I have a question about my wife's 2008 HHR. We've noticed that the gap between the rear tires and the plastic piece on the back of the fender is very small, not even enough to slide a finger in. Is this normal or should it be something to bring to the attention of the dealer? Thanks in advance!

 

They don't have a lot of clearance around the rear wheels my question would be are the tire on the car the factory correct size? I know there is a lot of people that will go a size or two bigger when they replace tires. You can check the door sticker and it will tell you what size tire came from the factory.

 

Here is a pic of my 08 2lt drivers side

 

They're all like that. I had SS wheels on my 2LT when I had it, same clearance. I now have a 2013 cruze LTZ RS and they have the same 'heel' back there. Cant see what its for though.

 

Thats lots of room !!

 

Having the wrong size tires never even crossed my mind but that's the problem. The car came with a brand new set of Kelly tires, 215-65-16. Unfortunately they should be 55's. I'm amazed that someone would put the wrong size tires on a car. I guess the gap will grow as the tread wears down. :-)

 

As the car body bounces down (axle up) the gap gets bigger. Basic Geometry, don't agonize over it, unless you can see/feel/hear actual contact and wear. More important is to check the fronts and if they are contacting the lower spring shoulder of the struts (enough to cause tire wear).

Check the placard on your door frame for the correct size. And be aware that your speedo will be telling you that you are going 3-5 MPH slower than actual, RADAR doesn't care about your tire size. A GPS unit will help you calibrate yourself.

 

Think thats bad..check the clearance between the strut and tire up front...and dont panic..they are all like that..

 

only need room for a credit card....

 

Wrong size tires dont matter. I haz 240/45 18's lol