acceptable tire size range

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Mt.HOODrat
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acceptable tire size range

Post by Mt.HOODrat »

hey guys, i am about to throw some snow rubber on my 15" touring wheels, and would like to know the range of sizes that will fit on a stock ride height turbo wagon. ?

thanks in advance
Falken-18c
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Re: acceptable tire size range

Post by Falken-18c »

im also interested to know? as im gunna be looking for a set of winter tires
SUBYLUV871
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Re: acceptable tire size range

Post by SUBYLUV871 »

hood rat. off topic but the mountain was awsome this weekend. i drove over hood and back. we should do a mountain drive sometime. ive got 185s but there on 14s. good luck on the search.
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Falken-18c
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Re: acceptable tire size range

Post by Falken-18c »

mine are 195 60 15 but could i put 205 are 215 15 on just wanna raise it alil bit
Bheinen74
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Re: acceptable tire size range

Post by Bheinen74 »

I have set of 205/60R15 hakka4's on my 94SS, and am putting some 185/65/15 winterforces on my 94LGT.
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Apex3
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Re: acceptable tire size range

Post by Apex3 »

195/60R15 is the proper size, any other size will give a different speedometer reading. What exactly do you want though? I assume bigger? You can probably go about as big as you want as long as you're not trying to put mudding tires on it or something.
tdaz250
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Re: acceptable tire size range

Post by tdaz250 »

Whats the proper size for the 14's?
Legacy777
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Re: acceptable tire size range

Post by Legacy777 »

The stock size for the AWD 14" wheels were 185/70 r14. The FWD 14" wheels got 175/70 r14.
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jp233
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Re: acceptable tire size range

Post by jp233 »

Negative.... the 175/70/14 was a 90-91 thing for the FWD cars.

The 92-94's (FWD or AWD, just as long as it was an N/A car) came with 185/70/14 stock on the 14x5 steelies. It's right on the tire placard, too.

Only difference was of course the turbo cars and 15" wheels, and the stock 14" alloy wheels were 5.5" width as opposed to the steel 5" width.

Just confirmed last night that 205/70/15's on 95-99 Outback wheels will not fit my 93 FWD wagon. They fit in the front (even with MY 90-91 KYB 235063/235064 struts, that allegedly have spring seats that are about 0.5" lower than the 92-94 struts according to the suspension sticky threads?), but they rub the rear struts (DTA Ultima 235073/235074 struts).

The tires are nearly new Yoko Geo AT-S so they are pretty much truck tires (literally I put a set of those recently on my F-250), which would be awesome for off-roading and good for snow. The Yoko site lists that tire in that size of being a diameter of 26.5" so they are pretty big overall.

I would think 205/60/15 or 195/65/15 would fit all BC/BF/BJ cars, which would yield a little bit of lift due to the overall diameter.

205/65/15 would probably fit the AWD cars, I bet. Especially if one had alread fitted Outback suspension to gain some more lift.
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turbo970
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Re: acceptable tire size range

Post by turbo970 »

so if i'm understanding correctly i could safely put 205/50/15's on my legacy ?
daveh
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Re: acceptable tire size range

Post by daveh »

The diameter of a 205/50r15 is nearly 2 inched shorter than the stock size, so yes, they will fit.
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turbo970
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Re: acceptable tire size range

Post by turbo970 »

cool. thanks
SUBYLUV871
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Re: acceptable tire size range

Post by SUBYLUV871 »

i just put 205/55/16 oem wrx wheels on my wagon. they fit great. i even have rood to drop it about an inch or 2.
Cheep quality aint good, Good quality aint cheep
1998 legacy l wagon
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WRXish
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Re: acceptable tire size range

Post by WRXish »

205/50-16 is a good working size too, nearly the same as a 195/65-14 in height and keeps the gearing about the same.
AncientLeggy
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Re: acceptable tire size range

Post by AncientLeggy »

Does anyone know if 205/55/16 on 16x7 +53 or 16x6.5 +55 would fit the 92-94 with stock suspensions from a GC RS without rubbing? I went through the fitment thread but didn't find one with this setup. Thanks for your inputs.
mike-tracy
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Re: acceptable tire size range

Post by mike-tracy »

From experience, you will probably rub with those. If the suspension is brand new, new RS struts and springs, and you are running not brand new tires and carrying little to no weight/passengers in the car, it'll probably be fine.

