored by The Tire Rack

[VMRWheels]

Stretched tires and pulled fenders certainly are not for everyone. I don't mind when it's done correctly.

[Turbo Tinkerer]

I love the stretch, hate the pull. In a place like Canada where you have to switch to winter tires the pull just looks ridiculous when you put the smaller winter wheels on.

[VMRWheels]

Just throw on some spacers to make them more flush with the fenders.

[robc1976]

I trimmed mine and love it...I trimmed then so they are 2-3 MM thick total...but I have VERY wide tires (295's with 10MM spacer).

[e92Driven]

Originally Posted by robc1976

I trimmed mine and love it...I trimmed then so they are 2-3 MM thick total...but I have VERY wide tires (295's with 10MM spacer).

Hey Rob, came across this old post and was wondering if you had pics of your fender setup? I am running a 20"x10.5" wide 295/25/20 Vossen rear setup (probably M3 offset) on my e92, and the rear fender lip comes down on the tire sidewall, closer to the front half of the fender, when hitting big bumps or going up curbs. My fronts are 20x9, 245/30/20 and seem ok unless I hit major dips/bumps. This is on Stock Sport Suspension, want coilovers but going lower almost seems out of the question right now.

I am debating whether to try fender pulling, or shaving the rear. The lips are already rolled, which reduces some of the tire damage, but I'm definitely putting major added stress on the drivetrain when the fender hits the tires and burns rubber off at 80 mph. Thanks for your help in advance.

Matt

[oneup335]

Originally Posted by e92Driven

Hey Rob, came across this old post and was wondering if you had pics of your fender setup? I am running a 20"x10.5" wide 295/25/20 Vossen rear setup (probably M3 offset) on my e92, and the rear fender lip comes down on the tire sidewall, closer to the front half of the fender, when hitting big bumps or going up curbs. My fronts are 20x9, 245/30/20 and seem ok unless I hit major dips/bumps. This is on Stock Sport Suspension, want coilovers but going lower almost seems out of the question right now.

I am debating whether to try fender pulling, or shaving the rear. The lips are already rolled, which reduces some of the tire damage, but I'm definitely putting major added stress on the drivetrain when the fender hits the tires and burns rubber off at 80 mph. Thanks for your help in advance.

Matt

don't pull just shave it. Pulling will make your fenders look weird and it won't line up with the rear bumper.

[shadow191]

Where is it hitting on the tire? How much more clearance you need sort of tells you whether you need to pull or cut. Cutting the fender only buys you a few mm more than a roll. If your fender is rolled as far as it goes, you can't cut much more out without risking the metal splitting from the inner portion. They may be able to roll a little more without getting to a really obvious pull. I ended up pulling my fenders maybe 5mm or so and it's not noticeable, basically rolled flat and then kept going a tiny bit more. I'm running 295/25/20 tires, but probably not as aggressive an offset as you.

Maybe downsize the tires? You could run 285 or even 275 tires. It would be a better option than pulling. If you're at stock height, pulled fenders would look weird. It only really works on a slammed car since an aggressive pull changes the body lines of the car.

[robc1976]

Originally Posted by e92Driven

Hey Rob, came across this old post and was wondering if you had pics of your fender setup? I am running a 20"x10.5" wide 295/25/20 Vossen rear setup (probably M3 offset) on my e92, and the rear fender lip comes down on the tire sidewall, closer to the front half of the fender, when hitting big bumps or going up curbs. My fronts are 20x9, 245/30/20 and seem ok unless I hit major dips/bumps. This is on Stock Sport Suspension, want coilovers but going lower almost seems out of the question right now.

I am debating whether to try fender pulling, or shaving the rear. The lips are already rolled, which reduces some of the tire damage, but I'm definitely putting major added stress on the drivetrain when the fender hits the tires and burns rubber off at 80 mph. Thanks for your help in advance.

Matt

shave

My setup with 20's (concept one) abd current set up (mystic black MORR VS8.2).

[Deebo]

Hands down, shaving or trimming is the way to go. Especially cutting the metal out of the area where the fender meets the bumper.

[bmw325i]

Originally Posted by Deebo

Hands down, shaving or trimming is the way to go. Especially cutting the metal out of the area where the fender meets the bumper.

+1 rolling was a waste of time. This is what I used, perfect tool for the job.

http://m.harborfreight.com/1-2-half-...not%20provided

[e92Driven]

Originally Posted by shadow191

Where is it hitting on the tire? How much more clearance you need sort of tells you whether you need to pull or cut. Cutting the fender only buys you a few mm more than a roll. If your fender is rolled as far as it goes, you can't cut much more out without risking the metal splitting from the inner portion. They may be able to roll a little more without getting to a really obvious pull. I ended up pulling my fenders maybe 5mm or so and it's not noticeable, basically rolled flat and then kept going a tiny bit more. I'm running 295/25/20 tires, but probably not as aggressive an offset as you.

