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Subaru Crew - Modifications II

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Comments

  • ramonramon Member Posts: 825
    with colinl. the Sunfire GTs and z24s have slim 16 wheels. Jus go look at their 205/55/26. It bulges already compared to the RS's 16x7 rims.
    Bulging tires are bad for turning response.
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    How hard would it be to drop the drive train from the first wrecked WRX into my Outback???
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Alright guys I guess this discussion could go on forever, the point is if you go shopping for an aftermarket rim you have to believe that whoever you choose to supply your new rims be it tirerack or an independant speed shop to know what they are talking about, otherwise the only option would be to believe subaru knows best. The ace alloy wheel site lists the offset for subaru from a minimum 35MM to maximum 43MM. I believe in an earlier post Juice said he went with I believe 3MM wider I just cannot remember the reason, I do not think JUice had a problem getting aftermarket rims, as a latecomer to these threads I have trouble understanding what is so mysterious about subaru wheel sizing I was starting to get the impression you would need to have somre sort of exorcism performed in order to have new rims.
    Cheers Pat.
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Dream on lucien you probably could not afford it but it is always nice to dream.
    CheersPat
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Whatever rims you get, just don't rice it out. Generally you'll be tossing good money away by switching away from SOA rims since they are so good to begin with. Save the money for better rubber, and suspension improvements.

    -mike
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    what!? I paid that priest for nothing?!

    you are totally right, especially about trusting the speed shop. Most of the Soob tuners on the web like Cobb, Rallispec, SPDUSA, etc., shy away from the brands sold at Tirerack and the like. I don't think anybody was saying you had to use an OEM rim. Just that the rims the Soob speed guys recommend are awfully pricey (OZ, Speedline, Raceline, and such). for those of us with 15" rims, upgrading to a 16" Soob rim usually nets a nice wheel at a good price. Certainly not the only choice though. Hope you don't feel too ganged up on, buddy. Stick around, it is nice to have a fresh voice!
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    The ace alloy wheel site lists the offset for subaru from a minimum 35MM to maximum 43MM.

    Perhaps an acceptable offset range for 6" wide rims, which as I've said before I'm not interested in for performance street or race tires. I do have a set of 15x6 subaru steelies with snow tires, but 1) they were cheap and 2) I'm not positive that a GM wheel would clear the brakes. The subaru one definitely does.

    The offset you listed isn't remotely close for a 7", 7.5" or 8" though. Now try finding those, and if you succeed let me know because I looked.

    -Colin
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    According to the info I was given, the Forester's offset is either 48mm or 55mm, depending on the model (L or S). Interestingly, both are outside the range Pat was given.

    My 16"x7" are 40mm. So the new rims are an inch wider and 15mm further from the spring base. Inch wider means 25.4mm wider, but only half of that lies on each side, so about 13mm more clearance is required. I netted 2mm of room on the inside. On the outside, the wheels bulge out much further, 15+13=28mm or so, or more than an inch.

    In practice, my tires are also wider and taller, which complicates things. The results is the clearance is about the same as it was before (I lost those 2mm and maybe a little more), with rims that are about flush with the side of the body. Fender flares were almost a necessity, and even with them I can spray quite a bit of sand from the wider tires.

    Long story short, they fit fine. The rear spring base has plenty of clearance. Actually, the bigger diameter put me close to the front mud flap - very close - but not touching.

    Speed shops tend to work with very expensive wheels, which if you're racing is fine. But they cost an arm and a leg, and you have to wonder if much lighter (and more expensive) wheels are as durable.

    To each his own. That's why there are so many choices.

    -juice
  • ramonramon Member Posts: 825
    that the WRX new wheels are 16x6.5?! I can't believe this! They are taking a step backwards. The brakes are bigger too. 11.3" for front and 10.x" for the rear. I guess I'll be keeping all my rims which by next year will include a set of MY00RS 16", MY99 Canadian OBS alloy 15" and 15" steelies. Yikes!
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    17"s are optional. I bet most of the sedans, at least, get them.

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Are going to be part of the performance package IIRC (rims, momo steering wheel, aluminum trim, polished pedals)

    -mike
  • rplumrplum Member Posts: 48
    wow Colin, you sure are the guru of this list!

    Don't put 40mm offset rims on your Subarus guys, it wont work. We have ONE! pre-production fleet car that came with a set of +48mm offset rims (16X7JJ), that is the absolute limit of what I would recommend. I mounted them up on my personal car for kicks(w/BFG 215/50VR16s and STi V5 suspension) and they still rub a bit.

    Ryan
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Hi Lucien I do not feel in the least ganged up on I thought these threads were for good healthy discussion is that not what we were all having?
    Don;t have any concerns if I feel ganged up on I will make It known.
    Cheers Pat.
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    kewl. just makin' sure.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Ryan - I think you have it backwards. A smaller offset gives you more clearance. So a rim with 40mm offset as opposed to 48mm gives you 8mm more room, not less.

