I have read through all of the post I can find about putting bigger wheels on a brat. Have seen lots of opinions and lifts, etc. I am a woman, and I can not cut fenders, weld, or install lift kits. So.... Just a simple question. Is it possible to put bigger wheels on a 2nd gen brat without any big ole modifications? OR if I find someone that can do the work for me, is there a lift kit available for a brat that will allow for 15" wheels?

You don't actually need to lift the vehicle to increase wheel size as long as you plus size the tires correctly you can find a size for the 14s or 15s to keep the same tire height.

^what he said. Wheel and tire size are 2 different, and only slightly connected, statistics.

 

 

If you want to get oversized wheels, you just need to get appropriate tires. Luckily, Subaru used relatively large tires, even though they're 13" wheels, so it's possible to go up quite a bit in wheel size without getting a larger tire (I ran 17s on my Loyale....which was even lowered a bit).

 

 

 

 

The challenge, is that finding oversize wheels that will fit without modification is difficult. And really the only viable option (Pugeout) will bolt on, but the offset is not correct, so they stick out more, and you will have more issue with the tires hitting the fender.

 

 

Here's my '85 Wagon with 205/60r15 tires on Pug alloys. I had a little issue with the rear tires hitting the fender while loaded, but I think that car was a little......uh....saggy. I still might go for some lower-profile tires, like a 205/50 or 205/55.

Edited January 9, 201313 yr by Numbchux

205/55r15 are relatively hard to find, the celica gt I had ran that size and even working for a dealer I couldn't come up with a decent price on anything that wasn't chinese. A 195/60 would be the perfect choice to retain close to stock tire height and also easier to find tires for.

 

I notice you're in Knoxville. I'm assuming Tennesee.

I ran 195/60/15s on my car and had 0 issues with rubbing except when I was offroading and didnt pay attention to the bumps.

So if I use anything except the pugs I am going to have to have serious modifications done to the hubs correct. I hated the pugs until I saw the black ones on ur wagon. The black looks much better I think. I am thinking about having the brat painted black. So, maybe I should just find a set of those wheels. They are 15"? And yes I live in knoxville Tennessee.

And with the pug wheels I can get 195/60-15 correct?

If you get a 15" Pug wheel, then you can put that size tire on yes.

Is 195/50-15 not a common size in the US? This size is actually much closer to the rolling diameter of the original factory wheel and tyre combo. The result being a more accurate speedometer reading.

 

This is the size I use on my Pugs and would fit fine on a Gen 2 Brat.

So if I use anything except the pugs I am going to have to have serious modifications done to the hubs correct.

 

Technically there are other options, but they are far more rare than Pugs (somewhere there is a list of 4x140 wheels, but they're all extremely rare, even compared to the pugs, which aren't exactly common).

 

 

Everything else involves either converting wheels to a different lug pattern (6-lug to 4) or the vehicle to 5 or 6 lug. There are a few members/companies ( http://www.sjrlift.com comes to mind) who could do the modification required for the 6-lug conversion so it would be as easy as swapping hubs, which anybody with some mechanical aptitude could install.

I have 205-50R15 on my '88 Wagon. Pretty sure your Brat uses the same diameter tires as the wagons. The speedo is dead on accurate, and no rubbing. I like this size too because there are a ton of very nice tires that fit.

What kind of wheels?

What kind of wheels?

 

I drilled the hubs for 6 lug (with a milling machine) and am using Isuzu Rodeo forged alloys.

 

You can kind-of see them here:

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Rm2DFVteSDAIyBQ73HQSfut4bszuSWzHLxcb_sc0RE0?feat=directlink

Their is also 14" Peugeot steel wheels that you could install Subaru hubcaps on. Then you could look for 185/70-14 tires. Just another option!

If you find the 15" Pug wheels, beware of the 390 type (on the tire sidewall) and I believe embossed on the inside of the rim. 390's are metric 15's and are actually 15-1/4" or so in diameter; normal 15" won't fit on the rims and the 390 tires are very expensive (only made by Michelin and I have no idea how much they cost).

So the 14" pugs sound like the way to go. Now finding them I am sure is not going to be easy!

What do the steel wheels look like. I am thinking those are the ugly ones. I like the black ones the guy in previous post has on his wagon and I think those are 15s.

Ok then if any of you guys see the wheels I can use let me know.:-\

There is a pug alloy wheel in the 14" size also. Check out the for sale forum; I thought I saw a set of pugs there recently.

Sorry I don't have the 14" Pug rims on my Brat anymore, they are in the barn. I rode them with and with out hubcaps. Hard call but sure alloys can look nicer. I had my steel pugs sandblasted an painted black at a bodyshop so they did look pretty good for steel rims.

Which ones r he black ones on he green wagon at the beginning of this thread?

Which ones r he black ones on he green wagon at the beginning of this thread?

 

green wagon? Mine? I think I'm the only one that posted a picture...

 

 

'85 Wagon with 205/60r15 tires on Pug alloys.

 

Last number in the tire size, is wheel size. So those are 15" Pug Alloy wheels. I looked at tire availability, and with that in mind, I'd run 205/50r15 if I did it again.

Yep those r the ones I like. Thanks! I found a REAL nice set yesterday on eBay but they are the metric ones. I read somewhere on here that those wont work. I will keep looking. In no big hurry.

Love ur wagon too!