Man, there's just no feeling in the world like taking a cut-off wheel to a vehicle you're still making payments on. But a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.
We've been making modifications to our '97 regular cab Dakota since it was about six months old. Almost a year and a half after installing a DJM 4/6 lowering kit, we finally installed a new set of Weld Arrowhead forged billet wheels and BFG Comp T/A tires. Unlike years ago when the fender opening covered half the tire, the wheel openings on a Dakota are almost on the same plane as the face of the tire. This allows the track width of the new vehicle to be wider, because the whole wheel is moved further out towards the edge of the vehicle. A wider vehicle is a better handling vehicle.
The wheel wells on Dakotas and Rams look so cavernous because there now has to be adequate clearance between the top of the tire and the wheel well to allow full suspension travel. We lost a full six inches of clearance in the back after lowering the truck, but with the stock 15-inch wheels and tires, we didn't experience any clearance problems between the fender and the tire. While the stock tires were close to the edge, they slipped just behind it during a hard bump and went up into the wheel tub. Another scenario is the extra tall sidewalls absorbed the bump, so the suspension didn't have to travel as far, meaning the top of the tire kept its distance from the wheel well opening.
That changed when we installed our 17-inch Welds and 255/60R17 BFG Comp T/As. The 255/60s are about one inch taller overall than the stock tires, so we were losing an additional 1/2-inch of clearance between the top of the tire and the fender opening. However, we figured there was still enough space between the top of the tire and the fender opening to avoid interference. We also wanted the widest tire we could get for the rear, so after figuring tire sizes, wheel offsets, and widths, we ordered a wheel and tire package that would protrude beyond the wheel opening by about 3/4 of an inch. The original plan was to then install a set of factory R/T fender flares to cover the tire.
We installed the new wheels and tires, and drove around on them for three weeks with no problem. Then we reinstalled our lightweight aluminum tonneau cover on the bed and went to the Gatornationals, where we made an interesting discovery: With either a full tank of gas or a passenger, the tire rubbed if we hit a dip in the road. "Vvvvrrrp!" is not a sound you want to hear in association with brand new 17-inch tires! The top of the sidewall made contact with the lip of the wheel opening, and knifed a strip out of the tire that made us want to cry.
It's worse on the driver's side (the gas tank side), but it rubbed on the passenger side once, too. Either the added weight and downforce created by the tonneau cover caused the suspension to be compressed slightly more than before, or the stiffer sidewalls of the 17-inch tires didn't absorb the bumps, forcing the suspension to compress in instances it hadn't before. The reason wasn't important—we needed a fix for this problem.
Sometimes old school is still the best way to get things done, and the solution was to roll the fender lip so any future tire contact is against a smooth rolled surface rather than a sharp edge. We broke out the body hammer and dolly and rolled the offending section of fender lip, and then installed the R/T fender flares we ordered from the local Dodge dealer.
The fender flares are sold as a complete kit that includes all four flares and the mounting hardware, and sells for around $190.00. This seemed high to us, but the flares arrive prepainted to match whatever color your truck is, making the price pretty reasonable since we didn't have to pay a shop to spray them. All the mounting holes on the truck are predrilled at the factory, and the kit supplied more than twice the hardware we needed for the installation.
Installing the flares is literally a 15 minute job. The color matched our truck's paint perfectly, and all the holes lined right up. The only modification we made was to the rears--we cut the flares to match the section of wheel lip we rolled. The flares tuck the wheels under the truck neatly and give it a lower, more aggressive stance. We're very pleased with the results.