New car wheels juuuuuust rubbing the corner of the brake caliper housing

[G-Man]

Just ordered and received new wheels for the car.  After installing the first wheel, The rub was evident by the grinding noise when rolling forward.  Removed the wheel and noticed an inch long, very shallow groove that the lower corner of the brake caliper housing  caused.  As I hate messing with brakes, I went to the auto parts store for wheel spacers.  The only ones they had were generic 5 lug spacers that looked to be between 1/8" and 1/4".  I don't even think I need that much.  Would grinding off the corner of the brake caliper housing be a bad thing?  I know that a lot of heat builds up and then dissipates.  Will grinding on the housing change its properties.  I'd say I'd have to take about a 1/16" off of the corner.

Thanks

[Chrisj CMA]

I wouldnt care who said it was a bad idea.... 1/16 " Id take it off in a heartbeat and never think about it again

[Tropic traveler]

Grind away, it will be fine!

[bentwrench]

Don't forget,when you install new pads the caliper will move out toward wheel a little bit.had a car once with custom wheels after putting on new brake pads the wheels wouldn't even turn
bw

[G-Man]

Excellent, thanks all.  And thanks for the tip of the new brakes moving the calipers.  I have about 12,000 miles on the rear brakes and 20,000 on the front.  I'll have to keep it in mind when the time comes, and that'll be soon.  The 06 Mercury with AWD goes through brakes every 30-35,000 miles.......it's a design flaw says the factory with no fix other than to replace pads often.

 

[Ricky-D]

The best way to solve your problem is to use the spacer plates on the wheels.

A positive fix.  No more worries.

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[R J]

10-04 on what Ricky-D says.

Who ever sold you the wheels apparently did not look them up in a chart for fitting your specific car.

It is very important to measure the off set on the stock wheel vs the new wheel.  You need a spacer equal to or greater than what is needed.   Or, the correct offset in your new wheel.

[f6john]

Wheel spacers have their own set of problems. If they are not hub-centric they can cause balance/handling problems.

[Rattlebars]

Wheel spacers have their own set of problems. If they are not hub-centric they can cause balance/handling problems.

Yup. Just ask the guy that walked six miles in the days before cell phones. I would not touch a spacer. Your wheel fits securely on the center of the disc/hub.  Just the lug nuts ain't enough. I've had to hammer off a coupla wheels in my time because of that tight fit in the center but I smile each time remembering that six mile walk.... 

Here's a sample from a GL1800 rear wheel which has a single sided swingarm. Same is true with cars. Unless your spacer matches this design acting like a wheel on one side and the OEM hub on the other..... by then, your studs might get too short.  Again, haven't been in the market for spacers for the reasons given. Maybe they fixed them?

[f6john]

I'm on the Impala SS site from time to time and a lot of those guys run Corvette wheels on their cars which require a spacer for fit. A good set of hub centric spacer/adapters can run $200.00 and up.

[bentwrench]

They are also illegal in several state Pa. is one of them.
bw

[Ricky-D]

I agree that if spacers are employed the smart move would be to replace the wheel studs with longer ones.

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