Larger Diameter Front Tire Question

[Snoopy49]

I am not allowed to place anything in the gutter. I did try placing wooden planks in the gutter just to see if it was a viable solution, but no matter what I did, the car still contacted the slope to the sidewalk. There is a hump in the approach and I tried to have the county grind it down, but they said it was to code, so no go. To bad we don't have the auto lift like the new C8 Corvette.

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[Jmeo]

I am not allowed to place anything in the gutter. I did try placing wooden planks in the gutter just to see if it was a viable solution, but no matter what I did, the car still contacted the slope to the sidewalk. There is a hump in the approach and I tried to have the county grind it down, but they said it was to code, so no go. To bad we don't have the auto lift like the new C8 Corvette.

Time for Airlift suspension buddy

 

[kilobravo]

"Not allowed," huh, Earl? I understand not having junk cars in your front yard but that seems a bit over the top to me. City or owner's association rule?

I think your tire idea is the best short of a gutter bridge but Jaime's solution would certainly eliminate the problem. Thing is, as daffy as I am, my brain would be somewhere else arriving at the house and I'd forget to "pump me up." <laughing> I KNOW I'm gonna forget to fold the mirrors on the truck one day before I put her in the garage and the passenger mirror will hit FOR sure. :-)

 

[Big John]

Maybe I’m a little too red neck, but I would fix the driveway. Find a vender that will do the project on the weekend with out a permit. Better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission. I can neither confirm nor deny having done this many times in the past.

 

[Rapid Red]

Is it only the driveway, how about backing in ?
KISS ?

 

[Snakebite]

Angle of approach is my go-to.

 

[SEERED]

I actually took the grinder and a squirt bottle of water to the high spots on my driveway entrance. That plus the Sliplos really helped. It went from catching an edge to a slight rub. overstating the obvious, go slow and approach at an angle.

 

[kilobravo]

Good tips, Curtis but after dealing with the curb with his '13, I'm sure Earl has looked at every conceivable option and the larger tire is almost surely the best one.

 

[SEERED]

KB, one thing that also helped me and may not help Earl is the fact that the grinder took off the broom finish of the concrete. Many concrete finishes are abrasive by design and just removing the rough interface made the splitter abuse go way down.

 

[kilobravo]

I can definitely see how taking off the rough brushing marks would reduce the grit of the concrete, Curtis and that may be something Earl has considered. But he is one of THE most thorough individuals I know and I feel sure he's looked at every angle.

 

[Snoopy49]

I bought a pair of Michelin PS 4S 305/35 ZR 20 tires for the front and had them mounted and balanced earlier this week. The tires were suppose to be 1.2" larger in diameter than the 30 series, they should have .600" more clearance at the center of front hub, slightly more at the front splitter.
Unfortunately that doesn't seem to translate to real life. Having said that, I can now use my race ramps without the extenders and I think that I can avoid scraping the driveway if I can find the sweet spot.

Can someone measure the distance from the bottom center of the wheel (outside edge of the rim) to the ground on a base model with 32 psi in the tires.

With 305/35 ZR 20 tires my car measures approx. 2 7/8".


I contacted a couple of concrete contractors about grinding the entry smooth, but none of them would touch it because it was controlled by the county and it would cost $700 for the permit and replacing the concrete would require the same permit plus demo, materials and labor. So that was out of the question.

 

[Epiphany]

Americans with Disabilities Act. Use it to your advantage.

When was the road, sidewalk (if there is one), and drainage swale constructed or implemented? Does the slope of the swale exceed 1:20?

 

[Snoopy49]

Americans with Disabilities Act. Use it to your advantage.

When was the road, sidewalk (if there is one), and drainage swale constructed or implemented? Does the slope of the swale exceed 1:20?

The construction was in 1959 and the road has been paved many times since then.
Could swale be considered the rise from the road to the sidewalk?

 

[Epiphany]

Approximate date the road was last paved, the swale was touched or the sidewalk? This matters quite a bit.

Of concern is the slope from the road to the swale and then back out of it. A picture of it would help.

 

[Snoopy49]

The 305/35 ZR 20 Michelin tires on the front raised the center of the splitter 5/8" to 6 3/8". So the tire specs were spot on +.600" radius.

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