Maybe downsize the tires? You could run 285 or even 275 tires. It would be a better option than pulling. If you're at stock height, pulled fenders would look weird. It only really works on a slammed car since an aggressive pull changes the body lines of the car.

I will try to take some pics and post within the next week. I do have a gently used Nitto Invo 285/25/20 tire that I recently picked up for a great price. Going to have it mounted on one of the rear wheels to see how much of a difference it makes compared to the 295. I imagine stretching a 275 or even a 265 tire would get me where I need to be, but I'd prefer to avoid that if at all possible. Maybe the 285 and a very slight fender pull would do the trick. I don't think shaving will be enough. Thanks all for the replies & advice.
-Matt

[e92Driven]

Originally Posted by robc1976

shave

My setup with 20's (concept one) abd current set up (mystic black MORR VS8.2).

Any pics of the side to show where your fender meets the tire and how much clearance you have with the car lowered? My setup looks very similar from the back. It appears you had the same Nitto Invo tires too.

Thx

[bigbootysuperduty]

Just putting this out there. Using a bat is the old school method of rolling the fenders. That's what was used before the "proper" tool was invented. There is always more than one way to do a job right. If you have the skills, and knowledge, but not the "proper" tools to do something you improvise. I read lots of great advise, and some not so great advise on here. I have used a bat to roll fenders on many of my projects. If done properly a bat is a great way to go. But like anything else, if your an armchair mechanic, try at your own risk. It's worked for me and many others.

[b-man]

Originally Posted by Deebo

Hands down, shaving or trimming is the way to go. Especially cutting the metal out of the area where the fender meets the bumper.

What part of the metal are you cutting? Do you mean the part that holds the bolt?

[shadow191]

Got your PM, forgot to reply so I'll just do it here. These are the only pics where you can see the fender is pulled out a tiny bit. Basically it's not flat anymore. And they were before a 5mm spacer went on.





If you didn't know the fender there was normally flat, you can't tell it's pulled. Wasn't my original intention to pull them, but it's where I ended up for clearance. I had 285/25/20 Nitto Invo's (they run small) and the fenders were rolled already, no rubbing at all. So I decided to go to 295/25 tires since I needed new ones. I knew clearance was tight so I put on 5mm spacers to see if it would rub. It did so I rolled the fenders some more (I have an Eastwood roller). That fixed the problem, so I swapped out to Hankook V12's in 295/25. It rubbed so much I was afraid it would damage the fenders just on the 1 mile drive home. So I got the roller out and kept rolling a little more and measuring clearance. By the time it stopped rubbing, the fenders had that tiny pull.

It still rubs some with the 5mm spacers, but only over big dips. Honestly, if you've already got the tires, maybe try downsizing to those Nitto's. They are one of the smaller sized tires and may fix the problem.

The ride height is 24" fender to ground right now. It's on KW V3's, but obviously not slammed or anything. I mostly drive in the city, so lots of potholes and metal plates to deal with. I considered going lower, but don't want to worry about losing my front lip or bumper. I can deal with scraping, but need a little clearance.

Originally Posted by e92Driven

I will try to take some pics and post within the next week. I do have a gently used Nitto Invo 285/25/20 tire that I recently picked up for a great price. Going to have it mounted on one of the rear wheels to see how much of a difference it makes compared to the 295. I imagine stretching a 275 or even a 265 tire would get me where I need to be, but I'd prefer to avoid that if at all possible. Maybe the 285 and a very slight fender pull would do the trick. I don't think shaving will be enough. Thanks all for the replies & advice.
-Matt

[e92Driven]

Originally Posted by shadow191

Got your PM, forgot to reply so I'll just do it here. These are the only pics where you can see the fender is pulled out a tiny bit. Basically it's not flat anymore. And they were before a 5mm spacer went on.





If you didn't know the fender there was normally flat, you can't tell it's pulled. Wasn't my original intention to pull them, but it's where I ended up for clearance. I had 285/25/20 Nitto Invo's (they run small) and the fenders were rolled already, no rubbing at all. So I decided to go to 295/25 tires since I needed new ones. I knew clearance was tight so I put on 5mm spacers to see if it would rub. It did so I rolled the fenders some more (I have an Eastwood roller). That fixed the problem, so I swapped out to Hankook V12's in 295/25. It rubbed so much I was afraid it would damage the fenders just on the 1 mile drive home. So I got the roller out and kept rolling a little more and measuring clearance. By the time it stopped rubbing, the fenders had that tiny pull.

