winter rims?

Sometime back the service guy at the dealership said that Subies require special winter rims, not the standard black ones that you get at an auto parts stores. True or not?

Second my standard rims are 16 inchers. I was wondering if I could go down one inch on my winters, and get higher profile narrower tires to maintain circumference? 2000 OBW.

Yousuf Khan

Reply to
Yousuf Khan
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As long as the offset is correct, shouldn't matter. Though I confess to having little experience with snow.

;^)

Carl

Reply to
Carl 1 Lucky Texan

BS. They either fit, (correct diameter, offset, and bolt pattern) or they don't. He's pissed about people buying mounted snows from Tire Rack.

Yup!

You need to keep the same inflated overall diameter and rim offset. Some folks do the same thing to drive on sand.

Reply to
Bonehenge
15" wheels will not clear the brake calipers. Never heard about "winter" rims.
Reply to
johninKY

As the others said, I'm sure it's just about finding rims that will fit. I do seem to remember that they weren't as common as rims for other vehicles, but that seems to be the case with a lot of newer cars!

My stock wheels (2003 OBS) were 205-55R16 and I found rims and went to

195-65R15 with no trouble.

I guess you just need to find a supplier that is willing to try some rims! Fitting over the brakes was the issue people warned me about back then.

Chico

Reply to
Chicobiker

True!

Up here in igloo country we switch to winter tires each year and if you expect to keep the car a while it pays to buy a set of steel rims and keep the winter tires on them. Makes swapping every spring and fall much easier and saves winter corrosion and damage on the better looking regular rims.

Most of the generic steel rims sold at mass outlets all come from one manufacturer, so I'm told, and a Subaru service manager I trust said that on some Subie models the generic steel rims are fractionally different from Subie specs and that causes serious damage after a while. He did show me exactly what happens but I have forgotten the details of what got worn away by the misfit - but it was real.

I wasn't about to risk wrecking my new '05 OB for the sake of a few bucks so got my winter steel rims from Subaru. I advise you to do the same.

Reply to
eachcornerpulling

I personally am opposed to the appearance of the steel rims if they are to remain on the car for 5+ months a year(as they must in my climate). They are eye pollution. I advocate buying a set of used OEM rims. What I did with my car was put the winter tires on the original alloy rims, and put the summer tires on a newer set of the same alloy rims, and my car looks lovely year round.

Reply to
KLS

You can often find 'takeoffs' as people 'upgrade' to lighter or more fashionable rims. This is more true for Imprezas/WRXs than Legacys but still an option. Unfortunately, this is the time of year EVERYONE looks for snow tire options. check ebay, the marketplace threads at

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Carl

Reply to
Carl 1 Lucky Texan

You're probably in the same country as me then. I'm up here between Montreal and Ottawa.

Well, that's what my Subie service manager told me as well. Well, if two service managers are saying the same thing, then maybe there might be some truth to it. Unless we're talking about the same service manager for both of us.

So what about going down in size on the winter rims? The regular tires are 225/60-16. I was thinking of going down to 195/70-15's for winter.

Yousuf Khan

Reply to
Yousuf Khan

I checked these out and can get a nice new set of alloys for a whole lot less then people where asking.

Reply to
Ed

I have steel rims on my '03 Legacy GT. Stock tires are 205/60-16, I got 16 inch rims from Canadian Tire and have run them for 3 seasons with absolutely no problem. The snow tires are the same size as my summers. The dealer did the service during warranty period and never once mentioned any problems with the rims and tires. Brian

Reply to
Pumps

Hmm, I thought on an LGT or another car with pretense of better handling you'd notice the difference with bricks. You're saying that the car does not handle any worse with the steel rims despite the substantially increased unsprung weight? I don't mind steels if they come with the car off the dealer's lot since they can be reused for winter, but why buying steel rims when the difference between used

15" steels ($50) and cheapest new 15" made-in-china gravity cast allows on tire rack is about $15 per wheel? You'd pay close to that for mounting each tire!!! Are there any problems with the dirt cheap alloy rims?
Reply to
Body Roll

The new 16" steel "bricks" cost ~$50 and you are right, they do change handling, but so do the ice radials that are mounted on them! I don't worry so much about performance handling during the winter months, I just need to be able to stop, go and get hell out of the way of the idiots with worn all-seasons tires. I have no experience with the Chinese alloys, but I would worry about how well they would hold up to cold, salt and gravel. Of course at that price, it wouldn't matter much. My son had a cheap set on his Supra and had to get the bead welded on multiple wheels due to cracking. Mind you that may relate to his driving style...

Reply to
Pumps

Another gem of wisdom from the man who knows everything because he read it in a car rag.

For most people the difference in unsprung weight is barely noticeable, if that.

Most tire shops can get steelies for $25-$40.

As for those $15 alloys from China, I've seen them in the tire shops, broken beads, leaks, one that actually had a broken center from bumping a curb in a parking lot at a ~60 degree angle. Yup, I'm going to put a set of those on for the winter... not! I'd be in fear of breaking one following a rut in snowpack/ice.

Reply to
nobody >

$15 difference. I can't get the steelies for under $50 in california. And shipping $30 steelies from the tirerack (when they have them) would probably kill the savings over the alloys. The Chinese gravity cast alloys were $65 on tirerack. Strange that tirerack would risk their reputation by selling those if they are as bad as you claim they are.

What would be your recommendation for the cheapest alloys that are still usable and fall apart after knocking about on rough pavement? Are gravity cast rims completely out of the question?

Reply to
Body Roll

I have to back up on price on steellies. It was a year ago that I bought 1 steel rim for my wife's OBS with 15" rims (set up a 'real' spare) and the rim was a "multi-fit with 10 holes for 2 different bolt circles, cost was $40 then and that ws a 15". I called a local shop and a 16" steel to fit a Soobie is $55

The Chinese gravity cast alloys were

You get what you pay for. I was going by BodyRoll's price, not local. There was a "tuner shop" selling probably the same crap in the $25 range. They went out of business real quickly and the buyers were stranded.

A $65 alloy from TireRack is a whole different animal. They don't want to sell outright crap. I wouldn't have a problem with those except I'd be concerned about corrosion resistance at that price.

I can't answer that as I'm satisfied with my stock alloys and haven't been shopping and asking questions about rims. I've been busy with tire shops otherwise; both Soobs, my old Bronco II, and my mother's Tempo have needed tires in the last 4 months.

Reply to
nobody >

I sold my takeoffs with TIRES on 'em for $500 no shipping,no taxes ! Real 17"x7 subaru 2006 WRX OEM with less than 350 miles.

But this is the wrong time of year cause all the yankees want snow wheels.

Carl

Reply to
Carl 1 Lucky Texan

Being in California, I think you're misunderstanding whole concept of "winter rims". The concept of winter rims is that they're supposed to be as unstylish as possible so that when crap & crud gets on them, they look the same, because they already looked like they were crap. They're also supposed to be durable. Somehow cast wheels of any kind, and especially cast aluminium seems to be the opposite of durable.

Yousuf Khan

Reply to
YKhan

The other problem with most alloys would be the amount of snow and ice that might build up in them I guess. But cheap alloys might still be an option for folks who have trouble finding 'real' snow tire rims with the correct offset.

Carl

Reply to
Carl 1 Lucky Texan

I reiterate, steelies are eye pollution. The OEM alloy wheels I use for my winter tires are holding up just fine after 8 winters in the rust belt of Ohio/New York, and they look a hell of a lot better than steelies. Again, I leave my snows on for five months a year, and that's a long time.

Reply to
KLS

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