pBIIKS Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 Does anyone know if I can use 16 inch wheels and snow tires on a 2005 outback wagon that came with 17 inch wheels? Will I have enough clearance for brakes ect? And is it okay to use steel wheels? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbhrps Posted October 21, 2006 Share Posted October 21, 2006 I've watched your thread for a couple of days now and no one has jumped in with an absolute response, so I'll give you my experience and suggestions. When I had my old 97 OBW LTD I had a second set of 15 inch steel wheels with Blizzaks for winter use, for the extra grip and safety, and to save my mag wheels from salt, and just changed to my summer mags and tires in the spring. I traded the car on an 02 OBW LTD and found that the 15 inch wheels would not clear the front calipers, as the wheel size had gone up to 16 inches in 2000. I had a dealer say "they'll fit for sure!" Well, they didn't! Consequently I sold the steel wheels and Blizzaks on this forum, and bought new 16 inch steel wheels and ice grip tires for the new car. My advice .... try out a correct 16 inch wheel on the new car to know for sure. The only other possibility will be to check on the net, or a dealership, to see if the basic Brighton model comes with 16 inch steel wheels, and then check to see if it has the same caliper diameter up front as your OBW. If the caliper diameters are the same, you should be good to go. The bolt patterns will be the same regardless. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastwgn286 Posted October 21, 2006 Share Posted October 21, 2006 jack up and try it out. if you cant get them on, they dont fit...... if you can, jack all wheels off ground, car in neutral, and spin to see if they rub. wheels are as diverse as tires, so some 16"s may, some may not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pBIIKS Posted October 22, 2006 Author Share Posted October 22, 2006 Thanks for the replies, the local dealer says they should fit, but I don't have any around to try out. Thought I could get more and better info from this forum. I also don't want to run the alloy wheels in the salt. It would certainly be cheaper to go with 16's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WRX2FFU Posted October 22, 2006 Share Posted October 22, 2006 Thanks for the replies, the local dealer says they should fit, but I don't have any around to try out. Thought I could get more and better info from this forum. I also don't want to run the alloy wheels in the salt. It would certainly be cheaper to go with 16's. here is something to try. Find someone selling the stock (5x100)2002-2005 wrx wheels with re92's on them. they "should fit". The re92's are not great but ok in the snow. You can pick em up pretty cheap. usually. You might even have enough $ to buy some snow tires. Btw the 2002-2005 wrx wheels are 16's. or even try to get the 2006 wrx wheels. they are 17's though. might be a different bolt pattern too. try nasioc.com either for for sale or your regional forum. lots of wrx's there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbhrps Posted October 22, 2006 Share Posted October 22, 2006 Be careful with the wheel width size that you choose! You want a narrow width tire for the winter, something that won't fit on a wide WRX rim. My 97 OBW had 205's for summer and winter tires and was fine in the snow. When I got my 02 OBW the stock tire width had changed to a 225. I made the mistake of going with the same width for my winter tires and found that they rode up on top of the snow at speed and aquaplaned. I could not drive the same speeds in winter with the wider tires that I could on my older OBW with the narrower 205's. I can't wait to wear these present 225's out so I can go as narrow as possible with a winter tire that will fit correctly on my present winter rims. Check out how narrow the winter tires are on the ralleye cars and you'll see what I mean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dxrflyboy Posted October 23, 2006 Share Posted October 23, 2006 Most 2005 Outbacks had 16" wheels. Exceptions would be XTs, Limiteds, LL Bean, and H6s. I'm not aware of all the brake hardware differences between them. All 2006 Outbacks had 17" wheels, but a more basic version of the Outback is available for '07 with the Forester 16" steel wheels. In all likelihood, the 16s will bolt onto your car with no problem, but you should try a 16 on the front and back to be sure before you buy a set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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