How close to the rear leaf spring?

[frank1966]

How close can i go? Is there lateral movement in the leaf spring?

[randy73]

Spring is tied to the axle, so no lateral movement. But your tire will flex, especially in a turn.

Not my trick, but I read were someone put masking tape on the edge of the leaf spring and then drove around and then check tape afterwards.

[frank1966]

Thanks, that's what I thought, so its the tire profile that can flatten out a little and touch the spring. Hard to say how much is needed I guess.

[alfaitalia]

Not flatten out as much as much as bend to one side or the other due to side wall flex and the G of cornering. The lower profile the tyres are the less likely it is to happen.....Example...I had an old Mitsubishi GTO (sorry..but it was quite fun!). I put Lexus wheels and tyres on it. They were a good 3/4 of an inch away from the from the front spring perches.....on fast cornering they just skimmed the metal. 5mm (3/16 inch) spacers sorted that.

[c00nhunterjoe]

I think it will hit the inner fender before it hits the spring, or at the same time anyway.
Mine will hit the fender before the spring.

[HPP]

While the bottom of a tire will move around a fair amount due to corner loading, the typical street radial will not deflect much, if at all, half way up the tire diameter next to the leaf spring, nor up top by the wheel opening lip and inner fender. If have run radials as close as .25" to the spring and not had any rubbing. Traversing driveways or other off camber angles can create interference in the inner fenders as the axle housing arcs through its range of motion.

Bias ply drag tires with a single ply sidewall are the other end of the spectrum. They grow in height and change in width by quite a bit and you would want more space all around them.

[303 Mopar]

I had 30x12's on and they hit the inner fender but not the spring. 

[Dino]

I think it will hit the inner fender before it hits the spring, or at the same time anyway.
Mine will hit the fender before the spring.

That's what happened to mine. It rubbed the undercoating smooth but never hit the leaf.

[cdr]

mine also hit the inner well 1st, never have hit the spring.

[Dino]

I should mention that only the left tire rubbed when taking a sharp right turn onto an incline (old workplace's driveway). Never happened the other way around but the wheels aren't exactly centered side to side.

[c00nhunterjoe]

I should mention that only the left tire rubbed when taking a sharp right turn onto an incline (old workplace's driveway). Never happened the other way around but the wheels aren't exactly centered side to side.

Need to make more left turns and center the bushings...

[Dino]

I should mention that only the left tire rubbed when taking a sharp right turn onto an incline (old workplace's driveway). Never happened the other way around but the wheels aren't exactly centered side to side.

Need to make more left turns and center the bushings...