It still rubs some with the 5mm spacers, but only over big dips. Honestly, if you've already got the tires, maybe try downsizing to those Nitto's. They are one of the smaller sized tires and may fix the problem.

The ride height is 24" fender to ground right now. It's on KW V3's, but obviously not slammed or anything. I mostly drive in the city, so lots of potholes and metal plates to deal with. I considered going lower, but don't want to worry about losing my front lip or bumper. I can deal with scraping, but need a little clearance.

Good shit, thanks man! This is exactly what I was looking for. Appreciate the detailed explanation and pics. I can definitely see where it was pulled, but it's subtle enough that it doesn't completely ruin the look of the fender or the original body lines. You've got quite a bit more clearance than I do around your sidewall, so I think I may buy the Roller Tool and give this a shot if the 285 tire doesn't fix it.

In the pics those are the 295s on a 20x10.5 wheel w/ 5mm spacer correct?

[shadow191]

That was actually before the spacer, but 5mm doesn't make a huge difference. I put the spacer on because I saw how much clearance there was. But the tires in that pic are 295 Hankook V12's. They were a good deal wider than the 285 Nitto's.

Originally Posted by e92Driven

Good shit, thanks man! This is exactly what I was looking for. Appreciate the detailed explanation and pics. I can definitely see where it was pulled, but it's subtle enough that it doesn't completely ruin the look of the fender or the original body lines. You've got quite a bit more clearance than I do around your sidewall, so I think I may buy the Roller Tool and give this a shot if the 285 tire doesn't fix it.

In the pics those are the 295s on a 20x10.5 wheel w/ 5mm spacer correct?

[Cali 335]

Originally Posted by bmw325i

+1 rolling was a waste of time. This is what I used, perfect tool for the job.

http://m.harborfreight.com/1-2-half-...not%20provided

This tool can shave metal ? It is the rough grit sand paper? I can see how the sand paper could shave metal pretty well at high speeds, but the rear fenders walls look pretty thigh. Or is it? I considering buying this and shaving it myself instead of Going the shop which will cost me 7x the price.

Any tips? i had my fenders rolled but it was a waste of money. The shop said rolling more may damage the fenders on the outside.

[b-man]

Originally Posted by Cali 335

This tool can shave metal ? It is the rough grit sand paper? I can see how the sand paper could shave metal pretty well at high speeds, but the rear fenders walls look pretty thigh. Or is it? I considering buying this and shaving it myself instead of Going the shop which will cost me 7x the price.

Any tips? i had my fenders rolled but it was a waste of money. The shop said rolling more may damage the fenders on the outside.

Or you can buy a dremel and cut it. That's the best way I think.

Fender rolling isn't a waste of money. You need to make sure the lip is folded all the way. The rolling may damage the fenders; it may give you little dents on your fenders. But that will only happen if you pull (push out) the fenders when you roll. Just a roll shouldn't damage anything if done right.

[Sered]

Originally Posted by e92Driven

Hey Rob, came across this old post and was wondering if you had pics of your fender setup? I am running a 20"x10.5" wide 295/25/20 Vossen rear setup (probably M3 offset) on my e92, and the rear fender lip comes down on the tire sidewall, closer to the front half of the fender, when hitting big bumps or going up curbs. My fronts are 20x9, 245/30/20 and seem ok unless I hit major dips/bumps. This is on Stock Sport Suspension, want coilovers but going lower almost seems out of the question right now.

I am debating whether to try fender pulling, or shaving the rear. The lips are already rolled, which reduces some of the tire damage, but I'm definitely putting major added stress on the drivetrain when the fender hits the tires and burns rubber off at 80 mph. Thanks for your help in advance.

Matt

Please share your offsets. I may be going for a power build on a 335is and I'm considering M3 rear fenders to fit the tire size I want (~295/30/18). I don't mind a pull or roll, I just want to know what I need to make it fit!

[Socket]

Originally Posted by bigbootysuperduty

Just putting this out there. Using a bat is the old school method of rolling the fenders. That's what was used before the "proper" tool was invented. There is always more than one way to do a job right. If you have the skills, and knowledge, but not the "proper" tools to do something you improvise. I read lots of great advise, and some not so great advise on here. I have used a bat to roll fenders on many of my projects. If done properly a bat is a great way to go. But like anything else, if your an armchair mechanic, try at your own risk. It's worked for me and many others.

Will a tennis racquet work if you don't have a bat??

[Jsoboti]

Think I need to shave fenders?

f: 19x8.5 245/35/19
r: 19x9.5 275/30/19

Rear fenders are already rolled. Front is lowered on SP perches