Photography by J.G. Pasterjak
Remember how we talked about fitting some really wide tires on our Toyota MR2 Turbo? Turns out that some massaging is then required.
We recently mounted up two sets of tires for a forthcoming test. We consulted the online MR2 knowledge base, and legend has it that the largest tires that can be fitted inside stock fenders are 235/40R17 fronts and 255/40R17 rears. As luck would have it, those sizes are also well-sized for our 17x8-inch ET38 and 17x9.5-inch ET38 König Hexaform wheels.
This test is going to feature two different tires: the Falken Azenis RT660 and Toyo Proxes RR.
[Ultimate track tire guide | 200tw, 100tw, street-legal track and R-comps]
While these tires fit just fine at rest, we were getting some rubbing up front under braking, mostly on the driver’s side. We were prepared for this–these are older cars, with fenders and liners that have probably seen some adventures–and other owners referenced similar interference.
In our case, our driver-side fender liner was already a bit chewed-up, and the fender lip had a couple of ripples so it needed some love anyway. The basic shape of the fender liner also steals some space from larger tires as the liner forms a bit of a horizontal shelf as it meets the fender lip.
Our solution was to cut out the horizontal component of the liner–it cuts easily with a razor knife–to clear away some vertical space. Then we could fully flatten the MR2’s fender lip with a fender roller.
This extra room, combined with the liner trim, gave us plenty of space for the new tires. Some follow-up brake testing revealed no rubbing, so now we can make plans for that tire test.
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