The Dude Abides Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 If your going to do any type of offroading you want some sort of agressive tire. Its worth the investment. You could do it with a less agressive tire or a passanger tire but your asking for trouble. One of my favoret lines is (You can drive a car with your feet but that dont make it a good ******* idea) Lots of threads on here with lifting legacys with outback stuff. Im sure theres tire stuff on them as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShagginWagon Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 (edited) I measured 13.5 from the center of the tire to the front of the rear wheel well and u still have about a 1/4 so i believe the 27" tires would fit without the ob brackets, but the only thing im reading about and thinking my self would be the tire being taller and wider it would rub the spring perch. If not in the back probably when turning in the front. I was planning on getting some new tires with my tax return but i have a lot of stuff i have to spend that on so im waiting to see exactly how much i get before i can count my chickens. If i have enough money i will get some tires if not i will just have to save up to get them. Thats another reason why i like the grabbers, cheaper. I wish we had some pics with first gen legacys with the 27" tires. The newer gens have a bigger wheel well so we cant realy go off of that. I realy hope someone with first hand experience chimes in so we can get a forsure answer. Edited January 19, 2011 by ShagginWagon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael appel Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 most tire shops will allow you to test fit the tires first before buying I would suggest doing it this way they can order the tire and have them sitting there for you I measured 13.5 from the center of the tire to the front of the rear wheel well and u still have about a 1/4 so i believe the 27" tires would fit without the ob brackets, but the only thing im reading about and thinking my self would be the tire being taller and wider it would rub the spring perch. If not in the back probably when turning in the front. I was planning on getting some new tires with my tax return but i have a lot of stuff i have to spend that on so im waiting to see exactly how much i get before i can count my chickens. If i have enough money i will get some tires if not i will just have to save up to get them. Thats another reason why i like the bighorns, cheaper. I wish we had some pics with first gen legacys with the 27" tires. The newer gens have a bigger wheel well so we cant realy go off of that. I realy hope someone with first hand experience chimes in so we can get a forsure answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShagginWagon Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 (edited) Found the 27" bfg's but they say theyre only 26.5, but thats a good thing(better fit). The shipping is kinda expensive to where i live though. All together they are only like $25 more than the 195/75/14's from tirerack.com http://www.customwheelsdirect.com/html/tires_brand/tire_detail.php?id=7830 Edited January 20, 2011 by ShagginWagon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubaruFred Posted January 20, 2011 Author Share Posted January 20, 2011 If your going to do any type of offroading you want some sort of agressive tire. Its worth the investment. You could do it with a less agressive tire or a passanger tire but your asking for trouble. One of my favoret lines is (You can drive a car with your feet but that dont make it a good ******* idea) Lots of threads on here with lifting legacys with outback stuff. Im sure theres tire stuff on them as well. Excellent point but we each have different needs and priorities and have to make compromises accordingly. I'd love to have some 27x8.5 M/Ts for my 5% off-roading but I'd hate them 95% of the time on paved roads. I measured 13.5 from the center of the tire to the front of the rear wheel well and u still have about a 1/4 so i believe the 27" tires would fit without the ob brackets, but the only thing im reading about and thinking my self would be the tire being taller and wider it would rub the spring perch. If not in the back probably when turning in the front. I was planning on getting some new tires with my tax return but i have a lot of stuff i have to spend that on so im waiting to see exactly how much i get before i can count my chickens. If i have enough money i will get some tires if not i will just have to save up to get them. Thats another reason why i like the grabbers, cheaper. I wish we had some pics with first gen legacys with the 27" tires. The newer gens have a bigger wheel well so we cant realy go off of that. I realy hope someone with first hand experience chimes in so we can get a forsure answer. The oem 96-99 OB tires were 26.5" x 8.5" and according to general, their 27x8.5 are 26.5" x 8.6". I'm more worried about the gen 1 wheel wells and fenders than the struts. OTOH, Tire Rack says that the Grabbers are 26.8" tall which could make a difference. I decided earlier today to just get the BFGs and almost ordered them but I can't get over their weight and cost. They weigh even more than the 27x8.5" Grabbers and cost more. I'm convinced that 205-75-14 is the perfect size but there aren't any tires! There are lots of 27x8.5x14 choices but how well do they fit? Like you I'm still waiting for someone who's already done this to chime in. I know they're out there. most tire shops will allow you to test fit the tires first before buying I would suggest doing it this way they can order the tire and have them sitting there for you Perhaps so but none of the tires I'm looking at is even stocked locally. I highly doubt that any of them will special order the tires for me and test fit them for free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShagginWagon Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 I just found the 195 bfg's for $107 and the shipping wasnt bad either, they are almost $100 cheaper than