1990 BC Legacy Tire/Wheel options? Where do I begin?

[Plazma]

Hello Everyone,

So some of you may know that I'm working on a 90MY Legacy. I just finished swapping out the old 4EAT with a 5MT from my previous vehicle. I upgraded to the STi Shifter along with firmer poly bushings from Cobb Tuning.

Currently I'm working on upgrading the suspension. I just purchased a Whiteline ALK and other necessary control arm bushings. One of the things that was put out as a suggestion was upgrading tires. I understand a little bit about tire sizes and such from my time working at pep boys. But what I'm looking for is what kind of tire and wheel size combinations can I squeeze between the arches. I'm currently running the stock suspension and tire size. I plan on upgrading the suspension either to coil overs (if i can find the right fit) or doing the conversion from the 1st Gen Leggy suspension to the GC (or GD) Impreza suspension modification.


With that in mind what are some tire/wheel sizes I can consider installing? I don't need new rims finding things on craigslist is not a problem but what are some search terms I should be using? If I don't have a lot of options, is there another bolt pattern I can switch to that will give me more options?

[Plazma]

Also, another thought. I know some of the big name tire companies such as Dunlop, Pirelli, Michelin and Yokohama name brands mainly from my interest in motorsports in general. Are there other brands to consider or is that a matter of Personal opinion?

[rallyak]

A good safe option WRX 16in wheels w/55mm offset with 205/55/16.

[Plazma]

A good safe option WRX 16in wheels w/55mm offset with 205/55/16.

I've been looking at the width difference between the wider 16s versus the narrowest 17s (I find x10 and x7.5 I have no idea what that number represents) what's the width difference between the two? It's kind of annoying to not really know how to size them because stock is 14 and that all that comes up in a 'by model' search. What MY WRX 16 inch weels should I be looking at? Just so I know the actual size I should be considering.

[rallyak]

I think most all impreza's will work with the 55mm offset. You can read the offset on the back of the rim like this


I currently am sporting 04-05 wrx wheels on both of my cars.

[Plazma]

I don't see a lot of rim options with a 55mm offset, what if any wiggle room do I have with the BC Sedans? can I get away with a +48mm offset?

[rallyak]

I run 48mm offset on my winter rims but needed to lift my car to keep the tires from rubbing the body with stock struts. It brings the tires flush with the outside of the body. I changed my struts to 92-94 struts which gave me about an inch more clearance.

[Legacy777]

Check out this article to explain wheel offset

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/tec ... techid=101

Check out this one on how to read the tire numbers

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/ ... ?techid=46


In general, the stock Subaru wheels have around +53 mm of offset. If you go to less of a positive offset it will move the wheel further outwards, which can cause interference with the rear fender lip. My 16x7 wheels have a +45 mm offset and I had to trim the top of the fender lip so the tires didn't rub.

The overall tire height constraint will likely be the lower strut perch.

The goal is to try and keep your overall tire diameter similar to the original tires so your speedo isn't off. A tire calculator will help you pick the sizes.

http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/infoTireMath.dos

It's not the end of the world if you don't keep the overall tire diameter the same, but you just need to keep that in mind when reading your speedo.

[N_Woodman]

I am a new Subaru owner. I was given a 1990 legacy wagon BJ with 193k miles, I was told by my michanic that I scored, and that this car has at least another 100k left in it, so I decided I would put some time and money into fixing it up. I thought I would start with the wheels. first of all is a set of 16's too big for this car? I have been trying to figure out how I can fit some 16" Subaru Impreza 06-07 2.5i Wheels that I got for a good deal. They came with Dunlop Direzza tires (205/55R16) with about 75% life left. I put the front ones on and they fit without any trouble, however when I went to put the back wheels on, as I lowered the lift the tire got closer and closer to the rear strut and eventually touched. I have debated spacers, adapters, orskinnier tires but I am unclear as to which is the best method for me. I have read almost everything online and I am still without a clue as to what I should do. Should I just get a smaller set of wheels and sell the Impreza wheels?

any suggestions would be more than helpful!

Thank you,

Noah

[Legacy777]

Welcome to the BBS Noah.

As I mentioned in our emails, I'd suggest denting in the strut's spring perch a little bit to get the tire clearance you need.

[N_Woodman]

Josh gave me some great advice and I have to say it saved me a lot of money and stress! And what an incredible transformation from what I started with! how do I post photos on this forum?

Thanks again, Josh!

[Legacy777]

Glad to hear everything worked out.

You need to have the pictures hosted using an image hosting service like photobucket, imgur, etc. Some other folks can provide feedback on what seems to work the best.

[speezly]

If possible, download the tapatalk app. It makes posting pics very, very easy.