Has anybody noticed that the front tires/wheel well has at least 2 inches more clearance than the rear tires/wheel well (less than an inch)? It must be the new redesign of the rear suspension than the front. Inputs? Comments?

 

Same deal on my 5th gen. Must have something to do with the clearance needed when the front tires are turned so they don't hit the wheel wells.

 

...HydroPnik...hmm...I wonder if that's where the stolen HIDs are going?...

 

The extra two inches allows the Maxima to have that outstanding 40' turning radius.

 

Most FWD cars have more space in the front wheel well than the rear.

 

HydroPnik is on the button, and psteng19 is close.

Visualize a car hitting a bump (like a speed bump) that causes the tire and wheel to rise sharply about four inches. The rear tire is always alined straight front-to-rear, and rises INSIDE the fender. The front tire, however, may be turned at any angle, and stick partly OUTSIDE the fender, so needs a little extra vertical clearance.

This situation is also sometimes noticable on rear-drive cars, as it is more related to which wheels TURN than to which wheels DRIVE.

Some folks try to 'fill out' the fender by putting on much larger tires. This defeats the purpose of the gap, and can cause the tire to rub the frame on tight turns. I have even seen this cause fender damage when a car hit a bump while turning sharply.