I need ideas or past experiences of downsizing the tire size. I'm looking to put a little more aggressive tire on my Forester but there isn't much in the 16 inch. So I"m thinking of digging up some 15 inch wheels and putting them on.

I know its not always about appearances but would the 15 inchers with bigger tires look stupid? (as opposed to the more "sporty" 16s?)

Would it really be worth it? It would only be a small difference in the offset of mileage. Nothing signifcant. I'm not looking to make it a monster off roader but the more universal tire size and cheaper tire would be nice.

???

The stock tire size for the 15" is 205/70. What size were you thinking of putting on? Keep in mind too, that if it's a manual, you'll need to change the spare wheel and tire also.

I honestly dont think that 15" rims would work, as they wont clear the brakes. You would need to look into a 15" aftermarket rally rim set, but they are very expensive because of their construction materials.

Yeah i would check for brake clearences for any wheel. I really dont think it would look stupid, would make it look more off roady.

I didn't realize 16" wheels were standard on all '03s. Do they have bigger brakes than the '02 models?

If in fact you do this swap, I would be interested in the 16" wheels. If your selling. Steel or Alloy? Jay