    That one may have rubbed because you had wider tires (by 10mm) or because the rims had an offset not low enough given its width.

    Right, Colin?

    -juice
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Now I got ya. I have very little fender clearance, too, but that's because I have more tire.

    Mine is a Forester. Bigger fender wells and more room to play with. I suspect the Outback also has more room than an RS, though not as much as a Forester.

    I thought about the wheel bearings, too. So far no problems, but again I'm sure the Forester has more room for "play" than an RS or GT.

    -juice
  • seamus3seamus3 Member Posts: 98
    while we are on the subject. i want to buy a set of legacy gt rims (anyone have any?). will i have a problem with rubbing on my 96 legacy sedan? i was thinking of 55 series tires.

    since it seems the winter is over here, no more snow, i am putting my springs back in and taking off my winter tires.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I saw some for sale on the i-club.

    They shouldn't be a problem on a '96 legacy, but I don't know for sure.

    -mike
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    They ought to bolt right on.
  • rplumrplum Member Posts: 48
    seamus3,

    no problem.

    you are most likely looking at the BBS style 16X6.5JJ legacy wheels.

    I would use 205/55R16s on them.

    on a side note, Potenza S-02 PPs in that size are going for under $160 now (AVS Sport territory). good buy for a very very good summer tire.

    I would also recommend the Toyo Proxes or Potenza RE730 in the 205/50R16 size if you want to liven up your car a bit.

    RP
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    What was the original tire size on your '96?

    The 205/55R16 may have a bigger diameter.

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Well I finally hunted down the rear XT/XT6 upper mounting brackets for the shocks. So long as the junk yard gets em to me by this weekend, sunday and monday, I will be swapping in the RS front springs and struts, and New XT/XT6 rear springs and shocks. Next order of business will be a dual tip exhaust to replace the stock dual tip exhaust. Then some summer tires for Juice's Forester rims.

    -mike
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Hi guys probably a dumb question, I have seen referrence to the i-club in these posts, what is it? and how do I access it?
    Cheers Pat.
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    http://www.impreza-rs.com

    it is a site for Impreza RS enthusiasts, but also has a forum for Legacy owners. Click on "Bulletin Boards" to get to the heart of it.

    The folks there are, uh, enthusiastic? Yea, enthusiastic, and pretty young by and large. What I'm saying is, you might want to pick a different login name, as some of the kids there have a bias against slammed civics ;')

    There is a lot of static on those boards, but a lot of good information too. Worth checking out.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Sweet, paisan. That was a long hunt!

    -juice
  • ramonramon Member Posts: 825
    have gone down the hill slowly. That's what happens when the brand car becomes more popular therefore more ppl buys them and with that the probability of @ssholes is higher. However they are still ok. Not as great as before but still ok compared to some boards I've seen. I'm sure you know which ones I meant. heheheheh...
    This townhall is great however. Still unpolluted by the rascals. hahahahah.... ok i better stop drinking my Dasani.
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    This is an interesting place to find something other than Impreza enthusiasts. Not sure if the iclub is headed downhill or if the signal-to-noise is just a little weak at times.

    Everyone: Ryan works for Fuji Heavy. I can't remember for sure what group he works with but I'm leaning towards suspension.

    -Colin
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    In another topic Ryan mentioned he was hired by SoA on a contract, so he works for them indirectly. I think it was marketing?

    Hey, how do I get on the payroll? ;o)

    -juice
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    The nice thing about Emunds is that it's not over-crowded and the mix of people is more diverse.

    Since it's less busy there are also fewer trolls, and the few that exist don't stick around because they don't get the kind of reaction they would from a busier, more fanatical type of board.

    An example: a troll goes to vwvortex.com and tells them all VW's stink. He gets a HUGE response from peeved loyalists. Here, he'd mostly be ignored.

    -juice
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    Okay folks,

    Just pipe dreaming here but play along with me. I'm thinking about getting snow tires for next season (Geolandars will have to get me through '01). Here are the options I'm considering:

    1. Put 15" snows (Arctic Alpins) on Forester L steelies, replace Geolandars with??? on stock Forester S 16" alloys

    2. Put snows (Arctic Alpins) on stock Forester S 16" alloys, buy 17" alloys with some performance tire for 3 seasons

    Option 1 would be the least expensive, but option 2 really tempts me. I saw some sweet anthracite Speedlines on a Forester WR Sport by Prodrive in the UK last fall. Rallispec also offers OZ Superleggeras in anthracite for Subarus at $295/ea. Anthracite alloys on my black/slate S would look neat. Heaven knows what it'd cost to get those Speedline/Prodrives in the US, though. I understand there's also some P1-style wheel now available in the states (is that the OZ?). In any case we're talking $1200+ for wheels alone, let alone summer tires (I'd guess an additional $400-500) and the Alpins (another $400?). I could come close to finishing my Stude resto with that. With option 1 it's just the cost of replacing Geolandars, a cheap set of L steelies off the web or somewhere, and the Alpins which should be a little cheaper for 15" than 16". I could forego the L wheels and get a cheap set of steelies w/Alpins premounted from the Tire Rack.

