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Subaru Impreza Tire/Wheel Questions

114 messages,  Last post on Feb 07, 2012 at 8:31 PM

You are in the Subaru Impreza Maintenance & Repair Forum.

What is this discussion about? Subaru Impreza, Tires, Sedan, Wagon

Messages Page 11 of 12

#96 of 114 Question on wheels & snow ties for 2008 Impreza Outback Sport by gnrice

Nov 04, 2011 (10:42 am)

I'm looking for studded snow tires for my 2008 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport. This is the ski car so the snow tires have to be good. Prices for the stock tire size (P205/50R17) run well over $200 per tire, I suspect because they're low profile and sexy. Holy suffering catfish!!
 
I'm wondering if second set of wheels to use as winter wheels with normal-profile utilitarian non-sexy and much less expensive snow tires might be a good option.
 
Is this a reasonable idea?
Will different sized wheels screw up performance or safety of the Sube?
Where can I get the best deal on the stuff?
 
I am female, generally clueless about cars, and don't want to get ripped off, so I'm hesitant to go to the tire store and get taken for a ride.
 
TIA.

#97 of 114 Re: Question on wheels & snow ties for 2008 Impreza Outback Sport [gnrice] by xwesx

Nov 04, 2011 (5:32 pm)

Replying to: gnrice (Nov 04, 2011 10:42 am)
You can go with 16" wheels on the Impreza, and yes, the tires will be less expensive. I have seen some tires for my Forester as much as a $40 difference between the 16" and 17" size equivalents for a given brand/model of tire!
 
Personally, I would not recommend studded tires. You will likely be better served with studless snow tires, such as the Bridgestone Blizzak, Goodyear UltraGrip Ice, or Michelin X-Ice.
 
That said, TireRack is a good place to go to compare tires, see the best compatible "alternate" tire (rim) sizes, etc. If you live in America (e.g., the contiguous 48 states), you can even buy tires/wheel sets with the tires already installed online for reasonable rates.
 
As a jump-start, the 205/55/R16 is a pretty close match for your stock size. It is 0.8% larger, meaning that when you're driving 60mph, your speedometer will read 60.465 mph.

#98 of 114 Re: Question on wheels & snow ties for 2008 Impreza Outback Sport [xwesx] by kyfdx HOST

Nov 05, 2011 (6:20 am)

Replying to: xwesx (Nov 04, 2011 5:32 pm)
Actually, 205/55-16 is the stock size for the base Impreza, so it should be perfect for the Outback Sport..
 
I'd definitely skip the studs, as well... Driving on dry roads is terrible (and, illegal where I live.. )

#99 of 114 Tire life of Potenza RE92a - Impreza by chris302

Dec 23, 2011 (10:56 pm)

Trying to find out the life of these tires, in terms of mileage, with average driving,. I can't find any info on the internet. Thanks for your help! Chris

#100 of 114 2012 sport premium impreza using yokos.. by kanjii

Dec 28, 2011 (9:10 am)

Just bought a sport premium model and the car has Yokohama avid s35d, I think.
Anyways, they look great and so far the drive and handling is good n the dry. Haven't taken it in the wet yet. Tire rack rated these tires poor, but the consumer reviews were all from Mazda 3 series cars. Any opinions on these tires from Subie owners?

#101 of 114 Re: Tire life of Potenza RE92a - Impreza [chris302] by fredjohnson

Dec 30, 2011 (11:03 pm)

Replying to: chris302 (Dec 23, 2011 10:56 pm)
I would say you will need new tires by about the 25k mark or in about a year and a half. OEM tires are terrible. They feather quickly and are poorly made. That goes for OEM tires on most cars from my experience.

#102 of 114 Re: Tire life of Potenza RE92a - Impreza [fredjohnson] by xwesx

Jan 02, 2012 (5:12 pm)

Replying to: fredjohnson (Dec 30, 2011 11:03 pm)
That's probably not far off what most owners will experience. The RE92A is a poor tire. I would expect life to be between 25,000 and 40,000 miles. Some owners have claimed considerably longer life. My personal experience is that whenever you decide to get rid of them (whether worn out or not), you'll be doing yourself a favor!

#103 of 114 Re: Question on wheels & snow ties for 2008 Impreza Outback Sport [gnrice] by angitherias

Jan 22, 2012 (7:46 pm)

Replying to: gnrice (Nov 04, 2011 10:42 am)
If you want really excellent snow tires, try Nokian Hakkapeliitta winter tires, studded or not, is up to you. We sell these at my work in Canada, where we have winter 6 months out of the year and they are really good; we also sell Michelin X-Ice and Bridgestone Blizzaks', but the Nokians are better as they are the people who invented winter tires.

#104 of 114 Rim interchangeability by kanjii

Jan 26, 2012 (4:47 pm)

What size rims can be used on a 2012 Impreza. I know they are 5 X 100 patterns with an offset of 48? If I buy used Impreza rims or WRX, which years will fit?

#105 of 114 Rim interchangeability by angitherias

Jan 26, 2012 (7:48 pm)

I found a good link about subaru wheels: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2239019
 
Usually the wheels size, width and offset is printed someplace on the inside of the wheel, behind the spokes for example. So that would be a good place to look.

Messages Page 11 of 12

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