tire rack. Shipping from tire rack for me was $60 and from the other it was $77. Heres the link http://tirecrawler.com/shop/detail_tire.php?product_id=8939?post=1&wishlist=&item_options_array=Array The 27" bfg's that i just found a little bit ago were suposed to only be 26.5" according to the website. But i think im gonna play it safe and go with the better gas mileage as gas is outrageous and is only gonna keep going up supposidly and go with the 195's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShagginWagon Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 (edited) I forgot to add that jcwitney does price matching and if their shipping is cheaper that might be the cheapest route to go. Nevermind this post( i looked and they dont carry that size) Edited January 20, 2011 by ShagginWagon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubaruFred Posted January 20, 2011 Author Share Posted January 20, 2011 (edited) I just found the 195 bfg's for $107 and the shipping wasnt bad either, they are almost $100 cheaper than tire rack. Shipping from tire rack for me was $60 and from the other it was $77. Heres the link http://tirecrawler.com/shop/detail_tire.php?product_id=8939?post=1&wishlist=&item_options_array=Array The 27" bfg's that i just found a little bit ago were suposed to only be 26.5" according to the website. But i think im gonna play it safe and go with the better gas mileage as gas is outrageous and is only gonna keep going up supposidly and go with the 195's Good find! $107 is cheap for the BFGs. The best price I found was $120 but after shipping that place was a little more than Tire Rack. The bad news for me is that shipping from TireCrawler to me was $102 vs $47 from Tire Rack. Anyway, my daughter needs my current tires ASAP so I couldn't wait any longer. I pulled the trigger on the Falkens for much the same reasons you're leaning toward the BFGs. I commute 70 miles per day and IMO 30lb A/T tires would cost me 2-3mpg. The 23lb Falkens are only 6lbs heavier than oem. I have no plans to do any serious off-roading so I think the Falkens will be adequate for snow and some light off-road duty. In the end I gave up on the 27s since I don't want new rims. The 27s should really go on 6-7.5" rims, not 5.5". The bad thing is that if Falken made more of these tires I could have drove over to Sears and bought them for $75 each. Instead I had to pay $100 each after shipping because Tires-Easy was the only place I could find that had any. Oh well, the good thing is I found semi-aggressive tread tires in the perfect size for my car (26x8x14). I emailed Falken and was told that they have not discontinued these tires, they simply don't make them often due to limited manufacturing capacity. BTW, I found something interesting regarding fitment: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showpost.php?p=984393&postcount=10 2" lift 27X8.50X14 wild cats no cutting Edited January 20, 2011 by SubaruFred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael appel Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 Thats jeffs wifes wagon sweet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubaruFred Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 (edited) Just an update on the fitment questions. I had my 205/75/14 (26x8x14) Falkens installed a couple days ago and they fit very well, look and perform great. However there is some slight rubbing against the fenderwell at full steering lock. Obviously 27x8.5x14s would rub more without some "adjustments". It's too early to be sure but after one tank of gas it appears that I may have lost roughly 1 mpg compared to the 185/70/14 Michelin Harmonys that I replaced. I can live with that. I was averaging 23mpg but only got 22mpg with the Falkens under similar conditions. The car looks much better with these tires and better suits my intended uses. Pics ASAP. Edited January 30, 2011 by SubaruFred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubaruFred Posted February 10, 2011 Author Share Posted February 10, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LegacyBrad Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Looks good. I think after some body work, and a re-spray of the trim it will look a hundred time better. Oh, and I through in tint just for fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubaruFred Posted February 11, 2011 Author Share Posted February 11, 2011 Thanks! It looks much better already but you forgot to strip the blue stuff off the white letters on the tires. In addition to what you listed I'd also like to add a roof rack to carry a spare tire. Any suggestions on what fits? BTW, the PO did that 'body work' on the 1/4 panels. I'm embarrassed enough about that without having people think I did it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JROO22 Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Anyone tried these yet? They have them in a 195/75/14. http://www.onlinetires.com/products/vehicle/tires/cooper/195%252F75-14+cooper+discoverer+radial+lt+93q.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superu Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 (edited) Anyone tried these yet? They have them in a 195/75/14.http://www.onlinetires.com/products/vehicle/tires/cooper/195%252F75-14+cooper+discoverer+radial+lt+93q.html It's a decent tire. I ran these 2 sets of tires ago in 27x8.5 14 I only got about 30K miles on them though LT tread but still a car tire, so a bit lighter than the BFG comparison. Good grip, nice tread and lighter than BFG but low mileage.. Went through a set of these and got 44K miles on the BFGs Now I'm in these now General Grabber AT2 in 27x8.5 14. