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Ok, here's what I come up with regarding tire sizes: Tire size_______ Sidewall height___ Overall height 185/70-13______ 5.1"____________ 23.2" 195/65-14______ 5"______________ 24" 195/60-14______ 4.6"____________ 23.2" 215/60-15______ 5.1"____________ 25.2" 27x8.5-14______ 6.2"____________ 26.4" 225/55-17______ 4.9"____________ 26.7" Of course, this is really only an estimate, the overall height and diameter aren't always the same, varies from manufacturer to manufacturer and tire to tire, but it should be close. The 185/70-13 is the stock size; I still have to figure out from my brother exactly what he wants to use the BRAT for, but I think its going to be about 90% paved, 10% gravel, so the emphasis will be on street performance. The 195/60-14 is the leading candidate, the loss of sidewall height isn't that bad, and the overall height is very similar. Obviously, the suspension is dramatically different, but the 255/55-17s on my Outback have pretty good performance characteristics, and are similar in sidewall height. The 215s and 27s are too tall for this application, and I think the 195/65s are going to be too tall as well, but would be good for more off-road oriented work. That's what I'm thinking at this point anyway. Are the wheels for trailers adequate for this application? I'm sure they're strong enough vertically (some of them anyway), but what about lateral loads on the front wheels from turning? I'd rather use the truck wheels; if we can find them anyway. I'll keep the trailer wheels in mind, but it'll be a last resort; it looks like you can pick up Nissan wheels for about $15 each, even figuring the cost of getting them powder coated they shouldn't be too bad. Thanks for the input...

Ah, thank you Phizinza, that's good to know that those two will work. Do you happen to know what size tires are on both sets of wheels? Are the tires on the 15s really low profile for light off-pavement use, mainly gravel roads? We don't need short stiff highways that are going to force the suspension to soak up every bump and impact, Michigan roads are bad enough already without magnifying the effect. When you say M/T, is that Mud-Terrain? And no, I certainly don't want the tires to stick out, I doubt my brother does either. Too much strain on the hubs, for one thing, and its better to have a tire that tucks into the fender, not eats it. I think the Nissan is going to be the way to go; I've only ever seen a Ford Courier once in my life, I'm sure the ones sold in Michigan succumbed to rust long ago. Hopefully there are still a few older Nissans; I'll still try to figure out if the D-50 / Mighty Max wheels will work, there will be a lot more of those available in Michigan because of Chrysler workers.