I went from used RS suspension to used 2nd generation legacy Japan spec bilsteins and sti springs, and the rub is minimal but i still need to roll the front fenders a little. It will rub if I hit a bump while turning.

And then there's the wonky ride height, imbalance between the front rear ride height.

If I do it again, I would grab legacy specific parts. KYB GR2 or AGX struts and for springs H&R or maybe whiteline if they still make them for legacy owners.
1992 Legacy SS 5mt, build in progress
Josh Colombo wrote: Mon Jan 14, 2002 10:23 am Wait....I'm confused now.
AncientLeggy
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Re: acceptable tire size range

Post by AncientLeggy »

Thanks for the info. I was able to borrow a RS wheel 16x7 +53 with 205/55 on to test the fitment; it seems to barely clear the strut standing. The clearance is less than the width of my pinky, but I wasn't able to test drive it since the other 3 are on 14"s.

I was able to stick my phone in to take an out-of-focus photo:
Image
Last edited by AncientLeggy on Sun Jun 05, 2016 4:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
AncientLeggy
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Re: acceptable tire size range

Post by AncientLeggy »

Here's from another angle of the rear. It would seem that it's likely to rub during bumps & corners, or horizontal movements/flexes, but it *might* be ok if going straight on a flat surface with no/light load as @mike-tracy mentioned.

Image
Pntaste4evr99
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Re: acceptable tire size range

Post by Pntaste4evr99 »

I'm running about that much clearance with the RS 6spokes on mine, with 225/50 tires on, but I am running coil overs instead of struts, so maybe coilovers are "skinner"? I'm also running 1 degree neg camber. I only rub a little on the frt when turning and going over bumps at the same time.
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AncientLeggy
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Re: acceptable tire size range

Post by AncientLeggy »

Yeah and you don't have to worry about rubbing the top.

I'm also considering altering camber and/or get some thinner tires. It sucks because I already have the rims and tires on my RS, and selling the current set to buy another set that fits will likely mean losing a few hundreds. The rims seem to clear ok; looks like it's the 205/55 is the issue from what I can see from the pics.
mike-tracy
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Re: acceptable tire size range

Post by mike-tracy »

With 205/55/16 tires you won't have to worry about rubbing on those RS strut tops. They were designed for that tire size so they'll work.

The ass end of my car was low and the front end of my car was higher with that combo.

I encourage you again to get brand new legacy specific struts and springs. My 200k+ mile RS struts were not blown, but they were tired. And any weight in the back made the struts bottom out.
1992 Legacy SS 5mt, build in progress
Josh Colombo wrote: Mon Jan 14, 2002 10:23 am Wait....I'm confused now.
AncientLeggy
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Re: acceptable tire size range

Post by AncientLeggy »

Thanks for the advice; once these wear out, I'll definitely get Legacy parts for proper geometry & clearance.

Just didn't want the RS struts to go to waste until they wear out so I searched & found out they can be bolted onto BC directly without thinking about the wheels fitment ahead. So you think the RS wheels + struts combo is safe from rubbing?
mike-tracy
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Re: acceptable tire size range

Post by mike-tracy »

No, I know from experience that it will rub. When cornering and you hit a bump. Or if you have weight in the back of the vehicle.

The geometry of that strut/spring combo is fine. The issue is they were designed for a different weight car, and are going on almost 2 decades since they were new.
1992 Legacy SS 5mt, build in progress
Josh Colombo wrote: Mon Jan 14, 2002 10:23 am Wait....I'm confused now.
AncientLeggy
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Re: acceptable tire size range

Post by AncientLeggy »

Do you think thinner tires with flatter walls would work? Maybe 195/50 or even 45?
mike-tracy
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Re: acceptable tire size range

Post by mike-tracy »

Yeah a worn out set of tires, or lo-pro would work. I had 195/45/16 on that car (IIRC) and it didnt rub. But like I said, your ass end will sag and the front end will be prerunner style (aka a reverse rake). Maybe I'm more sensitive to that than most, must I cant stand uneven wheel gap. I went through a lot of trouble to find the setup I'm happy with. And my old RS suspension wasn't it.
1992 Legacy SS 5mt, build in progress
Josh Colombo wrote: Mon Jan 14, 2002 10:23 am Wait....I'm confused now.
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