Tire Clearance Issue on 2021 Tremor

[Morgan1002]

Just picked up my 2021 XLT Tremor last week. Truck is amazing so far, aside from a tire clearance issue on the front drivers side wheel that results in tire rub when turning full lock.

You can see in the attached photo exactly what the problem is. I’ve taken it to the dealer where they took pictures and began investigating. They said this is the first Tremor they have seen so have nothing to compare it to. Can anyone else with a Tremor confirm if their clearance is any better?

How do you even tackle an issue like this? What could be adjusted to fix this so it doesn’t rub? Is this just the way all Tremors were built?

Any thoughts are appreciated! Otherwise love the truck and relative to my 2020 XLT Sport it rides and handles like a completely different vehicle.

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[Bludrok]

No rub, but it is damn close.......

However, just a slight turn from full lock looks much better:

Based on this, I will most likely remove the crash bar, or adjust it at the very least.

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

I have more room with my 275/70 R 17s with +15mm offset wheels. I have a 2-1/2” level, so that helps. Your stock wheels and 265s shouldn’t be giving you this much grief.

Crash bars tend to have some room for play. Remove the push pins on the plastic cover and remove the cover. Loosen the two crash bar bolts. Angle the crash bar as far forward as you can - use a hammer if needed. Tighten bolts. Leave covers off for added clearance.

This might give you another 1/4” of room but that’s still not really enough. I thought the Tremor had a lifted/levelled front end. If not, a 2” or 2-1/2” level will provide additional room and the front will be level with the rear.

 

[Frenchy]

No doubt that it is very close and possibly rubbing. What I would do is loosen the bolts for that front crash bar and push it forward and then re tighten the bolts. If that doesn't solve it I would remove the little plastic cover that's on it and see what happens.

 

[Espo78]

Would an alignment help? I don't know if adjusting the castor would make enough of a difference to move the tire back some?

 

[Frenchy]

Would an alignment help? I don't know if adjusting the castor would make enough of a difference to move the tire back some?

Amber would be the main adjustment to fix his problem. When taking care of camber caster will be corrected to

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Amber would be the main adjustment to fix his problem. When taking care of camber caster will be corrected to

Hi Chris,

I really think this is in the category of "picking the fly shit out of the pepper". Adding too much caster can increase the steering efforts for one. Does this move the tire rearward...a small amount but what about the rear crash bar? Stick with the factory settings is my opinion. Do not try to solve a problem only to create another problem IMO.

best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[HTX1811]

As all of us know that is a piss poor job. A completely stock vehicle from the factory should not have any tire rub. End of story. They need to fix it and I agree, the crash bar may very well be the problem. It does not need much to stop the tire rub, but come on Ford.
If you have this problem with such a small sample of Tremors out there, this is likely going to be a problem for many.

 

[Bludrok]

Update on this:

I just did some real backing up for the first time in my ranger and I cant even turn the wheel anywhere near full lock without rubbing. This is definitely a flaw. I had to make very wide turns to not have any rub.

The good news for me, is I am going to install an ADD Stealth Fighter Winch bumper, which calls for removing the crash bars in the installation, but this should not be happening on a truck that was bought new 2 days ago. Thank your for posting this so I was aware!

 

[D Fresh]

just want to expand on this....your service department should do this....they dont need to investigate any further. this is solution #1. they sold it to you incorrect, they need to fix it.
Solution number 2 is installing aftermarket crash bars if necessary.

I highly doubt Ford and/or the dealership is going to open that can of worms.

The aftermarket bars I mean, due to liability.

 

[Leftcoast]

As all of us know that is a piss poor job. A completely stock vehicle from the factory should not have any tire rub. End of story. They need to fix it and I agree, the crash bar may very well be the problem. It does not need much to stop the tire rub, but come on Ford.
If you have this problem with such a small sample of Tremors out there, this is likely going to be a problem for many.

THIS

It's a brand new truck under warranty. It's not the OPs problem to fix. It's Ford's.

 

[Espo78]

Hi Chris,

I really think this is in the category of "picking the fly shit out of the pepper". Adding too much caster can increase the steering efforts for one. Does this move the tire rearward...a small amount but what about the rear crash bar? Stick with the factory settings is my opinion. Do not try to solve a problem only to create another problem IMO.

best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

My question about the alignment was under the assumption that it was not set correctly at the factory. I wasn't trying to suggest making the alignment out of spec in order to fix the clearance issue. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[NvrFinished]

Loosen the two bolts that secure the crash bar, push it forward, then tighten them back up. These bars do have some play and someone at the factory obviously secured it incorrectly.

 

[VoodooRanger]

Loosen the two bolts that secure the crash bar, push it forward, then tighten them back up. These bars do have some play and someone at the factory obviously secured it incorrectly.

This.

Prior to installing the 285 Goodyears, I loosened the crash bars and nudged them forward. While it was not a drastic difference, I believe it would help you with your rubbing situation. Now I too say this should be the dealers problem to fix and not your own, but I'd rather give it a shot myself, than leave it at the dealer for techs to stare at it scratching their heads.

 

[Bludrok]

I thought I posted this already, but didn't see it as I was browsing this thread again. I apologize if it is a duplicate.

Here is the stock setup with no changes. It does rub at around 75% lock or so:

There is a plastic cover attached on the crash bar that can be removed. Here is a picture of the cover after I removed it. You can see the rub marks:

After removing, it is a tight fit, but no more rubbing:

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