    Your opinions, please? What in your experience would be the best replacement for the Geolandars (16" or 17")? I've heard Dunlop D60A2 but want to hear more. I figured here's where to start.

    Thanks,
    Ed

    (edited for spelling, capitalization)
  • ramonramon Member Posts: 825
    ahhh.... All Subaru stinks! You all drive farm cars! hahahhaha.... my vtek honda power will cream you all at the streets! Go back to your dinky mudholes! THe street belongs to the Civics! VTEK ONWZ YOU!!!
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Sticker gives me 50hp, and the Vtec sticker at least 10hp!

    :)

    You tell em Ramon!

    -mike
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Whoopse thought it was a honda board or I-club!

    But then my mommy would have bought my subbie and all my burger king money could go to stickers and cheap light covers.

    -mike
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    Yeah, well I'm wrong plenty of times. Hopefully I post often enough that I'm right a lot more often. ;-)

    Btw Ryan, you know "ramon" here too. He's Gambit on the iclub. (hehe Gambit, had to blow your cover since you tried to emulate that annoying "VTEC OWNZ U" guy on ClubSi. Not that I frequent the place, but...)

    -Colin
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    The law of averages is with you, Colin.

    Aaaaaaaaahhhh, so you are Gambit? I can be found on the i-club under the alias lucien2

    :)
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    No, I'm not Gambit on the iclub, Ramon is!

    I'm "ColinL" pretty much everywhere but here.

    -Colin
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Colin: good call on Ryan's suspension affiliation.

    Ed: cost no object? 17" wheels on the Forester would look sweet. I'd get 'em wide and add flares to fill up the wheel well.

    Realistically, though, that kind of profile completely eliminates any off road pretensions the Forester may have, and the cost is quite steep. Why get a Forester in the first place? Trade in for a WRX.

    So I'd go with the 15" snows. Narrow tires bite better in snow, and the stock Geolanders aren't bad for a Forester. Unless you lower it, you aren't going to improve the handling much anyway.

    -juice
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Lucien thanks for the heads up on i-club.
    Cheers Pat.
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    ...juice. Your answer makes more logical sense. Given that I expect to do even more light off-roading in the future (rural roads and trails) I should optimize the Forester toward gravel and dirt instead of tarmac. I had no intentions of lowering it at all.

    Gee, wish I could afford the Forester AND a WRX. Something about having and eating cake...?

    Ed
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    I knew that; I forgot to address Ramon separately. My bad.
  • seamus3seamus3 Member Posts: 98
    i have the wonderful little 185/70/R14. they are great for a stock civic hatchback maybe, that's about it though. i put my winter tires on them and went to 195 but i guess that's stretching it. will i have to worry about camber adjustment since i am putting my springs back in? i am still trying to get some pictures for ya'll. once i get new rims i will have pictures for sure.

    can someone put the link for i-club up.
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Ed -- I'd also go with option 1. Snow tires work better in narrower widths. Also 17" rims wouldn't add much more performance given the suspension set up on our Foresters (they would look sweet however).

    Seamus -- I-club is here.

    Ken
  • ramonramon Member Posts: 825
    you maniacal muscle car, import lover freak! Mucho Gracias for blowing my cover! Yes I am Gambit.
    Lucien, I know who u are in iclub. this is no fun. must look for another subaru forum to masquerade myself as another person. hahahahaha
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    Your secret is safe with me! ;) "Gambit" wow, do you, like, hang out with Goose and Maverick? ;')))
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Just change handles... ;-)

    185/70R14? So you could get:

    Plus One - 195/60R15 (+.1%, virtually identical)
    Plus Two - 195/55R16 (+1%)
    205/50R16 (-.5%)

    All are within the recommended 3% tolerance.

    Thing is, a Plus Two would add a lot of unsprung weight, something to think about. I'd do the Plus One.

    -juice
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    ...before I post them. Of course the 17" rim option wouldn't do much for the Forester beyond appearances - and appearances were low on my list when I chose the Forester. Seeing that Prodrive-prepped Forester in England was what set the gears turning in my head. Thanks for considering my ideas all the same.

    FWIW, I have nothing to hide; I am lark6 in i-club as well as here. I post there very rarely mainly because I'm no Soob expert yet and the posters there tend to be, well, let's say less mature than those here. For instance, my manumatic discussion would probably be met there with shouts of "you sissy! get a manual like a real man/woman!!!" followed by some sort of animated emoticon.

    Ed
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    It's almost (not quite) like that here.

    Manuals are just the way God intended.

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    But Automanuals are far more practical than a manual ever will be...

    Need we re-direct you to the Ferraris?

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    War? Nah.

    To each his (or her) own. I'm happy so long as a manual is offered.

    -juice
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    did a wheel test 2 or so years ago. they found a significant performance gain with Plus One, but no significant gain from there by going to step two, as unsprung weight and small sidewalls made the car slower and a lot less comfy.
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