Rear suspension height

If your car has lowered springs that aren't captive when the back wheels are at full droop, then the rear springs may have come out of their normal position when the car was raised, and be sitting on the edge of the spring seats. Stick your head under and have looksy.

Thanks Duk,

It is all stock. I took a look and the lip faces down on the bottom so there is nothing to hang up on. They seem to be within the housing at the top. Maybe the new tires just make it look different.

Optical dillusion

*joke

I would check that the new tires have the correct sidewall height. Too high a sidewall can make it look like an off-road thingy, and too low a sidewall, well, can make the space in the fender look unusually big - perhaps that is what you have. My experience is that it takes very little for the eye to catch these things.

Jes

I second that.

EDIT: I second the second comment. My browser did not refresh in time for the following responses.

The tires are the same size: P195/60R14 85H. They are the same brand. Firestone Firehawks. The only difference is these are GTs and before I think I had a sho, which they don't make anymore. But maybe being GTs they have a shorter sidewall. The front tires look the same in the wheel well however.

On a slightly different topic, these are are the third set of tires I have bought in 50,000 miles of owning this car. Is 20,000 miles typical for other Milano drivers for supposedly 50,000 mile tires?