svxcess Posted November 9, 2004 Share Posted November 9, 2004 In the old days when all my subies had 4 on 140mm it was easy. With winter closing in I am wondering, does my 92 legacy wagon have to have 14" wheels? Are all the 5 bolt patterns the same, and would 15" wheels work on my wagon? Please edjucate me...thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyKeith Posted November 9, 2004 Share Posted November 9, 2004 In the old days when all my subies had 4 on 140mm it was easy. With winter closing in I am wondering, does my 92 legacy wagon have to have 14" wheels? Are all the 5 bolt patterns the same, and would 15" wheels work on my wagon? Please edjucate me...thanks Well, you didn't ask it but simply made a statement about the old 4x140 wheels and technically it is a bit wrong. They made a change in the 5 spoke wagon wheels that made the earlier wheels not fit the later year cars. It had to do with the curve of the spokes. The early ones had a nice even curve and the later ones had a straight section and then a tight curve. The older wheels don't fit over the brakes on the newer GL/Loyale models. (Sorry, about that. This is the best place to learn useless/useful info like that) As for the other questions... No, yes, and yes. All the 5 lug patterns are the same. Any Legacy/Impreza Wheel will fit any Legacy/Impreza as long as it is the same size or larger than the factory wheel. (IE you can't put 14" wheels on an RS since they came with 15" wheels. The wheel would hit the brakes.) So, you can put any Subaru wheel that is 5 lug on your car. Lots of us have 95+ Legacys with the 16" WRX wheels on them since they can be found pretty cheap. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svxcess Posted November 9, 2004 Author Share Posted November 9, 2004 Thanks Keith. Several ads in local paper this week offering 15" wheel/tires for subaru wagons. Looks like I won't get stuck this winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svxpert Posted November 9, 2004 Share Posted November 9, 2004 <<As for the other questions... No, yes, and yes. All the 5 lug patterns are the same. Any Legacy/Impreza Wheel will fit any Legacy/Impreza as long as it is the same size or larger than the factory wheel. (IE you can't put 14" wheels on an RS since they came with 15" wheels. The wheel would hit the brakes.) So, you can put any Subaru wheel that is 5 lug on your car. Lots of us have 95+ Legacys with the 16" WRX wheels on them since they can be found pretty cheap. >> almost right. the SVX wheels only share the 2005 STi bolt pattern, so legacy doesn't fit the SVX and vice versa. New STi will only fit SVX unless it hits the brakes or strut because of offset. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenner55 Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 Did some research on the internet to find other maufacturers using the 5 bolt by 100mm pattern on their wheels. Among them was Dodge, Chevy, VW and Pontiac. Went to the local wrecker and found a matched set of 4 alloy wheels off an 89 Caravan that fit. Mounted one with 205/60-15 snow on the front right and drove around their parking lot. No clearance issue perfect fit in fact. There is a slight difference in offset but no more than many aftermarket wheels including the Ronal wheels offered as a dealer option a few years back. Haven't taken exact measurements yet but will check distance from rear edge of wheel to mounting surface, look to be sitting about 6-8mm furthur out than stock Subaru 15's. Different dimension on my OEM 16's but they are a half inch wider than the Dodge wheels so hard to compare. Think the oem 15's have a 48mm offset while the Dodge wheel is speced at 50mm. OEM 16's on the GT's are listed as 53mm offset. Anything with much more offset may not clear the rear struts as it moves the wheel inward while much less offset will push the wheels out resulting in fender clearance issues not to mention affect on wheel bearing wear. These wheels clearing the calipers fine. Caravan wheels are 15 by 6 inch with their "snowflake" pattern, same as used on many Dodge cars, Daytona etc. Lots of these sitting out there at scrap yards around the country. Will use these on our 96 OBW with studded tires as I have winter wheels with snows already for my GT. Didn't get a chance to check any other wheels from Chevy etc. but offset is likely to be the main issue, that and perhaps the centerhole diameter. End result being anyone looking for cheap winters or perhaps a "plus 1" setup on older Legacys may want to spend some time at the local wrecker. Word of caution being to take the time to fit one, with a tire mounted, on the car at the wreckers before you hand over any cash. I paid $100 for the four cean wheels, no curb damage so cheaper than any steel wheels I could find. If you're on a real budget the steel Dodge wheels might also work. Having the snows mounted this week and will bolt them on once serious Vermont snow arrives. Will report back to this thread with any issues. Regards __________________ Glenn 98 GT, 96 OBW In the old days when all my subies had 4 on 140mm it was easy. With winter closing in I am wondering, does my 92 legacy wagon have to have 14" wheels? Are all the 5 bolt patterns the same, and would 15" wheels work on my wagon? Please edjucate me...thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subie Gal Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 watch those offsets on non subaru wheels just stay in the 48mm area and you'll be okay oh and not all 5 lugs are the same the new sti's have a completely different bolt pattern it's no longer 5 x100 cheers jamie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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