I tried to search for this info, to no avail. Maybe the article I read about the conversion (http://www.vintagesubaruparts.com/6lug.htm ) is erroneous somehow, if it hasn't been attempted here. Input is appreciated on this; brakes and wheels are kinda an important part of a vehicle (my dry humor), and I want to be sure this is done properly and safely. So, my brother's BRAT needs new wheels / tires. We snagged the suspension off of the XT when we pulled the turbo motor, so we have everything we need for disc brakes. Rather than try to scrounge up something off of a Peugeot (Phew-got? Phew-go? Whatev'), or find the parts I need from an XT6 (already got the other ones), I'd rather go with the 4x140 mm to 6x5.5 inch conversion. I understand its possible- drill four new holes in the hub, leave two in place, add new studs- which is simple enough. It looks like from the pictures in the FSM that Subaru was even nice enough to attach the brake rotor separately, not utilizing the same holes that the studs go through to retain the rotor (saving me the headache of trying to figure out where to scrounge up rotors with the proper thickness, offset, and diameter to work with 6 lug wheels). Now, the question is, where to find the right wheels? Unfortunately, the main candidates I would look for- S-10 / Sonoma and full-size GM cars- utilize a 5-lug wheel. So, looking at the options, is there any thought on which of these would be best; utilizing the following criteria: 6x5.5" bolt pattern 14 or 15 inch diameter 5-7 inch width Correct offset (this will be the tricky one I think) Model Year Diameter Isuzu Amigo 89-00 15 x 6 Isuzu Pickup 80-96 14 x 6 Isuzu Rodeo 91+ 15 x 7 Isuzu Trooper 92-96 16 x 7 Isuzu Trooper II 84-91 15 x 6 GM big SUV 4wd 71-91 15 x 7 GM big SUV 4wd 92+ 15 x 7 GM big SUV 2wd 00+ 15 x 6(7) GM ½ ton 4wd 67-87 15 x 7 GM ½ ton 4wd 88-98 16 x 7 GM ½ ton 2/4wd 99+ 16 x 7 GM ¾ ton 2/4wd 67+? 16 x 7 Dodge D-50 & Ram 50 2wd 79-93 14 x 6 Dodge D-50 & Ram 50 2wd diesel 83-93 15 x 6 Dodge Raider 4wd 86-89 15 x 6 Ford Courier 77-84 14 x 6 Jeep Full-size 74-92 15 x 6 Mazda B-series 77-93 14 x 6 Mazda B-series 77-93 15 x 6 Mitsu. Montero 83+ 15 x 6 Mitsu. Pickup 83-96 14 x 6 Mitsu. Pickup 83-94 15 x 6 Nissan Frontier 98+ 15 x 6 Nissan Pathfinder 87-96 15 x 6 Nissan Pickup 73-86 14 x 6 Nissan Pickup 87-96 15 x 6 Toyota Pickup 4wd 80-95 15 x 7 Toyota 4Runner 80-95 15 x 7 Toyota Pickup 4wd 86-95 15 x 6 Toyota Landcruiser 69-92 15 x 6 Toyota Tacoma 4wd 95-97 15 x 7 I'm inclined to think the LUV / Isuzu Pickup, Dodge D-50 / Ram-50 / Mitsubishi pickup, or Nissan pickup would be best, with their 14 x 6 size (compared to stock BRAT 13 x 5). I think 15s are too big for the BRAT; its not going to be lifted, and the tires would be too low profile with 15s or larger. The LUV will be rare to find, and the wheels are ugly, so the Mitsubishi / Nissan / D-50 will probably be the way to go; a lot more selection, and more recent vehicles. Hopefully the offset is close. Stock tire size is 195/75-14 (for the Mitsubishi), Tirerack recommends 205/75-14 as an up-size. Stock BRAT tires are 185/70-13; roughly 23.2" diameter. A 195/60-14 is a hair over 23.2", but sounds awfully low-profile; a 195/65-14 ends up being a bit under 24", which shouldn't throw off the speedometer too much (maybe going ~65 mph @ indicated 60 mph), and shouldn't have any clearance issues (I don't think anyway). One of the biggest benefits of going to the 14s is tire selection; there are 6 options in the 185/70-13 size on tirerack, opposed to 22 options in the 195/60-14 size and 13 options in the 195/65-14 size. So, any thoughts from people who've been there? Or anyone else that wants to throw in their 2 cents? And in a final safety note- is anyone aware of hub failure because of the extra material being removed? It would seem the wheel itself would help reinforce the structure by clamping it together, but if necessary we could probably fabricate a sort of backing plate and utilize extra long studs, effectively sandwiching the hub between the wheel and the backing plate. Not sure about balance, but I suspect it will be ok.

Hey, I understand where you're coming from and don't think its a bad idea at all . My bro just got a BRAT, he likes the true FWD / 4WD high / 4WD low option, but it would be nice to have a 5 speed. Considering it looks like $500-700 for an RX tranny, it would be nice to just take the BRAT transfer case and mate it to a free-$100 Loyale 5-speed. Cheaper, and provides everything but the AWD (which, I know, is the whole point of a Subaru, but hey, have to make sacrifices somewhere). Anyway, no answer on this yet; does anyone have any idea, or do I have to go out and do it myself ?

