Hey, so I'm currently running 205/55/16's(all season) on my 96 legacy wagon, but am thinking of swapping back to the 185/70/14 for a winter snow tire.   I recently put the 14's(all season) back on and the handling and steering seemed to improve while the looks of the car suffered:/  I am wondering if I have enough clearance for the tread of a new snow tire with the 205/55/16's ( seems like when I hit a big dip I can hear the tire rub sometimes?) and if there will be enough room to clean out the snow and ice build up in the wheel well.  last but not least the 185/70/14 is a narrower tire which should = better traction in the snow eh?  What tire size do you recommend for a winter snow tire on a 96 legacy wagon? 

i have a set of dedicated 14" stock steelies with 185/75R snows on them for my 95 Legacy - soon to be put back on the car...my summer tires are 205/65R15 all seasons. I am also running on Forester struts & springs, so have a bit more clearance for a bigger tire/wheel combo

 

the 185/75s are a little taller sidewall than the stock tire size so they dont look too terrible on the car, but arent so big that you cant clear the wheel well either. you want taller/narrower in the winter, so I personally wouldnt go with a 205 anything...

 

if you want ot get a general idea of size comparisons, try this site: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

Edited September 19, 201411 yr by heartless

205/55/16 is stock tire for the 97GT.

and the r7 GT has the EXACT same suspension as the 96 L wagon,

except for the diameter of the sway bar, GT is thicker.

 

put you finger on top of the rear tire and see how much room there is in between the tire and the spring perch.

i doubt snow tires of the same size are very much larger.

they have to stay the same circumference or the speedos would be off.

but i don't really know snow tires.

No problem fitting them at all, I'm running them on my lowered 97 L. Came from 185/70r14 and my speedo is as accurate as stock according to gps. Most of your winter variety tires are made narrower than the advertised size anyway, even though they keep the height the same as standard seasonal tires. You'll definitely have better traction with dedicated winter tires on the car.

Edited September 19, 201411 yr by 86BRATMAN

perhaps 195/60 tires

What wheels are the 16" tires mounted on? Pretty much any Subaru wheel should have plenty of room and no issues with rubbing. If it's an aftermarket wheel or from another manufacturer, how wide are they and what is the offset?

Incorrect offset could cause them to rub.

 

With a Subaru wheel, a 205/55/16 will fit fine.

Hey thanks for you input everyone!  The wheels are from a 2002 wrx and the tires need replaced so  I just ordered some general altimax artics for them.  I probably would have gotten a little better traction with the 185/70/14, but the car just looks so much better with the 16's on it=)