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=General&tireModel=Grabber+AT+2 I like these better then the BFGs of same size. Deeper wider-spaced lugs and way better snow/mud shedding. Waranty calls them a 60K mile tire, except LT and flotation tires. So I'm not sure what that means. That's my experience, for what it's worth. -mw- Edited February 18, 2011 by superu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubaruFred Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 Just an update on the Falkens. I've had a few chances to use them in snow and they performed much better than expected. I climbed a very steep ~100 vertical foot farmhouse driveway covered with 8" of snow very easily. Obviously these are not M/T tires but the mild A/T tread and 13/32 depth make them quite capable for snow or mild off-roading. This combined with their light 23lb per tire weight and $3+ gal gas makes me very happy with them. It appears that I've only lost ~1mpg vs the oem sized Michelin A/S tires they replaced. Tire choice is obviously a compromise. Good dry pavement tires suck on snow, snow tires suck on dry pavement and all-seaon tires are mediocre on all surfaces. FWIW I'm giving these Falkens two thumbs up for dry/wet pavement, snow and light off-road use. Definitely not the tire you want for serious off-roading but if you spend over 50% of your time on paved roads, they're worth considering vs the 30lb per tire BFGs, Coopers, Generals, etc. /review Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subimonster Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 i have a 95 legacy with 98 ob struts on all four corners. all i had to do to fit even 28" tsl super swampers was cut on both sides of the small pinch weld right in front of the back tire and take a ball peen hammer and roll it under the car then sprayed some paint on it and it fit right in there on the stock 14" rim. i wheel the hell out of it and never have any problems so a 27 would fit beautifully if you just roll that pinch weld down a little.. it took me all of an hour and that was stopping for lunch in the middle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubaruFred Posted March 23, 2011 Author Share Posted March 23, 2011 i have a 95 legacy with 98 ob struts on all four corners. all i had to do to fit even 28" tsl super swampers was cut on both sides of the small pinch weld right in front of the back tire and take a ball peen hammer and roll it under the car then sprayed some paint on it and it fit right in there on the stock 14" rim. i wheel the hell out of it and never have any problems so a 27 would fit beautifully if you just roll that pinch weld down a little.. it took me all of an hour and that was stopping for lunch in the middle. Thanks. If my car outlasts these Falkens I'll probably go with 27's for the next set. Hopefully 27x8.5x14 will still be available then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subimonster Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 good luck finding them but if you had 15" rims a 205/70 15 or a 215/75 15 are really close to a 27" tire and it opens up the types of tires and manufacturer list alot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superu Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 i have a 95 legacy with 98 ob struts on all four corners. all i had to do to fit even 28" tsl super swampers was cut on both sides of the small pinch weld right in front of the back tire and take a ball peen hammer and roll it under the car then sprayed some paint on it and it fit right in there on the stock 14" rim. i wheel the hell out of it and never have any problems so a 27 would fit beautifully if you just roll that pinch weld down a little.. it took me all of an hour and that was stopping for lunch in the middle. 28's on oB struts and minimal massaging! Nice squeeze!! Look at post #40 and you'll see we're twinsies Nice work on your sedan! Are you running 5MT or auto? This is my second set of 27x8.5 14's (BFGs first set and general grabbers this newest set).. I know folks sometimes find a mu terrain 27 14"... But i ze... think the cooper ssts are no longer made in that size anyway, I just wanted to chime in and give props on your lift, and props on the project for doing the additional 3" lift too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShagginWagon Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 If i remember correctly 95 was the year of the body change, u guys got bigger wheel wells than our first gens have. 27's will still probably fit with a little work tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subimonster Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 well thanks. it is nice too actually get a little praise for my subi because everyone i know around here doesn't like it because i didn't just slam it and go the rice burner rout. i have the auto in it with 261k on the original tranny and i have flushed it once but that thing just keeps ticking. i am very interested in putting a five speed in it if you know anything about that swap or where i can get a cheap tranny that would be great. and it is getting increasingly hard to find a good mud tire because the whole debacle with interco selling super swamper off those bastards but i have been able to get by on general, BFG, and good year so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superu Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 well thanks. it is nice too actually get a little praise for my subi because everyone i know around here doesn't like it because i didn't just slam it and go the rice burner rout. i have the auto in it with 261k on the original tranny and i have flushed it once but that thing just keeps ticking. i am very interested in putting a five speed in it if you know anything about that swap or where i can get a cheap tranny that would be great. and it is getting increasingly hard to find a good mud tire because the whole debacle with interco selling super swamper off those bastards but i have been able to get by on general, BFG, and good year so far. Sorry for the diversion in this thread... There are a few write-ups on 5MT swaps around. With the auto you'll be able to wheel steeper and a bit harder than a manual, but with 200+K, a lower mileage tranny wouldn't be a bad thing. I prefer stick, BUT am limited by its taller gearing, which an auto's torque converter overrides... cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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