Hey, have this conversation going on NASIOC too, so am just going to post my observations here as well, even if it means I am talking to myself... Well, went back to the junkyard to look around, check out the cars with a little better light (was dusk when I went there before). This junkyard used to have an XT turbo, but I asked them and they said it had been crushed; saw a legacy (with an EJ22), went to look at it, and buried back in the woods further was the XT! Its a rare bird I guess, XT GL-10 auto, 112,000 miles on the odometer. Went and asked the guys at the yard about it; they said since they had forgotten about it, we could just have the car (did I mention we have a pretty good relationship with them ?) So, they're going to haul it out of the trees on Friday, and we'll pull off everything we need. I think we should be able to use the rear discs; not sure yet, need to do some research; not sure yet if the front brakes are different either, might pull those too. Also get the computer, wiring harness, radiator, etc. I've seen elsewhere that the rear suspension will bolt right in (not sure if that is accurate), and that the front can be adapted to work. Thanks for the input Calebz; this one apparently has the spider intake (didn't loook because I didn't know such a thing existed until this afternoon, but I can check Friday) so may be able to adapt the XT6 throttle body if need be; sux about not having larger injectors available; and I now have access to two sets of turbo heads, should be able to come up with a usable set. Can't beat the price... As to why we aren't going to go with an EJ series... First of all, its not my BRAT, its my brothers. What he wants is what we'll do with it. Second, this is a budget project; although the engine cost may not be that much higher (could probably get it for $200 from the yard) we'd then have to get either an adapter plate to mate up to this transmission / t-case, or get a EJ-series trans; also the time needed to fabricate the engine mounts (if that's neccessary; can't seem to find any good info on how to swap drivetrains). And the headache of hooking up the shift linkage, throttle and clutch- ugh. I think staying in the EA family has a lot to recommend itself. Granted, wiring is going to be a pain, but it would be for an EJ also. The EA82T also has the advantage of having a distributor; the EJs don't, so using the Megasquirt (no ignition control (yet)) becomes complicated. As far as reliability is concerned, my brother doesn't drive that far from home, and if it breaks down its easy enough for us to recover it; also I don't think its going to be THAT unreliable, not with intercooler, oil cooler, good maintance, and premium fuel. Yes, its an older engine design; but, hey, its a SUBARU! If they're good enough for light planes, they're good enough for me. As far as power goes; yes, it is down 15 hp and 3 lb-ft of torque in stock trim. But, it develops that power lower (1990 EJ22 has 130 hp@5600 rpm, 137 lb-ft@4400 rpm, 1987 EA82T has 115hp@5200 rpm and 134 lb-ft@2800 rpm), this with 7.7 compression and 7 lbs (I think) of non-intercooled boost. I think matching the EJ22s peak numbers should not be difficult, and should be plenty to move the BRAT (considering its stock engine has 73 hp and 94 lb-ft and it only weighs ~2300 lbs). Not looking for WRX-level performance after all; judging by how scary the BRAT is at 60 mph (granted, all original rubber bushings and shocks), I don't think my bro is going to be pushing the performance envelope anyway. Thanks for the comments...

Hey, look at that, for once a title that's all caps and actually should be... Weird. Anyway, here's the question: My little bro just got his first Sube, an '84 BRAT (*sniffle* they grow up so fast...). It has the EA81 carbed engine- now, its not in optimal running condition, but wow, its gutless. A quick trip to the local junkyard revealed 5 older Subes (3 Loyales with EA82s, 1 older wagon with an EA82, and (yay!) a GL-10 wagon with an EA82T). They may have more hiding in there somewhere; they used to have a turbo XT, but it may have been crushed years ago. Unfortunately, the one EA82T is in pieces (the turbo is in the back of the wagon, engine and heads are still assembled but the intake tract is not complete); I probably can assemble the pieces, but it will definitely require a rebuild; I look on the positive side of this though; it may give me the oppurtunity to make a better engine out of the deal. We have a good relationship with the guys at the junkyard, so they will probably give us good access to the cars. The goal here is to have a reliable, decent performing car on a budget (I don't think he expects to be able to keep up with my '05 Outback XT, just not get run over by a CRX HF). I should mention that our older brother is a motorcycle mechanic for a Honda dealership, and is certified to teach high school auto shop classes, so we have the technical know-how to put things together. Here's my thought: Pressure test the EA82s, select the best one (unless they are dramatically weaker than the EA82Ts? Anyone know this for a fact?) Take intake/exhaust components from EA82T (seen several references to heads cracking with some frequency, so will use EA82 heads) Plumb in intercooler (huh, look at that, a Probe GT turbo is sitting right next to the GL-10! What are the odds? ). Get larger fuel injectors- does anyone know if the external dimensions from the XT's flat-6 or EJ series engines are the same as the EA82, and can they be used? Is there a larger throttle body that will work on the EA82 without extensive fabricating? Like from a later Sube? Fuel management- hmmm, this is where it gets tricky. I was thinking one option was a rising-rate fuel pressure regulator; coupled with the larger injectors, the intercooling, and premium fuel, it may be enough to keep the engine in one piece (even with the higher compression of the EA82 versus the EA82T). Otherwise, could go with a Megasquirt; but I've never built one, so not sure if that's the way to go. Also, could add water injection coupled to boost (neat blurb on the Megasquirt page on how to do that, basically you use the boost to pressurize a water tank, so only when the system is generating boost does it spray water into the intake stream. Neat huh?). So, that's my thoughts for now. If anyone has solid experience with any of this, I'd love to hear from you. Its a great little car- err, truck. Err, Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter (B-R-A-T ). Thank you.