My Forester passed NYS inspection with 4/32" of tread on 215/60/16's, which is the size on the door tag and I know pretty common among Subaru.. But since I work in a tire shop, I looked into the smallest All terrain tire I can get. And 215/65/16 is available in a General Grabber AT2.. I did the calculations and it's only 1/2" in sidewall height greater. 26.1" Vs 27", so the difference will be within 2mph on the speedo/odo

 

BUT, will they really fit? Tires are $124 each and I'd have to special order

Yes they'll fit. They may rub slightly, but they'll fit.

That's a commonly used size on Subarus. Some people say they rub a little, others say they don't.